There are few subjects in the Christian life more puzzling to more of God’s people than prayer. On the surface we might think that prayer should be the most natural and uncomplicated part of Christian living, for what should be more natural than to speak out of one’s heart to one’s heavenly Father? Nevertheless, in practice Christians are often confused by prayer and ask: What is prayer? Does prayer change things or does prayer merely change the one who is praying? How should we pray? What should we pray for? Can we be sure that God always hears prayer? Can we be confident that He will answer it? Most of these questions are answered in the verses which form the first half of the postscript to 1 John.
Strictly speaking, the letter has ended with 5:13. In that verse John has summed up his letter by saying that he has written to those who have already believed on Jesus in order that they might be assured of their salvation. But once again John seems reluctant to leave the matter. So he adds a postscript in which he first returns to the subject of prayer (vv. 14-17) and then lists three final affirmations about which the Christian may have confidence (vv. 18-21). He has already discussed prayer once in chapter three.
The outline for his discussion of prayer is quite striking. The verses contain two subjects: confidence in prayer (vv. 14-15) and prayer for others (vv. 16-17). Each of these contains a promise followed by a qualification.
Verse 14 contains the fourth occurrence of the word “confidence” (parresia) in John’s letter. Twice it has been used of the Christian’s confidence before God in view of the final judgment (2:28; 4:17). On one other occasion, as here, it refers to the Christian’s confidence in regard to prayer (3:21-22). The Christian need not fear that for some unknown reason God will refuse to hear him when he prays or turn from him. Indeed, confidence is actually a product of knowing that one is a true child of God and of having no doubts on the matter, as he says in chapter three.
In verses 14 and 15 John phrases the content of the Christian’s confidence as being “that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” In English this promise seems to fall into two parts: 1) that God hears us; and 2) that He answers when He hears. This is not quite the point, however. To begin with, whenever the Bible speaks of God hearing prayer, this means, at least in the great majority of cases, that God answers. So in this case the first part of the promise is actually that God hears in the sense that He answers. But, then, what does the second part mean? Is it mere repetition? Actually it introduces an entirely new idea, for the promise is not just that God answers, but rather that because He answers we have the items we requested of Him now. In Greek the verb “obtain” is in the present tense. Consequently, the promise is not even that we will obtain our requests, but that we obtain them even as we pray.
How did the author of this letter arrive at such confidence in prayer? It is hard to miss the fact that he probably did so on the basis of Jesus’ own teaching about prayer, much of which is recorded in John’s Gospel. Jesus said, “And whatever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). He said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you… whatever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:7, 16). “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive” (John 16:24).
