In the last lesson, we touched briefly on the necessity for our prayers to be according to God's will. Many
of us struggle with knowing God's will. We have no difficulty with the big picture—that we accept Christ Jesus
as Savior and follow Him as our Lord, that we do good works, keep God's commandments, and be active in our witness
as the Holy Spirit leads and guides us on a daily basis. We struggle, rather, with how to make daily decisions
and choices regarding our families, jobs, church commitments, and friendships. In other words, we usually know
how to pray about the eternal issues, but we're unsure about daily, practical matters.
In 1 John 5:14–15, we read,
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
This passage of Scripture bears a threefold promise to believers:
1. God hears us when we pray according to His will.
2. We will possess what we request if we ask according to His will.
3. We will know that we will possess what we ask if we ask according to His will.
When we have the confidence of knowing that God is granting our petitions, we have a great boldness and freedom.
Note, too, that these verses deal with our personal requests. Some people believe that they are being proud or
presumptuous in asking God to meet their personal needs. That opinion is not scriptural. God wants you always to
ask for the things you want, need, or desire.
God Wants Us to Know
The passage in 1 John assures us that we can pray about anything. No issue, situation, relationship, circumstance,
or possession is too big or too small to bring to God in prayer. This passage also conveys to us the truth that
we can know the will of God. If it was impossible for us to know the will of God, these verses would be
null and void of meaning. To the contrary, they encourage us to seek God's will and to live within it. The will
of God is what is pleasing to God and according to God's purposes.
Can we know everything that God purposes? No. God's ways are higher than our ways. (See Isa. 55:8–9.) God is
omniscient and eternal. He knows things, has plans and purposes, and is operating on a timetable that we can never
know fully. What we can be assured of is this: we can know precisely what God purposes for us to the degree
that God desires for us to know. We can count on God to reveal to us all of the information that we need to
have in order to defeat the devil and to fulfill God's plan for our lives. We cannot know all of God's purposes,
but we can know the ones that directly involve us. In other words, we can know if we should marry a certain person,
buy a certain car, take a certain job, invest in a particular opportunity, or make other decisions that directly
involve us.
Furthermore, if we don't know how to pray about a specific area or situation in our lives, we can trust the
Holy Spirit who resides within us to guide our prayers so that we will know the mind of God, even as the Spirit
knows the mind of God. (See Rom. 8:26–27.) The Father wants us to have spiritual understanding and practical wisdom.
What the Word Says
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled
with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with
all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering joy; giving thanks to the Father
who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Col. 1:9–12)
What the Word Says to Me
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If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him. (James 1:5)
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What the Word Says
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weakness. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the heart
knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
(Rom. 8:26–27)
What the Word Says to Me
• How do you feel about the promise of God that you can know His will?
Not a Blanket Statement
Sometimes when we pray, “If it is Your will,” we do so because we don't want to take the time or make the effort
to know God's will. The verses we often use to justify this approach are Matthew 26:39, 42: “O My Father, if it
is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.… O My Father, if this cup
cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” What we wrongly assume from these verses is that
Jesus didn't know God's will, and therefore, He prayed, “Your will be done.” Or some of us may believe that Jesus
really didn't want to do God's will and die on the cross, and therefore, He was asking God to change His mind,
but was willing to accept God's purpose for His life if God didn't change His mind. That is not what these verses
are saying.
Jesus knew that He had to die on the cross. The cup to which Jesus referred was not the Cross. He had told His
disciples about His death repeatedly as they made their plans to come to Jerusalem in the weeks before His crucifixion.
He made it very clear that He had to suffer at the hands of the religious leadership, be crucified, and that He
would rise again the third day. He knew fully and clearly that God's purpose for Him was to die a sacrificial death
at precisely the right time so that all of the Scriptures concerning the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world” would be fulfilled. (See Rev. 13:8.) He knew He had to die in Jerusalem, at the time of Passover.
What “cup” was Jesus desiring to have pass from Him? Jesus knew that if He bore the sin of the world on the
cross, He and the Father would be separated for a period of time because the Father could not look on sin. To be
separated from the Father, even for a fraction of a second, was an unthinkable thought for Jesus. He had never
been separated from the Father for even one moment in all of eternity up to that point. His request of God was
that if there was any way that this aspect of the Cross might be altered, He desired for it to be altered.
God desires for us to know His will and to pray within His will. We are not to pray for anything that pops into
our minds and then tack on the statement “if it is Your will,” assuming then that if we get what we wish for it
is God's will, and if we don't get what we wish for it isn't. This kind of prayer signifies an immature relationship
with our heavenly Father. God desires, rather, that our relationship with Him be so personal and intimate that
we know His will and are bold to claim it.
• What new insights do you have into the issue of praying according to God's will?
What About Fleeces?
Some of us determine God's will by “throwing fleeces.” In other words, we take the attitude, “If X happens,
then I'll do one thing, but if Z happens, then I'll do another.” This is similar to tossing the will of God like
a coin and basing our decisions on whether it falls heads or tails.
The act of fleece-throwing is found in the book of Judges, where Gideon is called by God to engage in battle
with the Midianites. (See Judg. 6:36–40.) I want to point out three things about this practice. First, the fleece-throwing
was Gideon's idea, not God's. Nowhere in Scripture does God authorize this as a desirable method for knowing His
purposes. Second, this is the only time in Scripture when the method was used. It was not employed by any other
person. And third, the fleece-throwing was not performed to know God's will, but to gain confidence in the outcome
that God had promised. Gideon already knew with certainty that it was the will of God that he lead the people into
battle against the Midianites. The armies had already been gathered for that battle. Gideon knew he was the leader.
