That You May Know
Scripture:
“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
—1 John 5:13–15 (NLT)
John makes his purpose clear from the very first sentence. He isn’t writing to create uncertainty or to leave believers in a fog of spiritual anxiety. He is writing so that they may know. Not hope vaguely, not wonder occasionally — know. Know that they have eternal life. That kind of settled assurance changes everything about the way we live. It brings peace into the present and courage into the future. When we know where we stand with God, we don’t approach Him tentatively, bracing for rejection. We come freely, as children who belong and are both welcomed and heard.
And John builds on that foundation with something equally remarkable: the confidence that God genuinely hears us when we pray. The Creator of everything, attentive to our voices. But John doesn’t leave it there. He adds a qualifier that is not a restriction so much as a reorientation. God hears us when we ask for anything according to His will. That phrase changes the posture of prayer entirely. It moves us from trying to persuade God to do what we want, to aligning our hearts with what He already desires. It is less about bending His will toward ours, and more about bending ours toward His.
This is where prayer becomes something deeper than a list of requests. It becomes a relationship. It becomes a conversation in which we bring everything — our fears, our longings, our confusion, our gratitude — and trust that He receives it all with perfect wisdom and perfect love. Andrew Murray, who spent a lifetime studying the nature of prayer, put it simply and exactly right: “Listening to God’s voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine.” That sentence reframes everything. Prayer is not primarily talking. It is first listening. It is coming to God with open hands rather than clenched fists.
And here is the confidence John wants us to carry: He hears us. Not sometimes, not when we have it all together, not when our faith is strong enough. He hears those who come to Him in the name of His Son, asking according to His will. And His will is not a wall between us and what is good. It is the surest path to it. You were made by God and for God, and He has never stopped being attentive to you. Bring your requests. Open your hands. And rest in the truth that the One who hears you also loves you, and His answers will always be better than anything you could have arranged on your own.
Reflection:
1. How does knowing you have eternal life shape your confidence in bringing your prayers to God?
2. How does praying according to God’s will change the way you think about unanswered prayer?
3. Is there a request you need to surrender to His wisdom and timing today?
Prayer:
Thank God that He hears you — not because of your eloquence or your faith, but because of His grace. Ask Him to shape your desires according to His will, and rest in the confidence that every prayer offered in the name of Jesus lands in the hands of a Father who loves you.

Footnote: ¹ Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1895), Chapter 22.