In our Monday reflection, we saw that Saint John encourages us four times to have confidence: twice he speaks about confidence when facing God's judgement (2:28; 4:17) and twice concerning confidence in prayer (3:21; 5:14).

Today we reflect on the second passage concerning confidence in prayer. Christian confidence is neither mere optimism nor a vague religious feeling. St John indicates this indirectly when he says, "when we ask for anything according to his will." (1 Jn 5:14),

For us Christians, prayer demands a close relationship with God and is guided, not by any selfish or self-centred desire but by an openness to God's will. If we think of God's will as some kind of plan or arrangement which God has made beforehand, and presumably without our knowledge or consent, we end up in puzzlement and perhaps even apprehension and fear.

However, if we realise that God's will for us is the divine love by which the Blessed Trinity creates, redeems and sanctifies us continuously. Then, we recognise that our knowledge of God's will is the attraction of God's love drawing us to greater spiritual well-being, peace and joy. Thus, we will come to understand the truth of St John's further statement: "we know that what we have asked him for is ours" (1 Jn 5:15).