1 Giovanni 5:14,15

DISCOURSE: 2469
ANSWERS TO PRAYER

1 Giovanni 5:14. This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

PRAYER is universally acknowledged to be a service proper for sinful men to perform; yet few have any just idea of its efficacy. If a man were to speak of having received an answer to his prayers, he would be considered as an enthusiast, who was deceiving his own soul. Yet it is clear that we are taught to expect answers from Almighty God, and that too even in relation to the specific petitions which we have presented before him. The words which we have just read abundantly attest this, and naturally lead me to shew,

I. The confidence which a believer may enjoy in drawing nigh to God—

He may possess a confidence,

1. Respecting the acceptance of his prayers in general—

[God has been pleased to make himself known to us under this very character, “A God that heareth prayer [Note: Salmi 65:2.].” And in the most explicit terms has he assured us, that “no man shall seek his face in vain [Note: Isaia 45:19.

]:” Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened [Note: Matteo 7:7.].” In truth, if this hope were not held out to us, it would be in vain to approach our God at all.

Thus far, therefore, the world at large will admit the efficacy of prayer: they will acknowledge that some good will proceed from it; though their idea is, that the benefit will accrue rather from the meritoriousness of the act of prayer, than from any attention paid to the prayer itself. But we must go further, and assert, that the believer is warranted to enjoy a confidence also,]

2. Respecting specific answers to each particular petition—

[This is plainly declared in the passage before us, and therefore it may certainly be expected. But here it will be proper to mark the different limitations with which the subject must be understood. If these be not carefully noted, I grant that much error may prevail in relation to it; but if these be kept in view, we may take to ourselves all the comfort which this subject is calculated to convey.

First, then, the text itself limits our petitions, and supposes them to be in accordance with the will of God: “If we ask any thing according to his will.” It were absurd to imagine that we could, by any request of ours, prevail on the Deity to do any thing which was contrary to his will. This limit, therefore, must be admitted of course. Besides, our prayers must be offered in the name of Jesus Christ.

He is our Mediator; nor is there any access to God for us, except through him. Hence he himself, in order to the acceptance of our prayers, requires that they be offered in his name [Note: Giovanni 14:13; Giovanni 16:23; Giovanni 16:26.

]. They must also be offered up in faith. A man that doubts and “wavers in his petitions must not expect to receive any thing from the Lord [Note: Giacomo 1:5.].” Our Lord therefore declares this to be essential; “Whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive [Note: Matteo 21:22.

].” And peculiarly strong is his declaration in another place, where he says, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them [Note: Marco 11:24.].” Our prayers, too, must be presented with a pure and holy end; not for the gratification of any unhallowed feeling of our own, but with a view to the honour of our God [Note: Giacomo 4:3.].

Moreover as proper limits must be assigned to our prayers, so a proper latitude must be conceded to God for his answers to them. He is not bound in relation to the time when he shall answer them, or the manner in which he shall answer them. He may suffer us to wait long before he answers us; that so we may feel the deeper need of his mercy, and be better prepared to receive it, and be led more devoutly to praise him when he has answered.

In answering us, too, it must be left to him to grant what, in his infinite wisdom, he may judge most conducive to our welfare. “He heard his dear Son always;” yet he did not take the bitter cup out of his hands; but enabled him to drink it [Note: Matteo 26:39.], and for his sake took it out of the hands of a dying world.

He did not extract the thorn from the flesh of his servant Paul; but he made use of it, to prevent the risings of pride, which would have been an infinitely sorer plague; and enabled him to rejoice and glory in it, as the means of honouring more abundantly his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [Note: 2 Corinzi 12:9.

]. Even to an angel he refused the specific request; but “answered him with good and comfortable words,” which were eventually a more suitable and substantial blessing [Note: Zaccaria 1:12.].

Take these limitations, then, with respect to our prayers, and these exceptions respecting God’s answers to them; and then we need not fear to entertain the confidence described in our text: we may not only be “sure that God hears us, but we either have, or shall have, the petitions that we desired of him.”

And now you will readily see,

II.

