The Power of And

1 John 5: 13-15 (AMP, some ( ) taken out) 13 I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence which we have in Him: that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the requests made of Him. I've always loved verse 14 and 15, probably because it gives me hope. I also know that it's important, in order to get the full understanding of a verse, to read the verses before and after. But I have failed to pay attention to the first word in verse 14 – "and". Verse 14 and 15 are only possible BECAUSE of verse 13. We can have confidence in coming to Him because #1- we believe in the name of the Son of God and #2- because we believe in who Jesus is we have life, yes, eternal life. Whew! I like those last seven words, "we already have life, yes, eternal life." Isn't that a powerful "and"? The confidence comes from the knowing…with settled and absolute knowledge. Knowing that when I surrender to the truth that Jesus really did pay the price for my sin on the cross so that I might have blessed restored fellowship with His Father, and confess to Him that my sin put Him there, ask His forgiveness of that sin, He forgives me, and I become His child with all the rights and privileges of that life. No ifs or buts about it. And it doesn't stop there. Yeah, I know. I surely could stop there, couldn't it? As a believer in Jesus, if I ask any request of Him, and know that is in His will, I have the joy of knowing that He listens to AND hears me. To picture in my mind that the God of the universe, my Creator, cocks His head to listen to my request is so very…well, cool. AND it doesn't stop there. It surely could, couldn't it? Knowing He listens and hears me, I have the freedom and confidence to ask for anything in His will and can be assured He, like the loving Father He is, will grant that request. So I best make that request wisely and in His will. The interesting part about it is that if I make a request that isn't in His will, He won't grant it because it's not best for me, His child. And that's reassuring as well. I can't lose. So why not ask? Father, thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross for me and for forgiving me of my sin. Thank you for making me your precious child and loving me so much that you bend your ear to my voice. Thank you for hearing my requests and helping me to grow in knowledge of your will and purpose for my life. Father, I know that it is your will that my body, this temple you live in, be healthy for the work you planned before my birth to do. So in Jesus' name, I ask you to remove all the excess weight that entangles me and keeps me from fulfilling that purpose. May your life shine from the inside out and draw others to you. Restore their souls, their personalities, the essence of who you created them to be, as you are restoring mine. I love you Lord. I praise you Lord. I bow on my knees to worship you Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.