My life has been filled with music ever since I can remember. Listening to and trying to direct an orchestra, playing classical music on the radio in the late 1940’s. My parents were the second people in their neighborhood to have a television; black and white of course. From 1950 to 1959, I laid on the carpeted floor in front of the television watching The Hit Parade with pop singers; doing their arrangements of the pop hits of that period. This fondness of music continued during the 1970’s; I became a born-again believer in 1972 and immediately joining the church choir. In 1976, I sang with a Country Gospel Men’s Trio in southern California called The Fischerman’s Trio; that’s the correct spelling because the group leaders last name was Fischer and we sang whenever we had the opportunity.
So what does my music background have to do with Knowing You Are In God’s Will When You Pray? It’s about the lyrics; the words! Let me reference a song favorite of mine when I was a in high school. The lyrics are by Phil Spector and sung by the Teddy Bears. It reached Billboard”s Top 100 as the number one song in 1958. I am going to take the liberty of capitalizing the word Him for emphasis and, then get back the subject at hand.
“To Know Him”
To know, know, know Him
is to love, love, love Him
Just to see Him smile makes my life worthwhile
To know, know, know Him
is to love, love, love Him
And I do
II Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God.”
What is does it mean to be “righteous” or “the righteousness of God”? The Amplified Version of the bible gives an explanation of the verse quoted: [What we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. You can’t have a relationship without knowing the person.
Right Relationship
“To know Him is to love Him” and Love is the beginning of your relationship with Jesus. That is why I began my detective work in the blog with a popular song of the 1950’s. All prayer begins with your relationship with Jesus and knowing that you are in God’s will in doing so. Turn to I John 5 in your Bibles and I begin my uncovering of the truth in God’s Word.
Verse 14, “And this is the confidence which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make a request) according to His will, He listens to and hears us.”
In the Amplified Version, after the words “according to His will” it adds, “in agreement with His own plan”.
Verse 15, “And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the request made of Him.”
The Will of God is the Word of God
If you know God’s Word, you know His will; you are “in agreement with His own plan”. His plan is in His word, and knowing this truth should lead you back to verse 14; God will hear you… if you ask in His Word (or will).
When Doesn’t God hear us?
He doesn’t hear us if we don’t pray with boldness or confidence. Proverbs 3:32 says, “…but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the righteous.” That verse is all about a special relationship that can give us “confidence” in praying His Word.
Where Does Confidence Come From?
Romans 10:17 “So FAITH comes by hearing [what is told–Words], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself].”
Never, ever pray in weakness or darkness. Pray His Word every time, because His Word brings us out of our human weaknesses and darkness. I found the evidence in this principle in the Book of Psalms.
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” WHAT IS THE LIGHT? God’s Word.
Psalm 119:130 “The entrance and unfolding of Your words gives light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.” WHAT IS YOUR WAY OUT OF DARKNESS? God’s words.
Go to God’s word first before you pray and see what God has to say about it; and then you can pray! Of course I’m not talking about S.O.S. type of prayers. Besides, you already know God’s will, if a 18 Wheeler is coming up from behind you at 60 mph in a 45 mph road. (check out my blog on “Getting Results In Prayer; A Foggy Day Part IV”)
“If You Are Willing; I AM Willing”
Mark 1:40-42 “And a leper came to Him (Jesus), begging Him on his knees and saying to Him, IF YOU ARE WILLING. You are able to make me clean. And being moved with pity and sympathy, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, and said to him, I AM WILLING; be made clean. And at once the leprosy [completely] left him and he was made clean [by being healed].”
Your approach is always important before prayer!
Verse 40: In your coming to prayer.
1. The man who needed healing came to Jesus asking on what? His knees. He is an awesome God!
2. Faith and confidence in knowing that Jesus would heal.
Praying in Faith and Confidence can bring…?
1. Complete; not partial healing. If it wasn’t in Jesus’ will, the leper wouldn’t be clean. NO DOUBT HERE!
The will of God concerning “salvation” for others.
Over the years, I have heard people pray for non-believers in accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour by saying, “If it be your will O Lord, please save him or her”. Is that prayer correct in asking God for salvation for others? Turn to II Peter 3 before giving you an answer to chew on.
Verse 9, “The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, BUT He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, NOT DESIRING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, but that all should turn to repentance.”
1. What is God’s will in asking for salvation for others? He doesn’t desire that any should perish; that’s His will and His Word says so and I’m sticking with what He says! So should you.
Acts 16:31 “…Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.”
“If it be your will Lord, save him or her or them”. That IS NOT correct in asking for salvation in prayer. The right way to pray for salvation would go something like this: “Father, send laborers!” You already know God’s will when you pray for salvation. STOP asking with, “if it be…” “Your Word says it!”
Quit looking in the natural to see if you’re praying really works. “We walk by faith and not by sight”. Fear based prayer never sees results and that might be the reason people ask people to pray for them. It’s because of fear; the confidence isn’t there. Ephesians 3:12 talks about boldness, courage and confidence when we are praying. Proverbs 28:1 tells us that we should be “bold as lions“. Have you ever prayed around others so bold that they thought you were like a lion?
APPROACH in The Knowing of God’s Will When We Pray
1. Ephesians 3:12 “In Whom, because of our FAITH in HIM, we dare to have boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).”
2. Hebrews 4:16 tells us our approach before praying is important: “Let us fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near the throne of grace…”
3. How do we confidently know we are in God’s will? Hebrews 10:19 it’s BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD: “Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus.”
Don’t cancel out your prayer with fearing and doubting when you are asking in God’s will. Start praying God’s word and then you can say,
“I prayed it!”
“He heard it!”
“I’ve got it!”
The WORD Detective 
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