Three Requirements to Praying the Will of God

How do I know the will of God? Is my faith lacking? Am I praying for the wrong thing? How do I know if I'm praying God's desires and not my own? These questions have haunted me recently as I've wrestled over an "unspoken" prayer request. But God promises in His Word that "...He will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know He is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for." (1 John 5:14-15, NLT)

The Lord's prayer signifies the need to pray according to the will of God. "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven." The great mystery surrounding prayer is the bewildering fact that God not only hears my prayers but desires to answers them. But how do we discover God's will so we can pray according to that will? Through the stubbornness of my own will I am slow in discovering the answers to this question. I'd like to share with you three requirements that God has revealed to my own heart in attempts to spare you the unnecessary journey of a fruitless, self-centered prayer life.

Through a Lifestyle of Surrender
"Brokenness is the shattering of my self-will - the absolute surrender of my will to the will of God. It is saying 'Yes, Lord!' - no resistance, no chafing, no stubbornness - simply submitting myself to His direction and will in my life." -Nancy Leigh DeMoss {Surrender: A Heart God Controls}

We cannot pray the will of God if we are stubbornly holding on to our own agenda, our own desires and our own struggles. Last weekend I went away on a sabbatical with the Lord. I wanted to pray over certain things in my life but it was as if God was gently saying, "stop resisting me, Laurie". I protested, "But I'm not resisting you Lord. I'm just complain about wanting...my own way". 

 Romans 12:1 comes to mind when Paul urges the Christian to dedicate their bodies to God as a living sacrifice to Him. Can you honestly say "thy will be done"? No strings attached. Nothing you're hanging on to. No dreams or desires you're placing above Him. God's agenda only.

By Renewing Your Mind
Your mind has a brilliant way of deceiving your heart into believing that what you desire and what you are praying for is in line with God's will. I hear people say all the time, "God led me to do this or God told me to that." We are often driven by our emotions and not the word of God. You cannot pray the will of God apart from knowing His Word and saturating your mind with His truth.

Romans 12:2 says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." 

Meditating on the Bible for short periods of time will produce shallow and unproductive prayers. Our own hearts and minds cannot rightly lead us into praying the will of God. Only God and His Word can do that. How much time do you spend meditating and studying God's Word?

Walking By Faith and Not By Sight
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, my faith was lacking and doubt was creeping in. Was God trying to punish me? Was my prayer request being met with silence because I didn't deserve God's blessing? Struggling with an analytical mindset, it is easy for my heart to lack confidence in prayer and doubt God's goodness in my life. This weekend I discovered something. GOD IS GOOD. Yes. Plain and simple. Everything in my life is meant for my good and for the glory of God. Do I believe it?

I love how Paul explains faith in Hebrews, "So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." 

Is it God's will that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him? Yes! Why? because His Word says so. If only we would learn to trust God's Word at face value instead of believing the lies of our own hearts. Is your faith lacking? Pray through the promises of God. This isn't about your will being accomplished but GOD'S will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.