1 John 5:13-14 God’s Will

It is very important to know God’s will. One of the reasons is so we can pray effectively:
“…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

We can be confident that we will receive “what we asked of him” when we know that what we asked is God’s will:
“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.” 1 John 5:14-15

We will not understand God’s unrevealed will unless we are obeying His revealed will. If we renew our minds by not conforming “to the pattern of this world”, we can determine God’s will, both which is clearly seen and what is specific for us:
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Some of knowing God’s will takes time being obedient to develop:
“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14 Determine that God will not let you make a mistake if your heart is right.

The good news is that if we are God’s children, He will work in us so we will want to pray His will and do His will:
"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, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”  Philippians 1:12, 13

If you “delight yourself in the Lord”, then He will put His desires in you:
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalms 37:4
“Delight” implies “soft and pliable”.

Most of God’s will is revealed to us in nature and through our conscience:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20

Also God’s will or the principles behind His will is clearly written in Scripture. 
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Since the Bible shows God’s will, it is obviously necessary to study, meditate on and memorize His Word:
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8
King David, a  man after God’s “…own heart…” 1 Samuel 13:14 Acts 13:22 wrote:
“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” Psalm 119:97
“I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.” Psalm 119:99

For instance, the Bible makes clear that a high priority to God is that His children be united in Spirit and purpose:
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.” Psalm 133:1-2
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Philippians 2:1-2 Unity is not necessarily agreeing on an issue, but there should be love and respect for one another with the purpose of glorifying God.

Love and respect is how we should treat all men:
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Therefore, if we pray for unity within a group (unless their purpose is evil) or between individuals, we can be sure that God will work to accomplish what we asked for. Perhaps it will be hindered because God will not go against the free will of man, but God has ways of accomplishing His will.

Although by studying the Bible we should be able to determine God’s will, if it not explained in the Bible, is not always easy:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" Romans 11:33-34 This is a major reason for not receiving what we asked for—it is not His will.

God knows the beginning from the end. God loves us, and everything that happens to us works for our good. Our suffering or lack can be allowed to make us like Jesus:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…”  Romans 8:28-29

Sometimes we can’t imagine how our suffering or unanswered prayer could be the will of God. The story of Naomi in the book of Ruth is an example of someone who thought God had deserted her for she surely must have experienced much unanswered prayer. Her husband and two sons had died in Moab when they went there to escape the famine in Israel. Probably they should have trusted God to supply their needs in Israel, but God works for the good of His children nevertheless. Upon returning to Israel with her daughter-in-law Ruth, she said to the women of her home town:
"Don’t call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." Ruth 1:20-21 She had no idea of the blessings the Lord had in store for her when she finally returned to be under His protection. Ruth married a relative of Naomi’s husband and had a son that would carry on her family line according to Jewish tradition:
“The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth." Ruth 4:14-15 The son, Obed, was the father of Jesse who was the father of King David, the ancestor of Jesus.

Another example of God’s will not being evident is when it appeared as if a tragedy had come upon Jacob. He lost hope when he believed that his son, Joseph, was dead:
“Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him.” Genesis 37:34-35
But all the time he was mourning, Joseph was alive—sold by his jealous brothers as a slave to Egypt. God was blessing Jacob and all of Israel. Years later Joseph brought his father, Jacob, to live in the best of the land of Egypt. He had forgiven his brothers and realized what God was doing:
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20

God working in their lives was recorded as an example of how He works in our lives. We should trust him in everything:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Elaine Steadman helps explain John 5:14-15:
“…Perhaps we do not know exactly whether a request is the will of God for us, and the examples of Scripture make clear that it is not wrong to ask even for these things. But we must then always add, as Jesus Himself added in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42), for prayer is designed only to obtain that which is within the will of God. Thus, John says, when you know that what you are asking for is within the will of God because you have found a promise of God in Scripture or because as you have sought the mind of God you have experienced a deep and settled conviction in your heart from the Holy Spirit, you know that He hears. God always hears every prayer that is voiced within the boundaries of His will.
Jesus could say, I thank you that you have heard me (John 11:41), because everything He did lay within the boundaries of the will of God. That brings us then to the certainty of prayer, the certainty of having: If we know that He hears us, John says, then we know that we have obtained the request that we made of Him. Think of that! If we know it is according to His will, then we know it is heard, and if we know it is heard, we know that we have it. God has already granted the request. In other words, God never says no, except to that which lies outside His will. Do you dare to believe that?
God plays no favorites. He has intimates, but anyone who moves along the program He has outlined and desires to be His intimate, can be. Anyone can who will, but the secret of prayer is to believe that God has granted everything we ask within His will. The secret is to take. You have it, John says. We know that we have obtained the request made of Him. He is not trying to kid himself or to pretend that God has given him something. What he is saying is that when we pray, and the request is made in the will of God, then the answer is absolutely sure, and it is only a question of God’s timing as to when it appears. We can take from Him and thank Him for that which has been given, expecting it to appear in God’s time…”
© 2007 by Elaine Stedman — From the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. Devotion pages, excerpts, or quotes may be used as long as the copyright notice includes the book title and author along with a reference or a hyperlink to the Ray Stedman web site at www.RayStedman.org.
 

If we live for Jesus (“offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God”) and (“not conform any longer to the pattern of this world”), our minds will be renewed and we (“will be able to test and approve what God’s will is”):
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

Jesus included praying that God’s will be done when His disciples asked Him how they should pray:
"This, then, is how you should pray: " `Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-11 (Luke 11:12)

God wants us to be wise and understand His will:
“Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

God’s will is that we “be joyful always” (because we have faith in Him), “pray continually” (then we know that whatever happens is His will—we are always in contact with Him and can know and do His will) and “give thanks in all circumstances” (because we know the God who loves us and is completely in control is working everything out for the good of His children):
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Like the Apostle Paul, we should pray continually that believers be filled “with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding”:
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:9-13

His children can understand “what God has freely given us” and “make judgments about all things” because we have been given His Spirit and “the mind of Christ”:
“However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? "But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

Like Paul and Agabus we can know God’s will in specific situations:
“After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, `In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ "
 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord’s will be done."” Acts 21:10-14

Sometimes it would be better if we did not know the future or the detail of a given situation, but if it is Gods will that we know, we need only ask:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:5-8

Sometimes we need to search for His will:
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair–every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:1-11 God wants us to search for Him; He wants us to know His will.

God will “graciously give us all things”, including the knowledge of His will when it is for our good and His glory:
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

Those who know Jesus can have whatever they ask if it is God’s will:
We can be confident that we will receive “what we asked of him” when we know that what we asked is God’s will:
“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.” 1 John 5:14-15