According to 1 Jn 5:14-15, we have confidence in prayer when “we ask anything according to his will”.  We know that “he heareth us”.

According to 1 Tim 2:1-4, we know the will of God concerning prayer.  His will is for us to intercede, v.1-3.  His will is for all men to be saved, v.4.  And his will is for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth, v.4

We have confidence in prayer when we intercede.

1 Tim 2:3 says that intercession for all men is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour”.  And we know from Rom 12:2 that we are to prove that “good and acceptable” and perfect will of God.  No matter how long it takes for God to answer, he hears our intercessions.

We have confidence in prayer when we pray for the lost.

In 1 Tim 2:4-6, God “will have all men to be saved”.  Jesus “gave himself a ransom for all”.  According to Jn 3:16, God so loved “the world”.  He didn’t come “to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved”.  He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”, 2 Pet 3:9.

Therefore, we are certain that we are praying in the will of God when we pray for the lost.  George Mueller prayed for five of his lost friends.  Not until a few months after his death did the last one get saved.  Mueller prayed for him for over 50 years.

We have confidence in prayer when we pray for the wayward.

In 1 Tim 2:4 we read “who will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth”.  Men who have been taken captive by the devil at his will must repent and acknowledge the truth if they are going to recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, 2 Tim 2:24-26.

We have a young man on our wayward children’s prayer list who just acknowledged the truth about a situation that has had him ensnared for years.  Through your faithful intercessions, God gave him repentance and he has recovered himself from this snare.  Thank you for praying for him.

Conclusion: We have confidence in prayer when we know that we are praying according to the will of God.  With this confidence, we can keep praying till we die, if need be, because we know that God hears these prayers.