John tells us in his first epistle how we can pray with confidence and know that God will grant us those things that we ask from Him (I John 5:14-16). And it’s pretty simple! Pray in accordance to the will of God! That sounds like a no-brainer. But how often are we truly praying according to God’s will and not our own wills. It is very easy for us to pray our agendas to God. To ask Him to do those things that will provide for us what we think we need to be happy, rather than pray for those things that will bring glory to Him.
As an example John tells us to pray for our sinning brother. This is the kind of praying that is in accordance to the will of God. John places an emphasis on the spiritual needs of one another. We tend to place the emphasis on the physical needs of one another. Now we should pray for physical needs. We have the scriptural support to do so. But this should not be our primary focus when we pray. The simple reality is we cannot know for certain whether it is God’s will to heal or not. But we do know that it is God’s will to provide comfort, strength and peace during times of physical illness and disease. When our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing serious illness they are then targets of the enemy. Satan’s desire is to fill them with despair and anger. He will seek to use this occasion to lead them into depression and/or bitterness. While we are praying for their physical healing, we often forget their spiritual needs.
As you pray for others (and for yourself) make the spiritual needs the focus and emphasis. Pray for the physical as well. But don’t neglect the spiritual. This is when we know that we are truly praying in the will of God and then God hears and gives to us those things that we ask of Him.
