Prayer is an important part of the Christian life. Through prayer, we communicate with God, bring our requests before Him, and align our will with His purposes. However, sometimes we may wonder if our prayers align with God’s will. How can we know for sure that we are praying according to His will?
Here are some biblical principles to keep in mind when praying to ensure your prayers align with God’s will:
1. Pray according to God’s Word and His revealed will
God has revealed His will for us in His Word, the Bible. When we pray according to the truths and principles found in Scripture, we can be confident our prayers align with His will. For example, we know according to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that it is God’s will for us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” So when we pray with thanksgiving, joy, and persistence, we are praying His will.
Likewise, we can look at the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 as a model for how Jesus taught us to pray according to God’s will – for His name to be honored, His kingdom to come, our daily needs to be met, forgiveness and deliverance from temptation and evil.
2. Submit your own desires to God’s will
Our fleshly nature and desires can sometimes conflict with God’s perfect will. James 4:3 warns that if we ask with wrong motives, we will not receive what we ask for. So it’s important to submit our own desires to the Lord and ask Him to align our hearts with His purposes.
As Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42 on the Mount of Olives, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” We must pray in humble submission to God’s will, not our own.
3. Pray in faith, believing God will answer according to His will
When we pray in faith, believing that God hears and answers our prayers according to His perfect will and timing, it demonstrates trust in Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
So we can pray with confident expectation that God hears our prayers and will answer in alignment with His divine purposes and plans. As 1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
4. Pray in Jesus’ name
Praying in the name of Jesus is crucial for aligning our prayers with God’s will. Jesus said in John 14:13, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” When we pray in Christ’s name, we recognize that He is our mediator before the Father (1 Timothy 2:5), and submit our requests to God’s perfect purposes.
Praying in Jesus’ name means we set aside our own agenda to honor and glorify God. It demonstrates that our will and desires take a back seat to His divine plans and purposes.
5. Be led by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit guides us in prayer and reveals God’s will to us. Romans 8:26-27 tells us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
So we can pray for the Spirit’s leading and insight to reveal how to pray according to God’s purposes. As we pray, we can continually ask for the Spirit’s guidance and discernment.
6. Align with God’s character, promises and commands
As we seek to pray according to God’s will, we must remember that His will cannot contradict His character or commands as revealed in Scripture. 1 John 5:14 reminds us that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. So our requests should align with God’s attributes like love, goodness, faithfulness, righteousness, and holiness.
We can pray confidently for things that align with God’s promises in Scripture, knowing He desires to fulfill His promises. And of course, we should pray in ways that uphold God’s moral commands and glorify Him, not going against Scripture.
7. Be willing to accept “no” from God
Sometimes God’s perfect will and timing does not match our own desires. As much as we seek to align our will with His in prayer, He may at times answer “no” or “wait” according to His greater purposes. As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will, but yours be done” – we too must be willing to accept when God answers differently than we hoped.
If our request does not seem to be answered, we can trust that God still loves us and knows what is best. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). So we should continue praying persistently, but submit to God’s sovereignty and believe that He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).
8. Seek godly counsel
Getting advice from mature Christians who know the Word of God can help give us wisdom and perspective to know if our prayers align with His will. The book of Proverbs repeatedly talks about the wisdom of seeking and heeding wise counsel.
Talking through prayer requests with pastors, mentors and older believers can shed light on motives and point us to pray according to God’s truth versus simply our own emotions or desires.
9. Study Scripture and pray Biblically-based prayers
Immersing ourselves regularly in God’s Word will shape our prayers and thinking to align with His heart and purposes. As we study the Bible, biblical truth and principles will increasingly fill and frame our mindset, desires and requests.
Praying “templated” or Biblically-based prayers using Scripture verses as a framework can also help us learn to pray according to God’s will. Biblical prayers will focus on exalting Him, seeking first His kingdom, enriching our knowledge of Him and bearing spiritual fruit.
10. Surrender your whole life to God daily
As Christians, God calls us to surrender our whole lives to Him – dreams, fears, needs, relationships, careers, everything. Romans 12:1 urges us, “in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” The more fully we yield to Him, the more our desires will match His.
Daily surrendering every aspect of our lives helps align us to His purposes. As we do this, our prayers will increasingly reflect His heart rather than our own self-interest. Our motive shifts from “my will be done” to “thy will be done.”
In summary, praying according to God’s will involves aligning our heart attitudes, thought patterns, motives and requests with His truth and purposes as revealed in Scripture. It requires persistent prayer, surrender of our desires, faith in God’s wisdom, and discernment through the Holy Spirit and wise counsel.
As we diligently apply these principles, we can pray with confidence and trust that God hears and responds to us according to His perfect will and timing.