The encouragement which this affords him to abound in that duty—

What is there that man can need at the hands of God? Whatever it may be, he is at liberty to ask it: and may be confident, that, in answer to his petitions, it shall be granted to him. Needest thou, believer,

1. The forgiveness of thy sins?

[Call them to remembrance from thine earliest infancy, and spread them all before him: fear not, either on account of their number or malignity; but go with confidence to thy God, in the name of Jesus; and “he will blot them out as a morning cloud,” and “cast them all behind him, into the very depths of the sea [Note: Isaia 44:22.Michea 7:19.].”]

2. A supply of grace, to sanctify thy soul?

[Non guardare all'inveterazione delle tue concupiscenze, come se fossero troppo grandi per essere sottomesse; ma guarda piuttosto alla portata delle graziose promesse di Dio; e aspettatevi che vi renda capaci di “purificarvi da ogni impurità sia della carne che dello spirito, e di perfezionare la santità nel timore di Dio [Nota: 2 Corinzi 7:1 .

]”. Non trattenere la preghiera davanti a lui; e vi trasformerà nella «sua perfetta immagine, di gloria in gloria», «per la potente opera del suo Spirito, che ha risuscitato Cristo stesso dai morti [Nota: 2 Corinzi 3:18 ; Efesini 1:19 .]” — — —]

3. Tutta la gloria e la beatitudine del cielo?

[“Non siate angustiati in voi stessi, fratelli miei; poiché non siete ristretti in Dio». Egli stesso ti dice: «Apri bene la tua bocca e io la riempirò [Nota: Salmi 81:10 .]:» e perciò stendi davanti a lui ogni tua necessità, assicurato che, come può, così anche lui è disposto , per “darvi in ​​abbondanza al di sopra di tutto ciò che potete chiedere, o anche solo pensare [Nota: Efesini 3:20 .]” — — —

Se si dice che tale fiducia non è giustificata in questo giorno, chiedo: i nostri privilegi sono diminuiti sotto la dispensazione cristiana? o, Abbiamo meno diritto di aspettarci queste benedizioni, di quanto non lo fossero gli ebrei, sotto la loro economia meno perfetta? Ammetto che non siamo autorizzati ad aspettarci interposizioni così visibili di cui hanno goduto: ma le nostre non saranno affatto meno reali , o meno certe .

Non abbiamo l'Urim e il Thummim, per consultare Dio e ottenere una risposta che sia leggibile da segni riconosciuti sul pettorale; ma Dio ci ascolterà nondimeno quando lo invocheremo; e fa' che anche noi, in circostanze dubbie, udiamo dietro di noi una voce che dice: «Questa è la via; camminateci dentro”. Sebbene quindi riconosca che, essendo sotto una teocrazia, gli ebrei godevano di privilegi loro peculiari, affermo che, nella misura in cui quei privilegi condurranno al nostro benessere spirituale , noi li possediamo in un grado così alto che mai; ed è colpa nostra se non ce ne serviamo, per il progresso delle nostre anime nella pace, nella santità e nella gloria.

Il profeta Elia chiuse e aprì le finestre del cielo? è registrato per mostrare l'efficacia della preghiera, per qualunque cosa sia fatta e da chiunque sia offerta [Nota: Giacomo 5:16 .]

Non vorrei tuttavia concludere senza suggerire una cautela , in riferimento al tuo esercizio di questa fiducia:

[Abbi cura di esercitarlo con modestia e santo timore. È abbastanza possibile scambiare i nostri sentimenti per una risposta alla preghiera; e persuaderci che Dio ci guida, quando seguiamo solo l'immaginazione del nostro cuore. Prendiamo, in ogni occasione, la parola scritta per nostra guida; e, in tutte le circostanze dubbie, attendere l'esito, prima di presumere di riferirle a Dio come espressioni della sua volontà in risposta alle nostre preghiere.

La verità nel nostro testo deve essere migliorata piuttosto per il nostro incoraggiamento a impegnare le nostre vie verso Dio, piuttosto che allo scopo di determinare positivamente ciò che Dio ha fatto, o farà. Prendiamo con questa limitazione, che Dio esaudirà le nostre richieste, se realmente condurranno al nostro benessere e alla sua gloria; e allora non possiamo sbagliare, né la nostra fiducia può mai essere mal riposta.]