“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.
Praying according to God’s will is a key to effective prayer, but how do we know God’s will? It may be easier to know what is not his will.
In Raising Responsible Kids, Jay Kesler writes, “Shortly after I got my driver’s license I was driving too close to the middle of a narrow road and I sideswiped another car. The crash tore the front fender, two doors, and the rear fender from my dad’s car. After I found out everyone was okay, I stood in the ditch and prayed, ‘Dear God, I pray this didn’t happen.’
“I opened my eyes and saw that the car was still wrecked, so I closed my eyes, squinted real hard, and prayed again, ‘Dear God, it didn’t happen.’ Then I opened my eyes, but it happened anyway.” [www.sermoncentral.com]
I know how the young Jay Kesler felt. I’ve done things that I wanted to undo and said things that I wanted to “unsay.” Things have happened that I wanted to have happened differently. I suspect many people know that feeling. Otherwise, why would “The Twilight Zone” have had episodes about people going back in time trying to change things? Why would there be movies about people going back in time and changing things? “Back to the Future” even had sequels. But as I study the Bible, I have noticed nothing that says changing the past is God’s will.
Movies are not the only thing that express enticing desires that are not according to God’s will. There are fairly tales about a genie in Aladdin’s lamp or in a bottle. The latter even became a TV show in the 60's, “I Dream of Jeanie.” The idea of a powerful person giving us anything we could possibly ask for is appealing.
I’ve read that, “If you give a pig and a child everything they want you will raise a good pig and a bad child.” Giving people everything they want is not God’s will.
I haven’t heard this in some time, but some preachers and teachers in the past claimed we should not pray, “If it be thy will.” They said when we pray, “If it be thy will,” that we are trying to give God a way out for when our prayers are not answered. They said praying, “If it by thy will,” was a sign of doubt, not faith. Some even said we sin when we pray, “If it be thy will.”
I disagreed then and I still disagree. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that now we see through a glass darkly, but then we shall know. We can only see, know, or understand a little bit this side of glory. Praying, “If it be thy will” is admitting that we don’t always know God’s will, but whatever it is, we willingly submit. By the way, submission is also a key to prayer we will study.
Praying according to God’s will is a prayer key, but not an incantation for answered prayer. We can’t expect to just pray words we believe to be God’s will and ”poof” it must happen. We know God desires to save the lost, but he also gives us free will. It is not God’s will to violate the free will he gave us to force anyone to be saved.
Perhaps the best illustration I have read about this is being in a boat and throwing a boat hook to shore. Does pulling bring the shore to me, or does it bring me to the shore? Praying according to God’s will does not pull God to our will, but pulls us to God’s will.
A college student I knew abused this verse terribly. I don’t remember what we were praying about, but I remember his prayer. “Lord, in your word it says that if we ask anything according to your will that you hear us. In your word it says if two or three agree as touching anything, that it will be done. We know that this is your will. You know that we are more than two or three and we are in agreement. Now, by the authority of your word, we COMMAND you...”
I was stunned, then immediately prayed, “Not me, Lord! I’m not trying to command you to do anything!” That attempt at prayer was an abuse of 1 John 5:14. It was trying to turn prayer into an incantation.
Praying according to God’s will is a key to prayer, but how do we know God’s will?
One way God makes His will known to us through His Word, the Bible. This sounds like another prayer key, having Christ’s words abide in us. Paul asked God to fill the Colossians “with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).
"Wisdom" for Christians is the ability to apply faith to everyday life. “Understanding” refers to seeing how the Bible relates to our needs. Regular Bible reading and Bible studies increases both.
A man got a job painting the center stripes on a highway by hand. Each day he painted fewer and fewer stripes. His boss asked him why.
“I keep getting further and further from the paint can.”
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee,” (Psalms 119:11). If it is in our heart, we will never be far from it. If it is in our heart, we will be better at applying faith to life. If it is in our heart, we will be better at seeing how the Bible relates to our needs and the needs of others.
One day, a huge, young lumberjack got the idea that he wanted to be “the bull of the woods.” To win that title, he had to beat an old lumberjack in a series of contests. The first was a day of just felling trees. They picked a day, picked an area, met at dawn, and began cutting on cue.
After about an hour, the young lumberjack looked over and saw the old lumberjack sitting down. After a few moments, he got up and started cutting again. The young lumberjack kept on cutting. After another hour, the so-called “bull of the woods” sat down again for a few moments. This pattern continued all morning. They broke for lunch, then started again. The same pattern continued. Every hour, the “bull of the woods” sat down for a few minutes and the kid kept cutting. By the end of the day, there was no doubt that the old lumberjack clear cut much more than the young lumberjack.
The young lumberjack was amazed. “I don’t understand. I’m bigger. I’m stronger. I worked faster. I didn’t waste any time just sitting. How did you do it?”
The old lumberjack said, “While sitting down, I was not wasting my time. I was sharpening my ax.” I don’t know how many times I read Ecclesiastes 10:10 before I read an explanation of what it means. “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” If the ax is dull, and you don’t sharpen it, you have to work harder. Wisdom knows what to do about it (sharpen the ax).
Christians don’t have an ax, but we do have a sword, the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Don’t just learn facts about God’s word. Live what you learn. Sharpen your understanding. Read your Bible, study it, pray about it, discuss it in Sunday School, and live what you learn. Ask questions of other Christians, ask questions of your pastor, check what they say against the Bible itself. Sharpen your ability to apply faith to life.
The Colossian Christians would learn from Gods word the wisdom and knowledge to live yielded to the will of God. There are other ways to learn God’s will, including experience trusting God (Provebs 3:5-6), experience living for him (Hebrews 5:14), and seeking Godly council (Proverbs 15:22). Those will be considered in future studies of praying according to God’s will.
The emphasis for now is on being filled “with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). Then we will grow in our ability to pray according to God’s will.
