WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT PRAYER

And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. - 1 John 5:14. An amazing assurance (if we ask, he hears us) and an invitation to boldness (ask anything), qualified by a necessary awareness (ask according to his will). It may seem like a dichotomy to pray boldly yet with an awareness of what God wants of us, but perhaps it will become easier to understand if we look at some related verses. First, we can rejoice in  Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you."   We truly can give it all to God and find God wherever we look. But we should also remember how Jesus prayed, at  Luke 22:42: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup form me; yet not my will but yours be done."   We truly can ask boldly for anything, but we have to keep it an "ask," not a tell. And we can, and should, turn to Jesus in the same way; see  John...

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.  When you search for me, you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-13. A reminder that God has plans for us, and that even as we ask and search, God is himself the answer. How timely to find this passage right after considering the Hebrews narrative of the long journey of faith of our forefathers.  Through this old testament prophet we are reminded, even in the midst of our journeys, that God has great plans for us, not for harm but for our well being, a future of not uncertainty but of hope. Notice too how this passage expands profoundly on the simple truth of what Jesus said at  Matthew 7:7: "Ask and you shall receive, search and you will find."   Here, as if finishing the "I am" sentence, the prophet Jeremiah adds God to ...