Spirit Led Prayer: 1. Part 1

The last two series that we looked at were crafted prayer techniques. The Lord’s Prayer was the first crafted prayer we looked at. The second series was more of a prayer form, which can be used as a framework to fill in with your own prayers.

Yet the most important thing that I have found in my personal quest for intimacy in my relationship with God and in seeking His heart, His will and His purpose for my life and for others when I am praying for them, is praying in line with the will of the Father.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
1 John 5: 14-15

The key phrase in this piece of scripture is praying “according to His will”. If we pray according to His will then:
1. He hears us
2. He answers our prayers or grants our requests

It is when we have the assurance of answered prayer we become confident in praying. So often its hard to pray for people or situations because we wonder if God cares or even hears us. If we pray in accordance with His will though, a new dimension to prayer opens up and we realise that prayer is not to change God’s mind about something but to change us!

Sara Hesbrook

2003-01-27