He was asking God for a sign that he and the Israelites were going to be successful.
Repeatedly in the Scriptures God calls us to be faithful to Him without regard to whether we will be successful.
True trust in God is to follow Him wherever He leads and to do whatever He directs without any concern for the
outcome. Gideon's fleece-throwing was a sign that he didn't trust God. Likewise today in many cases, fleece-throwing
is used by people who don't really trust God to be true to His word.
• Have you ever given God an either-or choice in answering your prayers? What new insights do you have into
this approach to knowing God's will?
An Approach to Knowing God's Will
Throughout this book, I am assuming that you are in right relationship with God as you approach God in prayer.
A right relationship with God is imperative for you to be able to discern the will of God. If you have not accepted
Jesus as your Savior, you do not have the Holy Spirit residing in you to guide your prayers and to prompt you in
right directions and choices. If you are in willful disobedience to God, the foremost will of God for your life
is that you confess your disobedience, repent of your sin, receive His forgiveness, and obey Him. All other requests
for discernment are subject to your willingness to obey and do what God reveals to you to do.
On the other hand, if you are in right relationship with God, you are likely to find that the threefold approach
described below will be useful to you as you seek to know God's will.
1. Distinguish Among Need, Desire, and Opportunity
What circumstance are you facing and how does it make you feel? Do you need a specific amount of money? Then
you have a need. Do you have a longing to be married to a particular person? Then you have a desire. Are you being
approached about a change in your employment? Then you are facing opportunity.
The Bible clearly states that God wants to help you with your needs, desires, and decisions regarding opportunities.
Steep yourself in the verses that promise you His help and provision.
What the Word Says
God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)
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What the Word Says
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass. (Ps. 37:4–5)
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Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land. (Ps. 37:34)
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The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake. (Ps 23:1–3)
What the Word Says to Me
2. Find a Biblical Example
Ask God to reveal to you a passage of Scripture that addresses the situation you are facing. The Bible is filled
with examples that cover the entire range of human need, desires, and opportunities. You may come across such an
example as part of your daily reading of God's Word. Or you may need to engage in a specific Bible study on the
matter, using a concordance and spending a concentrated amount of time in searching the Scriptures until you find
one or more biblical examples that address the issue you are facing or the feelings you are experiencing.
Once you have a Scripture example, don't read just one verse and then say, “Aha! Here's my answer.” Meditate
on the entire passage of Scripture that seems to pertain to your situation. This is critically important because
the meditation process is a sifting, refining process. Ponder over a period of time what God is saying and relate
that truth to other areas of His Word in which He has conveyed a similar message. Take some time to know
what God is saying, and specifically, what He seems to be saying to you.
Then go to God in prayer. Say, “Lord, I trust You to give me Your wisdom according to James 1:5. I trust that
the Holy Spirit will help me to pray as I should pray according to Romans 8:26–27. I have found this example in
Your Word that seems to relate to my situation. I want to do Your will and I submit myself totally to You. On the
basis of Your word to me and my desire to follow You, I'm coming to You right now with this particular need [or
desire or opportunity], and I am asking You to meet my need [answer my desire, or help me make a choice regarding
this opportunity].”
Pray with faith! Thank God for giving you His wisdom and answering your prayer. Believe that you have God's
full assurance that you will know His will and that He is going to grant your petition. Claim that this is going
to be done in God's timing and start thanking Him for doing it. You don't need to know all the details about how
and when God is going to act. Start thanking Him now for giving you the assurance that He is going to meet your
need, guide you in your desire, or help you in responding to an opportunity.
• Recall at least one experience in your life in which you felt a close kinship with what a Bible character
was thinking or feeling. What confidence did you draw from that example?
3. Ask God to Reveal the Path You Should Take
If you are facing two or more equally good choices, ask God to reveal specifically which path you should take.
Again, find a Scripture passage that relates to the situation you are facing. Claim God's guidance for your life,
then pray, “Show me how to pray and what to choose. I'll obey You fully as You reveal to me what to do.”
Often when we pray this way, God will reveal to us yet another way that is the perfect path. Sometimes He will
make it clear that He favors one particular way. Other times God leaves the choice to us. Either way is acceptable
to Him as part of His will, and He gives us free reign to choose.
The key is to wait until we know with certainty how God wants us to respond. This is important. We often come
to a full understanding of the situation or a full knowledge of God's answer as we wait. We meditate about the
situation in prayer over several hours or days, and we consider carefully what the Spirit is speaking in our hearts.
We don't rush to a conclusion or decision or act until we know with certainty that we have heard from God.
Enveloped in Peace
God's perfect plan and purposes for our lives will envelop us in peace. We will have a feeling of resolution
in our hearts. We will feel great peace of mind. When we feel confused, unsettled, fearful, troubled, or uneasy
about the decision we have made after following this Bible-based process, then we are not experiencing God's direction.
Knowing His will allows us always to move calmly and with confidence, even in desperate situations or in the face
of enormous challenges.
What the Word Says
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Prov. 3:5–6)
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The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. (Phil.
4:7)
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[Jesus said]: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all things I have said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.… Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:26–27)
What the Word Says to Me
• In what ways are you being challenged in your prayer life?
From Talking With God: Discover New Insights to Help Deepen Your
Prayer Life by Charles Stanley. Copyright 1997 by Charles Stanley.
