Praying According to God's Will

Sometimes God does tell us to stop praying for people. All our past prayers still count, no need to keep begging God for what He already knows about.

We do not always know the heart of those we pray for, they may refuse to hear God no matter what He does. It is best to seek the Holy Spirit about who to pray for rather than placing our trust in how many times we pray.

Matthew 6:7-8 "7 And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.…"

God never tells us in His word to never stop praying for someone. In fact He did tell Jeremiah to stop praying for Israel at one point.

Jeremiah 11:14

14 “So as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster."

I count all the prayers of the past 50 years for my family as still counting. Sometimes I feel weary of thinking about the people who have clearly rejected Christ. If the Holy Spirit brings them to mind again I will hear Him, but I do not feel compelled to pray often for them anymore.

It is lack of faith to think that we must continually beg God for our desires for someone. He knows our desires and He knows His own will, He will not withhold answers to prayer because we didn't pray one more time.

It is possible God has already decided that someone is lost and refuses to trust in Him, then our prayer is one against His will. We must always pray in the will of the Holy Spirit.

1 John 5:14-15

"14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us. 15 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."

Asking according to His Will is the command!

"According to His Will" will drive us to pray when prompted by the Holy Spirit, not just in our own flesh.