Prayer According to Christ

[OBW]

Originally Posted by David

1 John 5:14 says if we ask according to his will he hears us. Whenever we do things in the Spirit we are acting according to the Spirit's will. The desires of the Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other. Therefore there are only two ways to pray. In the flesh and in the Spirit. If we ask according to his will, in his name, in the Spirit, he hears us. If we pray according to the flesh's will, he will not hear us. Why do you think in James it says if we ask to fulfill our passions then we do not receive?

This is a loaded statement. It is his will that we pray. It is his will that we pray about everything. And there are things concerning his will that he will undertake if we pray. These seem to be contradictory statements, but they are not.

The problem is that there is the totality of God's will and there are aspects of God's will. That he wills for us to pray does not mean that we are automatically praying according to his will with regard to a particular thing that he may or may not do. He also has a will concerning whatever that thing is. And for some reason he has determined that he will undertake it only if we pray in agreement with that will.

So we should pray for healing, even miraculous healing for conditions that have exceeded the medical practitioners' abilities to "cure." But it may not be his will. And now you tell me that if I pray for such a healing that I must not be in the Spirit? That only if I pray in some different way that I would be in Spirit? But if it actually is God's will to undertake such a miracle, if I don't pray in that manner, then I am likewise not in Spirit? So I guess that we have to have such a clear sense from God that we should pray for healing in some cases and refrain from such prayer in others because if we miss that sense, then we must not be "in Spirit."

This seems to be a way to put virtually all Christians into constant doubt concerning their spiritual condition because they pray concerning things that matter to them and they don't get the answer that they really would like. More rightly, we should be strong to pray no matter how likely we think it is that it is God's will and accept that our will may not be his. Unlike my agency example, we are not charged to demand a certain outcome and, assuming we were "in Spirit" simply go forward acting as if it is so. For example, simply stop taking blood pressure medication or insulin for diabetes. We pray and wait for God's response. We are ready to accept his will, whether an end to diabetes or the rest of a life taking care of blood tests and insulin shots.

It is not a basis for analyzing our "in Spirit" ness. I honestly believe that this is reversing the precedents. This is something that can only be observed in hind-sight. If you asked in his will and he did it, then you can probably safely say that you were "in Spirit." But just because you prayed and it did not happen is not evidence that you were not "in Spirit." There is no defined "if A then B" that says, "if you are in Spirit then your prayers will be according to his will and will be answered in the manner you desire."

Now I would agree that if we are simply praying for our pathetic selves to have an even cushier life, or some other selfish motive, that while God surely "hears" us, he does not even entertain to respond, consistent with what James says. And it is probably a safe bet that you were not "in Spirit" when you prayed it. But there is no magic formula of "in his name" and "in the Spirit" that guarantees that our prayer will match his will. But it is probably doubtful that a prayer from outside that place would actually be his will.