Our objective in this lesson is to consider the need for the content of our prayers being in harmony with the will of God.
John said, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 Jn. 5:14). Note that prayer is not a completely “blank check.” We only have the promise of God hearing (and answering) our prayers when they are according to His will.
Briefly we should mention two aspects of God’s will. First, there is the will of God which has been revealed in His word (see 2 Pt. 1:3). This is the mind and will of God which has been made known through inspired men (see 2 Pt. 1:20-21) which furnishes us with everything we need to know (see 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Secondly, there is the will of God (or divine plans) which have not been revealed. Let me seek to briefly explain using an example to clarify…
Sometimes when we are deliberating between jobs or some other decision in life, there may not be a clear “Bible answer” as to what we should do. Of course, it is certainly possible that God has a plan (behind the scenes), though He has not revealed them through His word. We may use the Scripture and be prayerful about our decision, but yet there is not necessarily a choice between obeying or disobeying the Lord. Even so, James says, “you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (Jm. 5:14). The end is the same… Christians want the will of the Lord to be done! While this area certainly merits further discussion, our main focus is on the revealed will of God.
Certainly, we must not ask things of God which are not in accord with Scripture. Our prayers to God is not going to change what He has stated in His Word, and neither will such prayers be answered.
John gives such an example when he says, “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that” (1 Jn. 5:16). This is a somewhat difficult passage but the most likely interpretation is that the sin not leading to death is a sin a brother is willing to turn away from. We know that repentance and prayer, in such an instance, can bring restoration (see Jm. 5:16; Acts 8:22). Since this is according to God’s will, we are certainly free to pray that penitent person will be forgiven. On the other hand, in regards to the individual who is not willing to turn from his sin, there is no hope provided in God’s word for his forgiveness. God has a “will” that is established and is not going to change. Thus, we should not pray that such a person will be saved while in his sin. This is against the word of God and will of God. Of course, we should pray for the individual’s heart, and that he will come to repentance so that he can be forgiven because that indeed is God’s will (see 2 Pt. 3:9; Lk. 15:11-32).
This admonition to pray according to the will of God presupposes that we know the teaching of Scripture. Otherwise, such is impossible. The better we know the Scripture, the more we can pray in accord with His word and the more assurance we will have in answered prayer. This is a powerful motivation to read and study the Scripture. It is also a motivation to pray in the midst of Bible study itself. The Lord has promised to answer our prayers as they are in harmony with His will.
From a different angle, what James says also impacts this matter. He says in James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.” The problem alluded to is that the individuals spoken of are more concerned with selfish desires than God’s will. Such prayers will not be answered and such warped attitudes (adulterous attitudes – see v. 4) will cause contention in the body of Christ. God doesn’t answered “ego-filled” prayers (see Lk. 18:9-14).
A related danger to what we are talking about is saying too much in prayer. Of course, the longer our prayers are the greater likelihood of praying amiss. Remember that Jesus taught simplicity in prayer (see Mt. 6:9-13). He also warned against heaping up words and phrases (see Mt. 6:5-8).
Remember, the Lord already knows what we need before we ask him (Mt. 6:8). Even when we are incapable of uttering words because we don’t know what to say, the Spirit makes utterance for us (see Rom. 8:26). And we know that the Spirit will intercede according to the will of God!
But when we know the revealed will of God we can petition our loving Father to act in a way that is in harmony with His will. If we approach Him with a good heart, we have great confidence to come before Him pleading for His will to be done whatever that may be, even if unrevealed.
Jesus prayed in Gethsemane just hours before being nailed to the cross: “…not my will, but yours, be done” (Lk. 22:42). We should take inventory of our prayers and our hearts, that they are genuinely focused on His will being accomplished, not ours.
Daren Schroeder
