This is the third prayer in the prayer acrostic, P.O.W.E.R.
The left navigation arrow (<) and right navigation arrow (>) above will take you through all of the prayers in POWER.
W: Reveal your Will!
- "9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father" (Colossians 1:9-12). See Isaiah 30:1,2; John 7:17; 10:27; Revelation 14:4.
Prayerful Observations:
Observations will be presented in five subtopics regarding the will of God:
1) Know God's Will to Please Him in all Respects, etc.:
God's will (v 9) can be known in sufficient detail to "please him in all respects" (v 10). Spiritual graces are granted to those who ask. To "please him in all respects" is possible in this life. That is one of the intended results of asking to know God's will. To "please him in all respects" is possible for those who acknowledge that they can't figure out God's will... and therefore ask God to reveal it within them. God will reveal His will through prayer.
To please God "in all respects" is just one result of the Colossians 1:9-14 prayer. Power, endurance, perseverance, joy, thankfulness and to "walk worthily of the Lord" are also results of this prayer. If you look at the passage again, you will see all of those results. So, being filled with His will is key to the abundant life.
2) Exhaustive Detailed Specific Revelation:
The Endorsed Prayer to know God's will does not mean that God will reveal every detail of every step that you take in the direction of God's revealed will. You may make plans and then may need to change those plans. The apostle Paul did.
- Paul wrote, "I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far" (Romans 1:13).
- Paul also wrote, "But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire, because we wanted to come to you--indeed, I, Paul, once and again--but Satan hindered us" (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18).
Paul knew that he was to make disciples, but he did not always know exactly when, where and how the opportunity would arise. He made plans and then had to change those plans.
Please also prayerfully consider:
"A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, 'Come over into Macedonia and help us'" (Acts 16:9).
In this case God provided detailed information about His will in a vision... "come over into Macedonia".
3) Non-Theological and Non-Moral Revelation:
Can we receive non-theological, non-moral revelation in this age that is not contained in scripture? For example, will God reveal that He wants you to perform ministry "A" instead of ministry "B" in your church? That would not be a revelation of a new doctrine and it is not a moral issue. It would be a revelation of specific guidance to you.
Colossians 1:9-12 above indicates that God's will can be revealed to the extent necessary for you to please Him in every respect. If God would be displeased if you chose "A" instead of "B", then He would reveal His desire according to the passage. If He didn't reveal His will in that situation, then you could not "please him in all respects" (v 10).
To posit that God will never reveal a specific will, presumes that God never cares if you select ministry "A" or "B", as long as you make your decision morally. The Bible is overflowing with examples where God chose specific people to perform specific tasks. So, that proves that God has had a specific will in some situations and revealed that specific will. The passages above which show that Paul had to change his plans indicate that God does not always have a specific will, or else God would have revealed to Paul exactly when Paul should go to Rome, so that Paul could please Him.
4) Subjective Revelation of God's Will:
If you want to know if I am James Phillips you can determine that objectively. By looking at my driver's license, passport or fingerprint, my identity can be determined objectively.
Can one determine the identity of another person subjectively? Let me give you an example. What if you lived in the time when Jesus Christ walked the earth during His earthly ministry. What if you actually heard Him speak, claiming to be the Son of God. What if you saw Him drive the money changers from the Temple with a whip and call your religious leaders sons of Satan (John 8:13, 44)?
If you looked Him in the eyes could you tell if He was the Son of God, the Messiah? Could you prove beyond a doubt that Jesus' miracles were not a fraud? Moses, Elijah and Elisha performed miracles and they were not the Christ. The apostle Peter recognized Jesus before His resurrection. The apostle Paul didn't.
Some say that the Holy Spirit does not reveal information of a subjective nature but only reveals the meaning of scripture. If that is true, then how did Peter know that Jesus was the Christ? This was a subjective determination for him and for you as well. Here is the account from the scriptures:
- "3 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 They said, "Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:13-17).
The revelation that Peter received in verse 17 was subjective. Peter didn't figure it out objectively by a logical examination of the facts. Peter didn't know who Jesus was by examining the scriptures. Jesus' identity was "revealed" by the "Father who is in heaven." God may have revealed Jesus to Peter as Peter considered the prophecies about the Messiah. But, Jesus's identity was "revealed". You and I have not looked Jesus in the eyes, heard Him speak or seen Him heal. So, it is even more subjective for us than it was for Peter.
Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;" This is a subjective internal witness. We just know!
5) Revelation Beyond Moral and Scriptural Rules
Some say that God will never reveal a specific will, that all He wants is for us to make our decisions morally and scripturally. This point of view is basically living by rules, as if we were in the Old Covenant of Law instead of the New Covenant of the Spirit (A3 in the Appendix). With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we walk by the Spirit (subchapter 4.7). God actually does care whether I go to church A or Church B, whether I help Joe or Bill on my lunch hour, whether I give Nancy the Gospel or a free lunch. Otherwise, God wouldn't care whether Nancy heard the Gospel or received a free meal. It is not scriptural to assert the God doesn't care.
Summary:
As we ask God to reveal His will, what kinds of things will He reveal to us? Will He tell us what college to attend, who to marry, what job to take, what medicine to take, to go on a particular mission trip, to teach a Bible study, lead a prayer group, etc? If the answers to those questions are necessary to please him, yes. If they aren't, then He has no specific will regarding the matter to reveal.
It is possible that God may not care what college you go to, because you can follow His plan for you at any college. But He may care what college someone else goes to, because He wants that person to work in the lives of specific people. I may pray for weeks about a decision and be fully confident of God's will. On another issue, I may pray without receiving guidance and conclude that either choice is equally pleasing to him.
My conclusion is this: We should pray steadfastly for knowledge of His will and be willing to obey His will , whatever it is (John 7:17). If we pray in this way and receive no guidance from God, then God is indifferent as to that decision. Personally, I tend to be confidant of God's will regarding ministry options. I am far less likely to be aware of His will regarding a business decision. I believe that God reveals His will through scripture and also subjectively with regard to existing circumstances.
If we believe that God will reveal His will through prayer, He will. If we don't, He won't. James 1:6-7 reads "But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For that man shouldn't think that he will receive anything from the Lord."
If you need more faith, then ask for more faith by praying the Endorsed Prayer of Faith.
In the Sixth Path we Turn, Turn, Turn and Behold. We turn to Him to ask for revelation of His will. We then watch for opportunity as is written in Ephesians 6:18: "praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful".
To see all five prayers in the prayer acronym, POWER, click here.
To see nine different prayer acronyms, click here.