- Philippians 2:13
"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will."
- Romans 8:27
Some of the most perplexing things about prayer that people seem to question the most is this — ”How do I know that what I am asking for is according to God’s will?” You often hear people adda phrase at the end of a prayer where some request is offered—”If it be Thy will.” This phrase sounds like a hope more than a certainty, as if some sort of guessing is going on. Unfortunatelymost people pray their own wishes, add this phrase and then wait, wondering if something is going to happen.
We don’t have to live in such uncertainty, because we are assured that we can know what God’s will is. John 7:17 says “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” There is a condition offered here for getting ready to know what God’s will is.
First we ask Him what His will is, and wait and meditate on scripture until He shows us—but more importantly it is essential that we give up our will before we can know what His will is. Unfortunately, most of us have very concrete ideas about what God should be doing. Most of our prayers are us trying to get God to do what we want. Since He doesn’t have to bow to our wills, it seems that a different attitude might be in order.
The trouble is, our fallen natures never want what God wants.But God has made provision even for this as the verse above states. He works within us to will His very own will in us. When you find that your desires are so strong, ask Him to will His will in you—you’ll find that what you think you want will totally change. It may take some time if your desire is particularly entrenched. But as you seek His face, He will reveal what He desires so that your will and His can become one.
THEN what you ask for will happen. There doesn’t seem to be any shortcut in this process. God never answers prayer that is contrary to scripture, so searching the Word of God is a wonderful roadmap to understanding. Often as you seek Him, you will sense the Spirit bringing to mind scripture that you already know, which makes the path ahead much more clear.
The apostle Paul makes it clear that we can know God’s will in Colossions 1:9—”for this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This tells me that knowing God’s will isn’t guess work—it’s the certainty of His promise which He always keeps. Let’s stop guessing and inquire as to what His will is—this is ASKING.
Wisdom is the special gift of the Lord for our quest to know His will. It is beyond intellect and knowledge. In a willing mind, wisdom enables a person to hear with God’s ears and see with His eyes. Praise and rejoicing in the Lord makes what the Lord’s will is clear and also prepares us to be willing to do it!
Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance to guide us; it puts our wills in a condition to receive what He wills for us. It changes our moods and gives us keen desires. When we commit a decision, choice or uncertainty to Him, the sure sign that we have really relinquished it and know that He has the authority and responsibility to guide our steps, we surely will sense a profound peace. Our wills are His, and we are free of the terrible tension of thinking that we are in charge of everything.
"Our wills are totally incapable of desiring God’s will until they are set free by being born again. He wills His will in us."
- Lloyd Ogilvi
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