Praying According to the Will of God: 7 Proven Keys

Praying according to the will of God is a subject that concerns every Christian. Every believer desires to pray and be assured that the prayer will work. And, the desire is not carnal; it is a godly desire. Because God didn’t intend prayer to be what we do just to appear religious. God intends prayer to be effective—producing desired effects.

When the apostles saw the tree that Jesus had cursed the previous day, they marveled, and drew His attention to it (Mark 11:12–21). But Jesus wasn’t shocked. Instead, He said something that showed God’s mind concerning believers’ prayers.

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (vv. 22–24)

God’s will is that our prayers should work. But there are parameters that guide prayers that work. Many prayers don’t work—not because what is asked is too big for God—but because they don’t follow His parameters. And, one of the parameters is praying according to the will of God. God only pay attention to prayers which are prayed according to His will. 1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ tells us:

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

However, many believers don’t know what praying according to the will of God means, or how to do it. These are what we will consider in this article, carefully examining biblical texts. The Upper Room

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What Praying According to the Will of God Means

Praying according to God’s will is aligning our petitions with God’s plans, wisdom, and commands, as revealed in the Bible and by the Holy Spirit. This is in stark contrast to focusing on personal desires and ambitions, which often do not agree with what God wants. 

I want to break this down and explain two types of the will of God play out in the believers’ prayer, and two sources of the knowledge of the will of God.

Two Types of the Will of God

The first type of the will of God is the generic will of God—the plans, wisdom, and commands of God which applies to all believers generally. For example, sanctification is the will of God for all believers. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality.” So, we can know that a prayer for the Holy Spirit to sanctify us through and through aligns with the will of God. 

Again, praying for the salvation of souls is the will of God. 

1 Timothy 2:1–4:

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Second is the specific will of God, referring to God’s plans, wisdom, and commands which are specifically intended for you as a believer, which God is not saying to others. Yes, there will be occasions when God will lead you to pray for certain things or people, which He is not asking other believers around you to do. 

For example, God can instruct you to pray now for a period of time for a future season of your life, and give you specific points to pray. You can’t even place a finger on why those points God is asking you to pray about are necessary. But the One who sees into the future knows that certain things will happen in the future, which will affect you adversely, and wants you to deal with them now. You will never know the impact of such a prayer until you later enter a season of your life, and you see how things are playing out just as you have prayed in the past.

Also, God may instruct you to pray for certain needs, or people, or events, or places, for a period of time. These are personal prayer burden that God puts upon you. 

Two Sources of the Knowledge of the Will of God

There are only two sources of the knowledge of the will of God for believers in Christ. The Bible is the primary source of knowing God’s will for believers. The Bible is the written will of God. In the Bible, God stated what He wants for us—His plans for us, and from us— His requirements from us. The more we study the Bible, the more we learn what God’s will for us is—and the more we are able to pray accurately and confidently. 

For example, for a Christian couple who are childless and looking to God for the fruit of the womb, the Bible lets you know that having children is the will of God for you. First, you will see examples of patriarchs of the faith who had delays in childbearing, and how God came through for them, e.g. Abraham, Hannah, and Zachariah and Elizabeth. Secondly, you will find loads of scriptures that you can stand upon as you pray for your own children, e.g. Exodus 23:26, Deuteronomy 7:14, and Psalm 113:9. This applies to every aspect of our needs as believers. The Bible provides insights into what God wants for us and from us.

The second is the Holy Spirit. How I pity Christians who say that the Spirit no longer speaks to believers today. What a vital provision of God for Christian living they are missing out on! The Holy Spirit still speaks—not revealing new scriptures, as the cessationist Christians think—but directing the lives of believers. One of the blessings of the New Testament is that we can be led individually by the Holy Spirit, unlike the old covenant where people relied upon prophets. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the will of God for our lives— especially on matters that concern us as individual believers. For example, while the Bible teaches in general about believers serving and doing ministry to the Lord and His people, but knowing whether God wants you to enter into full pastoral ministry can only come by the specific leading of the Holy Spirit. 

However, the yardstick for judging even the specific will of God is the Bible. The Holy Spirit’s specific instructions will never contradict the inspired written Scripture. Because He is the One by whom the Scripture was revealed. And, He cannot contradict Himself. The Holy Spirit can’t tell any Christian man to marry two wives, for example. That contradicts the inspired instruction in 1 Timothy 3:1–13.

So, praying according to God’s will is to pray in accordance with the general and specific plans, wisdom, commands of God for us, as the Bible has revealed, and as the Holy Spirit continues to reveal to us.

