In these two simple verses there lies great confusion... deception... ignorance... and just down-right stupidity on the part of many bible... exponents.

On the other hand... there is unthinkable excitement and fulfillment here as well... so... let us take a look.

1 John 5:14-15, "Now this is the confidence we have before Him: whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for."
(Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Now where the confusion often comes is in the failure to recognize the two small words... His will. Many have a very difficult time recognizing that there is a distinction between His Will, and My Will.

What many confused souls attempt to accomplish in prayer is to sort of form a picket line at the throne of God's majesty... attempting to convince God to see things their way. If I were and artist I would draw a picture of a person walking back and forth in front of a throne with a sign saying something like...

I WANT MORE COOKIES!!!

Or something like...

I'M SICK OF THESE PROBLEMS SO FIX THEM!!!

Or something like...

OK! I'M SICK OF BEING SICK!!!

Now consider what it would be like... at least for God... if someone were to come to Him praying that God would do what God wants to do... praying to God that God would do what He has said He intended to do... praying to God that the most important thing to said person was that God would receive a lot of honor and glory through the very things that God was doing in our world?

Now... go back and read those two verses again.

Now... do you know what to pray for?

Now... just think how much fun and exciting it would be to come before God's throne as a representative of God... to Himself?

An Ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven sent to God... to represent His interests to Himself.

XtnYoda, shalomed