GOD’S WILL IS CERTAIN
Question: Can we know God’s sovereign will in every given circumstance?
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes a powerful and clear statement about the nature of God’s will:
“For all the promises of God in Him [God says] Yes, and in Him we speak the Amen [we agree].” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Paul stresses that God’s will is not vague or uncertain. God does not waver between “yes” and “no,” leaving us wondering where we stand (See 2 Corinthians 1:17-20). Many failures in prayer are justified by the misconception that God’s sovereign will is unknowable. This myth has led many to believe they can’t be sure of God’s answer. This teaching is not only incorrect but damaging and when held, self-defeating.
The truth is that if we do not pray according to God’s will, we cannot receive His will.
The truth is, God has already agreed to do everything He has promised, and His promises are based on covenant. That’s why 1 John 5:14 assures us,
“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
God’s will is not hidden or mysterious; it’s written clearly in Scripture, so that we don’t have to wonder what He desires. Prayer, then, is not a shot in the dark—it is standing in agreement with God’s Word. His will has been recorded at great length and cost for us in what we call the Bible.
Our job as Christians, is to find out what is written and get into agreement with it—say amen. This is how we pray His promises into reality, trusting that they are already “Yes” in Christ.
Remember this: Gods judgments are law, but even the law must be enforced by someone for it to become effective. Psalm 149:6-9 tells us:
“May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged word in their hands [Heb. 4:12], to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with shackles of iron [Eph. 6:12], to execute the judgment written against them. This honour is for all His saints”
It turns out that it is not God standing in our way, but demonic “nations” and “strongmen.” This is why James 4:7 tells us:
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
The Myth of “Sovereignty”: God’s Will Is Not a Mystery
One of the most damaging misconceptions is the idea that God’s sovereignty means we cannot know His will. This line of thinking often leads people to assume that unanswered prayers are due to God arbitrarily deciding not to act. But this is far from the truth, and not how God operates.
Only people who do not study their Bibles are going to fall for this lie and deception.
His sovereignty doesn’t imply randomness; it implies authority. And He has clearly revealed His sovereign will in Scripture for us to follow, understand, and importantly, claim in faith.
IMPORTANTLY: When we pray His word, we are praying His will. If we pray His will, we are praying with His authority!
The Bible isn’t a mystery book filled with uncertainties about God’s desires for us. His sovereign will is laid out in black and white, plain for anyone to see. Not only that, but when we pray according to His will, we align our requests with what He has already promised. When we do that, we can confidently expect to receive what we ask for.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward 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 that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:13-14)
How can we have confidence in God if we have no reliable way of knowing His will? And if we’re unsure whether He will answer our prayers, why pray at all? That is foolishness!
This uncertainty is likely one of the main factors why many Christians either don’t pray at all, or when they do, do so half-heartedly, lacking persistence and conviction.
It’s understandable why many would feel discouraged—why make the effort if you’re unsure it will have any impact?
This essence of prayer is agreement with God’s will: which is fundamentally the process of finding out what He has said, and saying what He says in every situation we find ourselves in.
HOMOLOGIA: THE POWER OF CONFESSION
The Greek word homologia (ὁμολογία) is often translated as “confession” or “profession” in the New Testament. It comes from the root words homos (same) and logos (word), meaning to “speak the same thing” or “agree with” God.
This concept of confession isn’t just about verbal acknowledgment but aligning our words with God’s truth. In Hebrews 3:1, Jesus is described as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (homologia),” emphasizing that He mediates on behalf of those who align their words and faith with God’s promises.
The early Church Fathers emphasized the importance of this confession. St. John Chrysostom wrote,
“Confession is agreement with God. By it, we declare not just our faith, but the truth of God’s Word in our lives.”
And remember, it is the truth, and only the truth, that sets us free (John 8:32).
Matthew Henry, in his commentary, highlights that our confession must not waver because it is anchored in Christ’s unchanging priesthood:
“Christ is the High Priest of our profession; we must hold fast our profession, for He ever lives to make intercession for us.”
Our confession of faith, therefore, is a declaration that Jesus, as our High Priest, ensures the fulfilment of God’s promises in our lives—when we agree with Him, and only then!
This concept links beautifully with the Hebrew word aman (אָמַן), from which we derive “amen.” Aman means to believe, support, stand firm and even nourish like an infant latching onto it’s mother.