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Keys to Praying According to the Will of God

As Christians, our utmost desire should be to follow the will of our Father, not our own. Jesus—the model Son, showed us an example, when, after praying in agony for the Father to take away the cup of death by crucifixion from Him, He ended saying, “not what I will, but what You will,” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭36‬). ‭But how can we pray according to the will of God? 

Here are seven practical ways.

1. Know God’s Word Intimately

The number one key to praying according to the will of God is to know Scripture, and to anchor your prayers in Scripture. The Bible is the revealed will of God. Believers don’t have to be confused about what God wants from them or for them. We have God’s mind captured in the pages of the Bible. We only have to be diligent to know what has been written. Because the more you know it, the more we learn what God’s will for us is—and the more we are able to pray accurately and confidently. 

Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Prayers that spring from Scripture carry great authority because they echo what God has already spoken. And, God cannot deny His word. He esteems His word (Psalm 138:2),

2. Be Open to the Leading of the Holy Spirit

Do not resist the Holy Spirit’s influence in your prayer. Many times, we think that we know what is really good for us, but we don’t. Our knowledge of things is greatly limited. We must admit this fact. This will humble us to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God intimately, and can therefore guide us to pray according to the mind of God. 

1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:11-‭12‬:

11:For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12;Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

The Holy Spirit is given to help us—even in our prayers. Romans 8:26 tells us, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

At the beginning of our prayers, we must always pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us. At times, He may lead us to pray in tongues, or to intercede for someone. With the Holy Spirit, prayer becomes precise and powerful. Without Him, prayer can become self-centered or limited by human understanding.

3. Seek God’s Glory

When we prioritize God’s agenda and glory above personal desires, we will always be praying according to the will of God. This does not mean that we can never pray for personal needs or plans. But when the glory of God is our primary pursuit, it won’t be hard to tell God that if our personal needs and plans will not bring Him glory, then we will gladly let them go. 

Jesus—the model Son, said that He did not seek His own glory but the glory of the Father who sent Him (‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭50‬). Effective prayer aligns first with God’s glory, not our own gain. When we pray with God’s glory as our priority, you step into divine partnership.

4. Pray with the Right Motive

Of very great importance to praying according to God’s will is the motivation behind our prayers. Prayers are either motivated by a heart of love, humility, and a desire to be a blessing to others, or selfishness, pride, and greed. When prayer is inspired by greed, selfishness, or pride, it can never align with God’s will, neither can it attract God’s blessings. James 4:3 warns, “And if you ask, you won’t receive it for you’re asking with corrupt motives, seeking only to fulfill your own selfish desires,” [TPT]

Prayer rooted in love, humility, and service is always pleasing to God. Always ask yourself, “Is this request for the glory of God and the benefit of others, or is it only for me?”

5. Pray with Faith and Expectation

Faith life is the will of God for us. God wants us to relate to Him with faith. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith, we can’t please God. Faith makes our prayers pleasing to God. Faith is confidence in who God is, what He has said, and what He can do, not just wishful thinking. To pray in faith is to trust that He hears and will answer. And, one of the expressions of faith in prayer is thanksgiving. Close your prayers with thanksgiving and rejoicing as if God has already answered. 

6. Develop a Heart that Obeys

As we pray, we also must develop a heart that obeys God. God is greatly pleased with an obedient life. Jesus frequently spoke of the Father being pleased with Him because He was obedient to what the Father’s will. Obedience and answered prayer are deeply connected. John 9:31 makes it clear that God hears those who do His will. We cannot be working in brazen disobedience to God and hope that His ears will be open to our prayers. Disobedience blocks prayers, while obedience opens God’s ears and heart. Prayer is not a substitute for obedience; it is an extension of it. To pray in God’s will, you must also be willing to live in His will.

7. Pray with Persistence

I had said earlier that God is greatly pleased with a faith life. Now, one of the vital expressions that we have faith in God’s character, words, and ability, is persistence—to stay at asking until we receive the answers to our prayers. Praying continually over the same thing is not a sign of unbelief as some think. Jesus Himself taught about persistence in prayer—that we must ask persistently and never lose heart—through the parable of the widow in Luke 18:1–8. 

Praying according to God’s will is not praying with some mysterious information; it’s a lifestyle of placing what pleases and glorifies God above our will. By applying these seven keys, our prayer becomes increasingly more about God. But we are also not left the same way. We will have increased confidence in prayer, peace of mind, knowing God hears you, faith, as we see more answers, and spiritual growth, through intimacy with God.

God delights in answering prayers that align with His will. Therefore, give all diligence to cultivate a prayer life that aligns with His will. 

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