1 John 5:14 & 15 (ESV) And this is the confidence that we have toward 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 that we have asked of him.

There is much confusion about this passage of scripture. Instead of encouraging confidence in prayer, many of God’s children are filled with doubt about whether they are praying “according to the will of God.”  Sometimes, we doubt that God cares enough to answer our prayers and add on the words, “if it’s according to your will” to our requests.

Ezekiel 9:4 (ESV) And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”

Many, if not most of us, are concerned about the conditions around us. I don’t have to go into details describing what we see everywhere and how our culture has turned from God and Biblical principles. Too often we are left feeling helpless because it appears judgment has to be just around the corner but nobody seems to care. What are we to do?

Too often the last resort upon which to fall when problems arise is prayer. We tend to try everything else first. But why? Could it be that the enemy does not want us to use the most potent weapon given to the church?

When Paul described the armor of God, which we are to stand upon against the schemes of the devil, he describes two offensive weapons—the Word of God and prayer.

Ephesians 6:17 & 18 (ESV) and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Revival is something that cannot be produced by man as it must come from God or it wouldn’t be real revival. Our part is simply practicing what we believe in relying upon God to send the fires of revival and preparing by doing everything God has prescribed for us to do as we wait on the Lord.

It’s an easy matter to criticize but it’s a harder thing to pray. It’s easy to say we believe in prayer but it’s a harder thing to take the time to meet together to pray. It’s one thing to say we believe in the promises of the Word of God in Matthew 18:19 & 20 but it’s harder to put it into practice by making the way to join with others in prayer. It’s one thing to say we believe the words of Jesus but another thing to persevere in prayer as He prescribed in Luke 18. It’s one thing to say we believe we cannot do church or even do life on our own and need the help of God but it’s another thing to live like we believe it and seek Him first.