Great Expectations

“And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

So just what does that mean? I know we often ask God for things, and we're often told that if we have faith He will grant our requests. But the reality is that not everything we request comes to life. So, how should we pray "according to His will" that we might actually have our requests? In the book entitled "Before the Throne of God," author Carol J. Ruvolo dedicates a chapter to answering these questions (page 110-116). The following post summarizes that chapter.

It is in God’s revealed will, made plain in the commands of Scripture, that we learn how to live and what we should desire. Examples of God’s revealed requirements can be found in Exodus 20:1-17, Matthew 22: 37-40, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4:17-5:7, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6, 1 Peter 2:13-15, and the entire book of James. While our prayers should express faith in God’s hidden, sovereign plan for all things, God directs us to pray particularly for what we know to be His revealed will. That will is not hidden from us. It stands in full view throughout the pages of Scripture. (emphasis mine)

The only way to pray with great expectations is to pray within the guidelines of God’s revealed will:
The Guideline of Salvation—only those who have been redeemed and transformed by the power of God have the ability to discover God’s will for their lives.
The Guideline of Dependence—reminds us of our need to rely continually on the indwelling Spirit (Ephesians 5:17).
The Guideline of Holiness—found in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “This is the will of God, our sanctification.”
The Guideline of Testimony—“For such is the will of God, that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15).
The Guideline of Sacrifice—“entrust [our] souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” when we “suffer according to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:19).
The Guideline of Sovereignty—God alone knows the end from the beginning and He will accomplish all His good pleasure (Isaiah 46:10).

When we pray within these guidelines we will be able to “claim the promise.” … Disappointment, discouragement, and frustration will have no room to fester when our prayers swell with the confidence of great expectations. If we align our prayers with God’s will, we will see results:

• God will be glorified.
• The elect will be brought to salvation.
• We will see a developing pattern of righteousness in our own lives and of others for whom we pray.
• The body of Christ will be built up and will bear fruit.
• Our hearts will be full of peace, joy and contentment.
• We will know God’s comfort in the midst of affliction.
• We will become increasingly able to “set [our] mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).
  

Ruvolo, Carol J. Before the Throne of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1999) 110-116.