February 9
“This is the confidence that we have before Him: 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 already possess what we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
We have been talking about prayer – and about what kind of prayers actually gain God’s attention. Yesterday, our focus was upon praying Scripture (God’s revealed Words) over the situations and circumstances of our lives (and the lives of others who cross our path). The idea is that God has already spoken His Word, and whatever He speaks comes to pass – so what better way to pray effective prayers than to pray words that already have God’s Own creative and miraculous power attached to them.
This breathes new life into our times of Bible reading and study. Now we are not just learning about God – we are actually mining the gold within those inspired pages. We are turning His Word into powerful prayer strategy – utilizing the glorious truth that God always “watches over His Word to perform it.” Why not activate the power of God’s Word, in a powerfully practical way, in our own lives?
But there is still another reason to open our Bibles and explore the depths of God’s Word to us. In the pages of Scripture, we gain God’s perspective about life and living – AND we come to know the types of things that God wants to do. We gain insight into HIS will.
This is so essential because of our verses for today. Effective prayer comes down to one surprisingly simple concept: asking God to do what HE wants to do.
Most of our prayers are so often consumed with what we want. I think we just might be shocked at how little time we spend seeking God for what He wants to do.
Maybe that’s why our prayers are so often ineffective and unproductive.
We should know better. Right in the center of the Lord’s prayer is the prime directive. God, “YOUR will be done… on this earth, just as it is in Heaven.” (Mt. 6:10) Jesus sets us straight. Our primary focus is not our wants (or even our needs) – our number one goal is seeking God’s will and seeing it done through the invitation of our prayers.
Think about it. Prayer offers us an amazing opportunity – to personally see the power of the Almighty working through what WE have prayed. But the secret to this kind of powerful praying is found in praying God’s will in any and every situation.
So how do we know God’s will? Three ways…
One) Study God’s Word (as we have already mentioned). It is God’s gift to us to help us to know His will in nearly every situation.
Two) Really look at the life and ministry of Jesus. The best way to know God’s will in motion is to study when God came to earth and walked among us. What we see IN Jesus is a ministry absolutely centered in God’s will.
Three) Learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. He is also God’s Gift to us. Where Jesus was “God with us,” the Holy Spirit is “God within us.” This may take some time, but we are ALL capable of hearing that still small voice coming from within us – revealing God’s will to us.
The amazing promise is before us… Prayer offers us an unparalleled adventure in living our lives. The Almighty invites us to know His will, pray His will, and to personally witnesses the power of His will through answered prayer, coming directly through us!
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