Praying According to God's Will

Grace to You.org ^ | 1993 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

"The word of the Lord [came] to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem" (Dan. 9:2).

Effective prayer is always consistent with God’s will.

It is characteristic of God's people to identify with God's purposes and conform their will to His. Learning to pray according to His will is a major step in that process because it drives you to the Word and demonstrates a humble, submissive heart.

Jesus emphasized the priority of God's will when He said, "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38). He accomplished that goal, saying to the Father, "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do" (John 17:4). Even when facing the horror of the cross, Jesus didn't waver. Instead He prayed, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).

Jesus taught His disciples the same priority, instructing them to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:9-10).

Daniel knew what it meant to pray according to God's will. After reading the prophecy of a seventy-year Babylonian Captivity, he immediately accepted it as God's will and began to pray for its fulfillment. His prayer wasn't passive resignation to some act of fate beyond his control. It was active participation in God's plan as revealed in Scripture. He wasn't trying to change God's will but was doing everything he could to see it come to pass. That's the essence of praying according to God's will.

When you pray according to God's will, you can be confident that He hears you and will grant your requests (1 John 5:14-15). Live in that confidence today!

Suggestions for Prayer

Be a diligent student of the Word so you will know God's will. Ask God to reveal areas in which your will is not conformed to His. As He does, take immediate steps to deal with them. For Further Study

Read Revelation 22:6-21, noting God's will for Christ's return, and how we're to respond to it.

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[Bob434]

If I regard Iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me ps 66:18

This is an issue we need to get right with God before anything else- which will take serious self reflection- Do we like to gossip? Speak harshly of others? Steal glances at things we shouldn’t? Covet? Neglect to do things we know we should? Loose our cool? There’s a lot to it-

Of course we can’t be perfect, but I think we need to understand just what it means to ‘regard iniquity’ in our hearts- are there sins we really don’t want God to have control over?

Do we really want to conform our wills to God’s? Or do we want to have both our wills and God’s simultaneously?

I think many of us, myself included- want the latter too much- “My will be done before God’s will be done”

I do think we can go to God and honestly say “Lord, I don’t truly want to live a Godly life, because I ignorantly value my will too much- Help me to desire to obey You as I should”,

[metmom]

Saying *Thy will be done* is the hardest.

And so is letting go of those pets sins that we love to hang onto.

It does take some introspection, but OTOH, I think if we are serious about asking God to reveal any areas of habitual, or unrepentant sin, He is more than willing to do so.

We also need to pray to have a heart willing to receive what He shows us.

[Bob434]

[[And so is letting go of those pets sins that we love to hang onto.]]

Yup-

[[if we are serious about asking God to reveal any areas of habitual, or unrepentant sin, He is more than willing to do so.]]

Yup

[[We also need to pray to have a heart willing to receive what He shows us.]]

Yup-

That is the big thing- a willing heart to change- We can sit and agree with God that we need to change something in our lives, but it does no good unless we are serious about doing so - knowing and actually doing are two different things- Sometimes we are like alcoholics who hear someone try to reason with them, and the alkie smiles and nods as though they are hearing the words and considering them, but in the end has no intention of changing-

Sin is powerful- Very powerful- We just need to learn that God is more powerful than sin-

[patriotfury]

It is so hard to say “not my will, but your will”, when you have been so broken, and lost everything, including family, and your heart and soul are utterly exposed and raw...

But then, all that is left, is to lift your eyes up to the One who put you here, and cry out for His mercy and grace, and strength... to put one foot in front of the last, and most difficult, agonizing and and pleading for His intervention and mercy and grace to be poured out in the hearts of your lost family...

Pride and selfish will so destroy. Only Gods love, and mercy and grace, even can bridge the chasms and walls which were the result of self focus and failure.