1 John 5:14-15

14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

If there is one thing I would like to have in life, it’s this total confidence in prayer that John talks about. Imagine KNOWING for certain that not only does God hear our prayer, but He will grant it!

I believe the key to having this confidence is to know more about Who we are talking to. Think about some of these attributes of God:

God is Love.

1 John 4:8

8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Since God loves us, He is motivated by that love to answer our prayer requests! He is also eternal and immutable (unchangeable), so His love for us NEVER changes. (See Romans 8:38-39) No matter how you fail, or how much you love Him, His love for you never changes.

God is Omniscient.

Hebrews 4:13

13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

God has always known everything – what will happen, what would have happened; every thought, motive, event and action of every person who ever lived or ever will live. God is unable to be surprised! Therefore God always knows exactly what the best answer to your prayer is, whether you agree with it or not.

God is Omnipotent.

Jeremiah 32:17

17 "Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,

See also Genesis 18:14; Hebrews 1:3; and Matthew 19:26.

There will never be a time when you have a request for God, and He can’t do it! There is nothing too small, or nothing too large to ask Him. He has authority over everyone and everything:

Psalms 24:1

1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,

The world, and those who dwell in it.

When you pray, keep in mind these characteristics of the Person you are talking to. He loves you unconditionally. He has perfect knowledge, including what would happen for each different answer to your prayer. He has the ability to do ANYTHING, even things that would seem contrary to the laws of nature.

When you have prayers that aren’t answered the way you wanted them, keep in mind these characteristics of God. You have to have the absolute confidence that He knows what’s best for you, and that He loves you and wants the best for you.

True confidence in prayer is simply a matter of understanding who He is.