1 John 5:14, 15 - Effective Prayer.

1 John 5:14, 15 - Effective Prayer.

1 John 5:14, 15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have 
in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that 
we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.  

1 John 5:14, 15 (CWR) We have confidence in God to know that He 
will listen to whatever we ask in harmony with His will. 15 And if we 
know that He listens to us, we know that He will give us whatever is 
best. 

Only the condition that our petitions are in harmony with His 
will is mentioned here. Elsewhere, other conditions for answered 
prayer are set forth - asking in Christ's name (John 14:13; 16:23), 
agreement among brethren (Matt. 18:19), belief (Mark 11:24), observance of 
His commandments (1 John 3:22). [SDA Bible Commentary] 

He is not giving a blanket assurance about answers to a 
Christian's prayers so much as he is encouraging the Christian to discover 
the Lord's will and to frame his petitions in harmony with the 
divine design, in the sure knowledge that God-approved prayers will 
receive the best possible answer. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

The emphasis here is on God's will, not our will. When we 
communicate with God, we don't demand what we want; rather we discuss with 
him what he wants for us. If we align our prayers to his will, he 
will listen; and we can be certain that if he listens, he will give 
us a definite answer. Start praying with confidence!  [Life 
Application SB] 

  Can you accept God's will when His answer is no? If you are 
praying in God's will, He will always answer you when you pray (Jer. 
33:3). However, sometimes His answer will be no. King Herod arrested 
Peter and prepared to have him executed. During the night, as his 
church prayed, Peter's life was spared when an angel freed him. God 
miraculously answered the prayers of His people that night. Yet not long 
before, James, too, had been arrested by Herod. James, however, was 
executed. Surely the church had prayed for James as fervently as they did 
for Peter, yet that time God's answer had been no.  
  Did God love Peter more than James? Of course not. James had 
been one of Jesus' closest friends. Yet God allowed James to die 
while He continued to use Peter in His service. The church in 
Jerusalem did not become bitter toward God. They accepted His answer 
because they trusted His love and wisdom.  
  There are times when God wants us to persist in our praying 
until He has completed His work in us (Lu 11:5-8; 18:1-6). However, 
when God's answer is no, it is futile to continue pleading for a yes. 
Some refuse to take no for an answer, insisting that if you pray long 
enough and hard enough, God will ultimately grant any request you make. 
It is an affront to your Lord to continue pleading with Him when He 
has clearly said no. The purpose of prayer is not to conform God to 
our will but to adjust our will to God. We must learn to trust God 
so that if He says no, we accept that His will is best. 
[Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re Acts 12:2, 3a] 

When God says no to you, it doesn't necessarily mean your plan 
was a bad one. Instead, he simply has another place he needs you for 
the time being. So when a door closes, don't attempt to barge 
through it. Trust that God has a reason and will guide you in another 
direction. [The One Year Bible for New Believers re Acts 16:6-10] 

As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes 
omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His 
strength. All His biddings are enablings.  COL333 

The key to knowing that God hears our prayers is to pray 
according to His will. [Nelson SB] 

According to His will - A gracious limitation, because God's 
will is always best for His children. [Ryrie SB]