1 John 5:14-15 ESV  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  (15)  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

What a blessing to cast our cares upon Him, knowing He cares for us. When children are hurt, in need, wanting something, they invariably come to their parents first. This is because their parents have shown them care and concern, have taken care of them, have showered gifts upon them. They know of no one who would be more ready, more able, more willing to help them. Our Father in heaven cares more for us than some imagine. There are those who see Him as a grudging Father, holding back, holding out, and making us beg. This view of God is neither biblical nor accurate but is nonetheless prevalent.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11 KJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV)

Like children we need to learn what to ask for and how to ask. My parents never gave me everything I wanted nor everything I asked for, but they did give me what I needed and more. Their answers often ranged between “yes”, “no”, “wait”, and “you’ve got to be kidding” (see a previous blog post). Just like children, we have the hardest problem with the “wait” answer. It seems so much like a “no” which drags out under the guise of a “yes”. But my parents eventually came through on the “wait” answer. I just had to learn how to wait for it.

Now, what a privilege to know that we can come “boldly before the throne of grace” to find help in the time of need. Just like children who can rush up to their mother, knowing that they can capture her attention when they are in trouble or need, we, also, can “rush” into the presence of God, casting our cares upon Him. It’s a comfort and a delight to know that He stands ready to help us. If we have become reluctant to seek His help, we need only come before Him again and find that He is still ready to receive and help us.

Prayer is not some magic formula that must be spoken correctly or some magic procedure that must be followed exactly. Some seem to think it is. They try to make sure that they address the Father in a certain way and end their prayers in a certain manner. They seem to think that the effectiveness of the prayer is determined by the form of the prayer or the words used or the physical posture. They pray as the “heathen do” and “in vain”. Some pray with the same assurance as the child casting pedals to the wind hoping they will return to her hand.

So, what makes prayer effective. John says that we can have CONFIDENCE in prayer. That confidence comes from praying “according to his will,” knowing that “he hears us.” How do we pray according to His will? This is not somehow discovering His secret plan that He reveals to only a select group of people (hint: Gnostics, whose ideas still linger today) or to find His “hidden will” or “will of decree.” Unfortunately, some still feel that God is holding back or holding out and will not let most of us in on His plans or desires. That is not biblical either.

First, to experience answered prayer we must be the right kind of person. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Praying in the will of God first involves becoming the right kind of person, the person who is right in thinking, in living, in desires. It means becoming the kind of person who will ask for the right things and for the right reasons. The more we are right with God, the more we can ask rightly for what we need and want.

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalms 37:4 ESV)

Second, we must know God’s will by studying His Word. Because I knew my parents, I knew what I should and should not ask for. I knew what they were and were not willing to give me. Now, on occasion, they would surprise me. But even when they gave me things I would not have requested, I knew better than to ask or beg for them. The better we know God, the better we can know what He wants us to have and what He wants to do for us. His “revealed will” is in His Word. The better we know the Word, the better we know His will.

Third, to learn to pray effectively, we are greatly aided by studying the prayers of people in the Bible. These people knew how to pray effectively. Their prayers were effective. They knew how to pray according to the will of God. Studying those prayers will help us learn to pray effectively. Even praying those prayers, as they express our needs or situation, will help us pray effectively. So many think that prayer is a spiritual exercise that they will never master, that they will never even be able to practice without difficulty. But prayer can be mastered. It can become “the breath of the soul.” It can become as natural as breathing.

Answered prayer can become a regular experience when we simply trust God to meet our needs and place into His care our desires without dictating how, when and where He must meet them. We cannot give commands and dictate terms, expecting God to jump to our wishes. He is not our servant, our errand-boy, our rich uncle. He is our Father who wants to give us good gifts (especially the Holy Spirit). He, in His great wisdom, may say “no”, because we have asked for something that is not good for us, will not truly benefit us, and may even cause us great harm in the long run. He may say “wait”, it’s not the right time for this. He longs to say “yes” and to allow us to experience His delights. But we can always trust Him to answer us and to meet our needs.