February 22 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 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" (1 John 5:14–15).

Devotional

If you draw near to God and ask for more love, more zeal, an increase of faith, a reviving of God's work within you, more resemblance to Christ, the defeat of some enemy, the mortification of some evil, the subduing of some iniquity, the pardon of some guilt, more of the spirit of adoption, the sprinkling of the atoning blood, the sweet sense of acceptance, then you know and are assured that you ask for those things which are according to the will of God, and which it is in the heart of God fully and freely to bestow.

There need be no backwardness here. There need be no restraint, no misgiving. The believer may, when pleading for such blessings, with "boldness enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19). You may draw near to God, not standing afar off, but, in the spirit of a child, drawing near to God. You may come with large requests, large desires, hopeful expectations. You may open your mouth wide, because you ask those things which it is glorifying to God to give, which glorify him when he gives them, and which you know from his own Word are according to his blessed will to bestow.

Oh, the unspeakable encouragement of going to God with a request of which you feel assured it is in his heart and according to his will freely to grant!

Come, my soul, your suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
he himself tells you to pray,
therefore will not tell you, "Nay."

You are coming to a King,
large petitions with you bring;
for his grace and power are such,
none can ever ask too much.

With my burden I begin:
Lord, remove this load of sin;
let your blood, for sinners spilt,
set my conscience free from guilt.

Lord, I come to you for rest,
take possession of my breast;
there your blood-bought right maintain,
and without a rival reign.

While I am a pilgrim here,
let your love my spirit cheer;
as my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
lead me to my journey's end.

Show me what I have to do,
ev'ry hour my strength renew:
let me live a life of faith,
let me die your people's death.

(John Newton, 1779; mod., LEW, 2009)

Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.

Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.