Matthew 7:7-8 

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Prayer is one of our most powerful resources. It connects us to the God who just had to speak and the galaxies came to be (Psalm 33:6). His Word is powerful, secure, enduring and strong. He promises in His Word that when we ask anything according to His will, we have it.

1 John 5:14-15

. ¹⁴ 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

We HAVE What We Asked of Him

Did you catch that? If we ask His will, we will have it someday? NO! If we ask His will, He MAY give it to us? NO! If we ask His will, the promise is so secure we can be confident in it- we have it! His will is the absolute best that could ever be true of your life. Now, does He answer some requests over time- absolutely! Some things are a process and others we will see the answer to in the future. But we can be confident, nonetheless that He heard us and that we have it.

What Do We Have?

Not a Glorified Santa Claus

Does that mean if we ask for fame and fortune (or even that new phone or truck we’ve been wanting), God must deliver? Absolutely not! God is sovereign and the King of Kings. He is not to be manipulated for our selfish desires and ambitions. It says clearly, “when we ask His will.” Not, “when we ask our will.” God is not a glorified Santa Claus.

Not Our Selfish Requests

Of course, this rules out our selfish requests. In James 4, He says, You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” 

Not Necessarily The Way That Seems Best to Us

Sometimes we make requests of God that seem best to us, but aren’t His will. Or, perhaps, He desires to bring about the end result we ask for, but not through the means we expect.

In Sum, when we ask God’s will with the right motives, we can absolutely trust God that we have the answer to that request. We may not see it yet, but we can trust that we have it. We need to pray with the humility that God alone perfectly knows His will and how to bring it about.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

How Do We Know His Will?

Spend time with Him in the Bible every day. By doing so, you are learning directly from His heart what His will is. For example, if you have repented of your sin and trusted Jesus to forgive you of your sin and help you live for God, here are just a handful of things that are God’s will for you. Pray through these Scriptures, and you know without a doubt that you are asking for His will- and that you have it:

That You Delight in and Glorify God:1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

That you Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

^“16 Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

That You Be Sanctified and Honor God with Your Body: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control your own body^[a] in a way that is holy and honorable”

That You Love Others: John 13:34-35

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

That You Forgive: Colossians 3:12-14

^{12 “}Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

That Your Heart and Mind Are Guarded With His Peace: Philippians 4:4-7

^” Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

You Have What You Asked of Him

When you pray God’s will, you know that He hears you and you have it. Does this negate our need to do anything- no! Many of the above requests require something of you. You act on the Scripture, confident that it is God bringing it about in your soul:

Philippians 2:12-14

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Where Do I Go From Here?

Seek God. Spend time with Him each day. Dig deep into His Word. Seek to know His will and what He cares about.

Then, talk to Him. Praying Scripture is a great way to enrich and deepen your times with Him. Be confident in the One you are coming before when you pray. You are entering the courts of the King of Kings, and He delights to give you His will.