Praying Effectively
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
—1 John 5:14
If you want to see your prayers answered in the affirmative, if you want God to say yes to your prayers more often, then you must pray according to the will of God.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He told them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2).
Sometimes God will answer our prayers differently than we thought He would. But we need to remember that the primary objective of prayer is to line up our will with the will of God. True praying is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His willingness. Prayer is not getting my will in heaven; it is getting God’s will on earth.
The goal is to pray according to God’s will, because 1 John 5:14 tells us, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Nothing is outside the reach of prayer except that which lies outside of the will of God.
So here is how I pray. I pray for what I think is right, but then I always add, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done.”
When you have lived for awhile, you begin to realize that God knows more than you, and you actually will thank God for unanswered prayers. With 20/20 hindsight, you will thank God that He said no to your prayers at an earlier time.
So don’t ever be afraid to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done. . . .” This is not a copout. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that you don’t know everything, but God does—and God’s will is better than your own.
by Greg Laurie
It takes great strength to be humble. I think the best prayer is asking God for the strength and humility to accept His will. It may also be the most difficult prayer to pray.
Thank you so much for allowing God to work through you! This was much needed. About a year ago, I was dating a young man and I kept praying that God would allow problems that we were having to work out so we could move forward. The problems only got worse and we eventually went our seperate ways. He would later spend time in a mental facility for burning himself…Looking back on this situation, I (a) pray for this young man’s safety and well-being, (b)I shudder to think what could have been, and (c)thank God that He didn’t allow it to be so. Thanks for letting me share, hope this helps someone
I am so thankful now for unanswered prayers. I was praying for a house when I was young and lived in appartments. I saw a little cute house and I would try to get approved and I would pray “God I know you dont want me to live in an apt with my child, I pray that this house will be mine.” After about five houses I started to give up until 10 years later I had a brand new home built for me and my kids…….Moral of the story. God didnt want me to be in an apt unhappy and he wanted to give me a house that was far better then any of the others that I prayed for before, but it was in his timing and perfect will, thank goodness it wasnt my will because then I would be living in a little house that was too small for the family he blessed me with. He knew all along!