Can We Talk?
- Joshua Goodin
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." — 1 John 5:14 (NIV)
One of my favorite pastimes is singing. Anyone who really knows me — anyone who has talked to me on the phone — has encountered me randomly breaking into song mid-conversation. When a melody rises up in me, I must sing. Music is one of the ways God speaks to me, one of the ways He signals His presence. Let me say, I must always be ready for a karaoke moment. One of my go-to songs is "Can We Talk?" by Tevin Campbell.
In the lyrics, Campbell makes a simple but vulnerable request: the chance to talk, to be known, to move past the surface into real dialogue with someone he desires to understand and be understood by. The song moves through nervousness, vulnerability, and stillness — the very real feelings that surface anytime we approach a conversation that matters.
Our verse for today, 1 John 5:14, describes a strikingly similar dynamic in how we approach God. John is writing near the close of his letter, after several chapters establishing what it means to walk in the light, to love in truth, and to test the spirits. By this point, John has built a case for assurance — that believers can know they have eternal life (1 John 5:13). It is only after establishing that ground of assurance that John moves to prayer, because our confidence in approaching God is inseparable from our confidence in who we are before Him.
The Greek word behind "confidence" here carries the sense of boldness, freedom of speech, and unashamed access. This is not the confidence of arrogance, nor is it the false humility that hides behind timid, hedge-your-bets prayers. It is the confidence of a person who knows whose they are and therefore knows how to approach. How often do you approach dialogue with God with this kind of confidence? Not cocky. Not overzealous. But settled — the way you'd walk into a conversation with someone who has already proven their love for you, already promised to listen, and already committed to responding.
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