“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (1John 5:14)
What a great promise we have in this verse. But as we seek to obey this verse, we are immediately confronted with a problem. If we are to “ask anything according to His will,” that He may hear us, how important it is that we should first KNOW His will?
That is what Paul prayed for the believers in (Col. 1:9) when he said, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will…” God’s will always brings glory to God. In other words, if you are praying about something for selfish reasons, that will not bring glory to God, therefore, you are not asking “according to his will.”
Before praying, ask yourself, “Will this bring honor and glory to the Lord, or to me?”