The model prayer the Lord gave us begins:

“…Our Father Who is in heaven,
hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9,10).

Alignment with God’s will is a condition for assured prayer. The apostle John wrote,

“I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life. And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us” (1 John 5:12-14 AMPC).

Miles Stanford observed,

“In order for us to pray according to His will, we must first know His will; not only that, but His blessed will must become our will. “If ye abide in Me . . . ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). Prayer is the fellowship of an intimate, living union; as with all of the Christian life, it must be carried on in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. He is known as “the Spirit of grace and of supplications” (Zech. 12:10).

This assurance helps us move forward in confidence. J. N. Darby testified,

“If I ask anything of God, and have received His answer, I then act with assurance, with the conviction that I am in the path of His will; I am happy and contented. If I meet with some difficulty, this does not stop me; it is only an obstacle which faith has to surmount.”

The apostle John concludes with,

“And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. 1 John 5:15 AMPC).

May we yield to God’s will, praying in confidence for His wisdom and answers.

JBW