This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
1 John 5:14-15
Yesterday in the first part of the believer’s prayer life, we considered the importance of being specific in our prayer times or making appointments with God. Of course, we should pray always, but if we only pray whenever we feel like it, we may never actually pray or, worse still, never have a prayer life.
Today, we want to consider another component of the believer’s prayer life: praying according to God’s will.
Imagine that you have a proposal to help children in a remote settlement access education, but you lack the finances. You send a proposal to a company that coincidentally wants to do a community social responsibility project in that area but hasn’t found a partner. What do you think will happen when your project reaches the chairman’s table? All things being equal, a favourable outcome is guaranteed! Why? Your request aligns with the company’s intention.
In the same way, the Bible says that, “if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”. What then is God’s will, and how can we tap into it. To pray in accordance with God’s will is to pray consistently with the Word of God, His promises in the Bible.
Most people for instance often marvel at Elijah’s powerful declaration in the bible where he suspended rain in the land of Israel: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except according to my word.” (1 Kings 17:1).
However, Elijah wasn’t just making some irrational declaration; he was simply proclaiming God’s will. He was proclaiming God’s word in Deuteronomy 11:16-17: “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.”
God’s word is clear: if the people worship idols, God will shut the heavens. When Elijah saw that the whole nation had moved after the worship of Baal, he simply activated this clause in prayer. As you go into prayer also, ask yourself what spiritual clause am I activating? Until you give yourself better to God’s word, you will never be able to pray effectively!
Lord, I know that “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Please help me like the early apostles to give attention to your word and to prayer.
Have you ever sat through a powerful sermon, nodded your head the whole time, maybe…
Imagine trying to plant a beautiful garden in soil overrun by weeds. No matter how…
In a world where everyone is eager to be heard, James gives us a different…
When God wanted to show the world what He was doing in creation, He started…
Have you ever had someone bless you with a gift at just the right moment-a…
Sin doesn’t show up wearing a name tag that says “Destruction.” It often enters dressed…