Just as homologia means to “speak the same thing” in agreement with God, aman implies supporting (agreeing with) God’s faithfulness (truthfulness). In essence, both words emphasize alignment—with what God has said in His word.
When we confess our faith, we are standing in agreement with God’s eternal truth, trusting that He is faithful to perform what He has promised.
The Importance of Covenant in Prayer
Covenant forms the very basis of our relationship with God. You might say, “I have a relationship with Jesus!”—but what does that even mean, and who defines the nature of that relationship? Since this covenant is what connects us to Him and ensures our salvation, it’s far from a minor detail. When God makes a promise, it’s grounded in His unbreakable covenant with His people. This is why Paul can boldly declare that,
“God says yes to all His promises to those in Christ,”
And it is also why we:
“declare our Amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
To enter a covenant you must agree with the covenant stipulations.
God doesn’t change His mind or offer us half-hearted commitments, and neither should we. Consider Hebrews 6:16-18 for a moment,
“For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”
When we pray according to His will, we are entering into a divine agreement, a covenantal transaction, in which God is always faithful to fulfil His part as we fulfil ours.
Reinhard Bonnke powerfully expressed that prayer is God’s idea, not ours. the Lord initiates the process by urging us to ask, and we will receive. This shows how God is longing to help those who turn to Him for aid.
This profound truth reveals that prayer is not simply a human endeavour; it springs forth from God’s deep need of partnership with us. By inviting us to engage in prayer, God emphasizes His readiness to communicate and respond to our needs.
This divine call assures us that He is actively involved in our lives, eager to hear our demands and meet our requests. This is the only way that His control and order on earth can come (Matthew 6:10).
In this light, prayer transforms from a mere ritual into a dynamic dialogue, filled with the promise of God’s faithful response that bring order to chaos, fills lack and restores what is broken.
We see this truth clearly in 1 John 5:14-15, where it says,
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of Him.”
This verse underscores the certainty of receiving from God when we pray in alignment with His will. The promises are not “maybe” or “sometimes”—they are always “yes.”
Our job in prayer is to stand in agreement with those promises, believing that God will bring them to pass, and only stop when we see their materialization in our lives and the world around us.
God’s Sovereignty and Human Cooperation
While God is sovereign, He has chosen to delegate authority to mankind.
In Genesis 1:26-28, He gave dominion over the earth to humanity, entrusting us with stewardship over creation. This is why prayer is necessary. God has bound Himself to work through human agency, meaning that our cooperation is essential for His will to be done on earth.
This is also where everything went wrong. Instead of guarding the door to this world from evil, we flung it wide open and let Satan in. And it also explains why Jesus says:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)
God’s delegation of authority to us is not a limitation of His power, but a demonstration of His faithfulness to His own word. He will not violate the authority He has given us. in fact, He cannot, since He is not a liar.
This delegated authority also explains why we must contend for the promises of God. Psalm 149:6-9 calls believers to wield a two-edged sword, a symbol of enforcing God’s will on earth. This is not a passive endeavour; it requires active participation, both in prayer and in action. God’s promises don’t automatically materialize without our cooperation. We must stand in faith, contending in prayer, to see them fulfilled.
Dominion: Exercising Authority on Earth
Returning to Genesis 1:26-28, we see that God gave humanity dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air.
This isn’t about physical creatures; it symbolizes our authority over both the natural and spiritual realms. The fish of the sea often represent the masses, as Jesus referred to when He called His disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The birds of the air symbolizes spiritual powers and forces.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that,
“Our struggle is, not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
We are given the mandate to rule—exercise dominion—not just over the physical world but over the spiritual realm as well. Through prayer, we exercise this dominion, inviting God’s authority to be established in every area of life. This is why prayer is so essential: it is the means by which we enforce God’s will and His kingdom on earth (Matthew 6:10).
Conclusion: Prayer as Agreement with God
When we pray, we are not begging God to do something He is unwilling to do. As covenant partners we are aligning ourselves with His already revealed will, bringing heaven’s authority into earthly circumstances.
The promises of God are “Yes” in Christ, but that doesn’t make them effective. It is our through our agreement that these promises—dearly purchased and made available to us—become effective in our lives.
Prayer is our response-ability to affect positive change in the world.
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY: By standing in faith—agreeing with what God has said—we contend for His promises, and exercising the dominion He has given us. When we do, we can see His will done on earth as it is in heaven.
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