AKA, Chapter 4, The Answer to Prayer is Receiving
These are my notes/thoughts from John R. Rice’s Prayer: Asking and Receiving
A few years ago, I used to hang out in an online Christian forum. When the forum first began, it was open to many ideas and different viewpoints of the Christian faith. But as it grew larger, it also grew more sectarian, and those who were not of the ruling party soon left. I stayed until an argument arose declaring whether it was possible or not to know God’s will. The ruling party said that it was impossible to always know God’s will…and I disagreed. Their understanding of Scripture only allowed them to see one thing:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)
I was raised Southern Baptist, but I read people from many different Christian backgrounds, and have learned from them all. Mr. Rice, whose book we’re studying, was a Fundamental Baptist. I disagree with him on a large number of topics, but what he’s written on prayer is some of the best I’ve ever read.
In my reading, one thing I noticed was how great men of God seemed to take it for granted that men could know the will of God. Of course, what the Bible says is the preeminent authority. We learn God’s will first and foremost through the Bible. If the Bible does not give a specific detail, then we can pray and ask God to reveal His will to us. If we are truly submitted to His will, He will tell us how we should pray for any given situation.
Mr. Rice seems to fall into this belief, and gives us three steps to learn God’s will.
- We must be fully surrendered to the will of God. George Mueller said that we must get our hearts “into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter.” No matter what our desire is, we will submit to God’s will.
- We must understand what God’s will is as revealed in the Word. We must love the Word, read it, and meditate on it. As we learn the promises of God, we can then claim the promises of God. Gordon Cove says that we need to get our prayers on the platform of a promise. Mr. Rice says,
“I am saying that one cannot pray in the will of God without knowing the Word of God…And prayer that is not based on the Bible is not likely to be pleasing to God.”
- We must be submitted to the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that opens up the Bible to us, so for a proper understanding of Scripture, we need His leadership. There are also many things that we just don’t know how to pray for. It is the Holy Spirit that shows us how to pray.
“Christians, then, have a blessed and sure way of knowing the will of God. If we pray according to the plain promises of the Word, and if we are led and helped by the Holy Spirit, then our prayers will be pleasing to God…And when we pray thus according to the will of God, we can get exactly what we pray for.”
Mr. Rice gives the instruction that we should go to our prayer lists and see if each item lines up with the will of God. If it doesn’t, then that item should be removed from our list, or modified to line up with God’s will.
When one prays according to the will of God, then that prayer will be answered. Someone has well said that any prayer that begins in Heaven will certainly not be rejected there.
The takeaway: God’s will is knowable to those who truly desire to know. If our prayers line up with God’s will, then we can fully expect God to hear and answer our prayer. So let’s seek to know God’s will, for whatever situation we are praying for, then pray until we get the answer.
God bless.