Knowing God’s
Will
The
Bible tells us in Matthew 6:32 that
God knows what we need before we ask.
However, we have permission to make
our requests known. There are times
when we pray and heaven seems to be
silent. Some time, out of love for us
and a true understanding of what we
need, God withholds what we have
asked for. That is the time for our
faith to be built as we learn to
trust His character. It has been said
that His answers are wiser than our
prayers.
There are only two
concerns that you and I should have
about unanswered prayer: (1) Is there
any iniquity in my heart that would
keep God from hearing my prayer
(Psalm 66: 18) and (2) In any way has
my heart deceived me (Jeremiah 17:9).
Our flesh is a powerful enemy. It is
possible to formulate prayers with
our mouth, knowing what we are
supposed to desire while fully
intending to do exactly want we want.
Insincere lip service and tolerating
sin in our life will disrupt any
power we could experience in prayer.
Genuine love for God
will enable us to lay down our hopes
to see our own desires fulfilled and
pray that above all – God’s
will – will be done. We are to
pray prayers of supplication to open
a path for God’s will to be done
in our life and in the Earth.
And in
case that famous thought, “What
about me?” comes to your mind,
you cannot out give God. As you begin
to seek God’s desires over your
own desires, He will do more for you
than you could ask or think. Psalms
37: 4 & 5 says, “Delight
yourself also in the Lord, and He
shall give you the desires of your
heart. Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and he shall bring
it to pass.”
When
our desires in prayer become one with
the desires of God, we will see
miraculous things happen. You know
you are in the pursuit of God’s
heart when your favorite prayer
becomes, “Thy will be
done.”
3 ways
we can know we are praying in the
will of God
1.
Scripture is the revealed will of
God. When you pray scripture, you can
be confident, you are praying His
will.
2.
Jesus model for prayer laid out
guidelines for what we should ask
for. He started out by honoring the
name of God. He asked God for His
kingdom to be set up in the Earth. It
is the will of God that His
children allow Him to reign in their
lives, giving Him expression in
the earth. He asked God for
daily provision – It is
God’s will that we receive what
we need to live. Two of His names
that speak of Him as the rich source
of all we need are Jehovah Jireh,
God’s provision will be seen and
Adonai, the provider, for the
resources to do His will. You can
pray with confidence regarding provision
for your needs. It is God’s
will that we forgive those that
offend us and it is His will that
we receive forgiveness in proportion
to how completely we forgive. It
is also God’s will that we be kept
from temptation and evil.
3.
The mind of the Spirit knows the will
of God. In some situations, we cannot
find a verse that reveals God’s
specific desire for a person or
situation we are burdened about. The
Spirit of God knows what God wants.
We are praying in the will of God
when we ask the Holy Spirit to
intercede for us when we
don’t know how to pray. Romans
8:27 says, “Now He, who
searches the heart, knows what the
mind of the Spirit is, because He
makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.
