“Behold, he is praying” (Acts 9:11)

The moment Saul began to pray, the Lord heard him. Let this realization comfort you…when you ask God for things He wants you to have, He hears you immediately.

Here’s another comfort…the Holy Spirit in you “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). This promise confirms what John said: “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).

This sounds like what Christ said: “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22). If you ask God for something you know He wants to give, you’ll have the faith He’ll give it. If you ask God for something you don’t know He wants to give, you’ll won’t have the faith He’ll give it. To the extent you “Delight yourself in the LORD” You’ll ask for what He wants, because your heart wants what He wants, so “He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalms 37:4).

So if you want your prayers to be answered, ask for things you can reasonably assume are according to God’s will. This will enable you to ask for things without doubting, something James talks about when he says ask God for wisdom: “Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5–6).

God wants His saints to have the wisdom to ask Him for what He wants. How do you find out what God wants?  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). This means trust His Word more than your thoughts and feelings. “Receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:21–22).

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