121. How shall I pray so as to get what I ask for?

How shall I pray so as to get what I ask for?

First of all, you must be such a person as the Bible describes as the one whose prayers God answers, that is to say, a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ with a living faith and shows the reality of his faith by living a life of daily obedience to His will (John 14:13-15; John 15:7; 1 John 3:22).

Second, you must pray to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Much that is called prayer is not really prayer to God. There is no thought of God in the mind, no real approach to God in the heart. It is only on the ground of the shed blood of Jesus Christ that one can really approach God and be sure that his prayers are heard (Hebrews 10:19-20). It is only when we pray in the Holy Spirit, that is, under His guidance, that we pray so we may be sure that God will hear (Judges 20; Romans 8:26-27).

Third, you must pray according to the will of God (1 John 5:14-15). We may know the will of God by the study of the Word, which is given to us to reveal God’s will, and by the leading of the Spirit. Whenever you ask for anything that is promised in the Word of God you may know it is the will of God to give it, and He will give what you ask.

Fourth, one must pray persistently (Luke 11:5-10; Luke 18:1-8). Here is where many fail. They do not pray through. They pray for a thing once or twice, and then conclude it is not God’s will to give it. God demands of us that persistent faith that will not take no for an answer. Many a person prays and prays up to the very point of getting a thing, and then fails because he does not pray through.