Once you have prepared your heart by praising God and cleansed your heart through confession of sin, you are prepared for powerful praying in God’s will. The Bible tells us: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him.” (NIV) I John 5:14-15
There is one sure way to know that your requests are according to God’s will. If there is a verse or passage of Scripture that directly relates to your request or a principle from God’s Word that applies, you can pray with confidence! God’s Word will never contradict God’s will.
George Mueller (1805-1898) of Bristol, England was one of the mightiest men of prayer in his time. He raised over $8 million dollars (think of how much that would be in today’s money!) through prayer for the several orphanages that he founded. But, George Mueller never prayed for anything just because he wanted it, or even if he felt that it was needed for God’s work. Here’s what one author writes about Mueller’s prayer life:
“When it was laid upon George Mueller’s heart to pray for anything, he would search the Scriptures to find if there was some promise that covered the case. Sometimes he would search the Scriptures for days before he presented his petition to God. And then when he found the promise, with his open Bible before him and his finger upon that promise, he would plead that promise with an open Bible before him.” (from The Power of Prayer by R.A. Torrey)
Are you that kind of a “pray-er”? Do you pray with complete confidence because you know it’s God’s will because it came from God’s Word?
