Knowing God’s Will

The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:32 that God knows what we need before we ask. However, we have permission to make our requests known. There are times when we pray and heaven seems to be silent. Some time, out of love for us and a true understanding of what we need, God withholds what we have asked for. That is the time for our faith to be built as we learn to trust His character. It has been said that His answers are wiser than our prayers.

There are only two concerns that you and I should have about unanswered prayer: (1) Is there any iniquity in my heart that would keep God from hearing my prayer (Psalm 66: 18) and (2) In any way has my heart deceived me (Jeremiah 17:9). Our flesh is a powerful enemy. It is possible to formulate prayers with our mouth, knowing what we are supposed to desire while fully intending to do exactly want we want. Insincere lip service and tolerating sin in our life will disrupt any power we could experience in prayer.

Genuine love for God will enable us to lay down our hopes to see our own desires fulfilled and pray that above all – God’s will – will be done. We are to pray prayers of supplication to open a path for God’s will to be done in our life and in the Earth.

And in case that famous thought, “What about me?” comes to your mind, you cannot out give God. As you begin to seek God’s desires over your own desires, He will do more for you than you could ask or think.  Psalms 37: 4 & 5 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.”


When our desires in prayer become one with the desires of God, we will see miraculous things happen. You know you are in the pursuit of God’s heart when your favorite prayer becomes, “Thy will be done.”

3 ways we can know we are praying in the will of God

1.      Scripture is the revealed will of God. When you pray scripture, you can be confident, you are praying His will.

2.      Jesus model for prayer laid out guidelines for what we should ask for. He started out by honoring the name of God. He asked God for His kingdom to be set up in the Earth. It is the will of God that His children allow Him to reign in their lives, giving Him expression in the earth. He asked God for daily provision – It is God’s will that we receive what we need to live. Two of His names that speak of Him as the rich source of all we need are Jehovah Jireh, God’s provision will be seen and Adonai, the provider, for the resources to do His will. You can pray with confidence regarding provision for your needs. It is God’s will that we forgive those that offend us and it is His will that we receive forgiveness in proportion to how completely we forgive.  It is also God’s will that we be kept from temptation and evil.

3.      The mind of the Spirit knows the will of God. In some situations, we cannot find a verse that reveals God’s specific desire for a person or situation we are burdened about. The Spirit of God knows what God wants. We are praying in the will of God when we ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for us when we don’t know how to pray. Romans 8:27 says, “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.