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 (NKJV)
“Lord, if it be your will, please do such and such…..” As a pastor of prayer, I often hear this caveat placed in front of someone’s prayer request. I understand that we often do this out of reverence to God and His sovereign will, and sometimes, it’s appropriate to do so. But when we add “if it be your will, Lord” to every petition we make of God, there is no need for us to stand in faith that we will receive what we ask for. Essentially, we are preparing ourselves in advance for Him to say “no.” When He doesn’t answer, we conclude that our prayer was outside of His will. In reality, we didn’t pray in confidence according to His will.
When we know God’s will, we can pray specifically and without doubt. Scripture tells us that we can be
confident He hears us when we ask according to His will, and since He hears us, we can also be confident He will give us what He ask for. So how do we know God’s will so we can pray in accordance with it? The best place to start is Scripture. When we pray the truth of Scripture over our situation, we can be confident and expectant, knowing He will answer. Sometimes, I hear a cancer survivor pray, “If it’s your will, Lord, keep me well.” What they are really praying, is “Lord, if it’s not your will to keep me well, then let this cancer come back and take me!” That doesn’t sound like Jesus to me, nor does it align with the mandate He left with His disciples to “lay hands on the sick and heal them (Mark 16:18)!” Jesus died to save, heal, and deliver you so you can thank God for your wellness without adding an “if it be your will.” You can bring all your practical needs to God and pray in confidence that He will supply from His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19).
In addition to knowledge of the Scriptures, you can know the will of God by simply resting in His presence. Psalm 46:10 invites you to “be still and know that I am God.” In your quiet times with Him, He might highlight a specific Scripture to reveal His will to you, or you may have a dream or vision, or hear a still small voice in your spirit. Occasionally, you might receive a prophetic word from a trusted source. Paul gives us deeper insight in knowing God’s will when he urges total surrender: “I plead with you to 
give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Even when we don’t know God’s will, we can pray in faith because the Holy Spirit knows the will of Father God and prays for us in harmony with God’s will (Romans 8:27). Jesus is interceding for us at God’s right hand (Romans 8:34). What a comfort to know that the Holy Spirit seeks the depths of our hearts and prays with and for us, even when our thoughts and desires may yet be without form! Through the Spirit, the prayers of Jesus become ours and ours become His. Instead of coming to God with my laundry list of petitions and praying “if it be your will,” I can know my prayers will align with His and pray in confidence!
When you pray, enter His courts with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2). Tell God exactly what you want Him to do. Remember, Jesus 
made the blind man Bartamaeus declare his desire to be healed (Mark 10:51)! Don’t cry out for mercy without telling Him why you need it. Don’t ask for forgiveness without naming the sin you need to be delivered from or pray for His blessing without naming the areas in your life that you want to be blessed. Specific prayer helps you to know whether your greatest desires align with His. It helps you to wait in faith for the things you ask and to know when your prayers are answered. When you ask according to His will, you can pray in confidence the answers will come.
Excerpted from Peace For Each Hour by Mary J. Nelson; Copyright © 2013; ISBN 978-1938388170; Published by Comfort Publishers; Unauthorized duplication prohibited.