The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series Seven Conditions for Answered Prayer.

The next condition – praying in accordance with the Word of God – has an intimate relationship with the previous devotional (being directed by the Holy Spirit). The great issue in prayer is the will of God. If I’m praying according to the Word of God, then the Scripture says I know that God hears me. And if I know God hears me, I know I have the petitions that I asked for. Where is the will of God revealed? The answer is: in His written Word.

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The Word is packed from beginning to end with divine promises. Peter calls them “exceedingly great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4) Those promises are the revelation of God’s will. When you find a promise that relates to your situation and meets your need, that promise is God’s will for you, assuming other related conditions are met in your life.

God never promised anything that was not His will. Why would He be inconsistent and promise to do something and then, when we come to Him and say, “Lord, you promised,” would He say, “Yes, I promised, but I don’t want to do it”? Of course not! So the great secret that clinches our prayer is the seventh principle, that we pray according to God’s Word.

I want to give you an example from the Old Testament to illustrate this. We see an incident in the life of David in 1 Chronicles 17. David was established in his kingdom. He was victorious, he had peace and abundance, and he had a beautiful house to live in. As he sat in his house, he thought, “Here am I, living in this house of cedar, but the ark of God is still in a tent.” And so he said to the prophet Nathan, “I’m going to build a house for the ark of God.” And Nathan said “That’s a wonderful idea. Go and do it.”

But that night, God spoke to Nathan and said, “Tell my servant, David, ‘You are not to build a house for me.’ Tell David that I am going to build him a house.” Isn’t that wonderful? You see, that’s an Old Testament example of a New Testament principle from Ephesians 2:20: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” David wanted to bless the Lord, but God turns it to bless David, applying the principle of “exceedingly abundantly above.” David thought, “What’s the greatest thing I can do for God? Build Him a house.” But God says to David, “No, your son Solomon is going to do that. I am going to build you a house.”

Let’s follow the Bible’s account. When David got the message, “[He] went in and sat before the LORD” (vs. 16), and said, “Lord, you’ve been so good to me. You know I wanted to build you a house, and now you’ve told me that you are going to build me a house.” We should understand that the word “house” in the Bible does not always mean a building. It can also mean a family, a household, or a lineage. God promised David that his posterity would endure forever and that one of his “sons” (the Messiah to come, the Lord Jesus Christ) would sit upon his throne forever and ever and would rule over all Israel and – ultimately – over all nations.

This is what David said. “And now, O LORD, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as you have said” (vs. 23). I believe this is a key to getting our prayers answered. Those five short words of one syllable contain the essence of effective praying. “Do as you have said.” Lord, You said it. Please do it. If God said He will do it, He will be pleased that you bring His Word to His attention. You are on very safe ground when you ask Him to do what He has declared is His will and purpose. In fact, you know He’s going to do it. His promises are the revelation of His will.

See the beauty of this prayer. “The word which You have spoken…let it be established.”  I didn’t speak it, Lord; it’s far above what I could think of, but Lord, You said it. Please do it. And then notice David’s motive in praying. This is wonderful. “So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever” (vs. 24). Not that David may be glorified, but that the name of the Lord may be glorified. This is a perfect pattern prayer. You know the great key? It is in knowing the promises of God, because if you don’t know what God has promised in His Word, how can you go to Him and say, “Lord, You promised. Please do it”?

The secret of effective praying is the Word and the Spirit brought together, because then the whole creative power and ability of Almighty God is available to you. It is clear from many Bible passages that God wants His children to remind Him of His promises. The most effective way to strengthen your prayer life is to praise and thank God for His many wonderful promises. Instead of leading with your needs, consider beginning again in the Psalms. Start by reviewing God’s promises and offering Him a heart of praise.

How did God bring the universe into being? “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” (Psalm 33:6)  The Word and the Spirit of God together brought all creation into being. And when God brings His Spirit and His Word together, you have the creative power of Almighty God operating in your prayer. Then He will do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

The highest you can pray with your natural understanding is on the earthly level. But the promises of God are on a divine level, which is totally different. The way to step out of your own ability and into the ability of God is by the Holy Spirit. Unite your will with the will of God, revealed in His Word, and then it will come to pass.

Points to Ponder:

• King David’s response to God’s promise gives a pattern for our prayers. This brings us back to our motives. Do you see areas where your prayers are too self-focused? For example, do we pray for good government in order to have a better life for ourselves and our children, or is it to glorify God? We might all let that thought challenge our thinking.
• Don’t miss the “exceedingly above and beyond” moments in your own life. When they happen, record them for future reference and to help point your family and friends to God’s grace and kindness.

Complete Devotional in PDF Format Click Here!

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(Derek Prince was one of the founders of Intercessors for America. Photo Credit: doidam10 via Canva Teams)