Last Sunday I made a statement that got a reaction from some of you…that’s good because that tells me you’re listening to what I’m saying…what I said was prayer doesn’t change things…let me define that a little better.
There are three major objections to consider in the statement prayer doesn’t change things…which on the surface gives solid evidence why it doesn’t.
FIRST…due to predestination everything is already set in place…therefore our prayers can’t change anything.
SECOND…prayer doesn’t change things; it changes me so the only thing that changes is me.
THIRD…Since God knows all (omniscience) and is all powerful (omnipotent) His plans are perfect so my prayer won’t do anything.
After all…we’re not going to tell God anything He doesn’t already know…or come up with a better plan than the one He already has in place.
Christianity is not about having God change reality…it’s about changing our response to it.
Many times we can’t change the circumstances of life that make up our reality …we cannot control other people…we cannot control situations…the only question is “how am I going to respond to life’s problems?”
If prayer changes things how does that fit in with the Bible’s description of God as being sovereign…If God has already ordained that something will happen, does it really matter whether or not I pray for it to change?
Jonathan Edwards stated that prayer is unable to change things…that God is not moved by anything in creation…that He is not moved by our prayers.
This is the mindset that says
If God is all-powerful and if everything is preordained, then He’s going to do whatever He wills anyway…our prayers can’t have any significant effect in the grand scheme of things. So why bother?”
Here’s another objection:
You’ve been praying for someone to become a Christian, and God has done everything He can to bring them to Himself, but somehow they won’t surrender to Him…so why bother asking God to save them if human beings are free to make up their own minds?
Here’s the difficulty with prayer…part of God’s curse on the world after the fall of Adam and Eve was He gave Satan power over this world…Satan is the temporary ruler of this world [John 12:31] …Satan has dominion and legal right in this world because he is the god of this world [2 Cor. 4:4].
NOW…does that mean God has no oversight on what happens or occurs on earth?…NO…what it means is God’s ability to intervene in the affairs of man has been hampered.
See this in the book of Daniel [10] he prayed and asked God to give him spiritual understanding regarding a vision he had…Daniel did not receive any answer for 21 days because Satan was attempting to withhold God’s answer.
As a result some argue that because of that…God can do nothing on earth unless somebody down here asks God to be involved…that’s where prayer comes in.
God has ordained prayer as a means where He will do things through us as we pray…which He would not otherwise do.
Prayer is an invitation for God to act.
Prayer is the power that moves God to work in His own way…in a way He would not have worked if prayer had not been made.
Prayer is how we can participate in what happens…here’s what prayer does…it allows us to participate in God’s work.
I want to show you how this happens…it’s not that God can’t work without our prayers but that He has established prayer as a way in which we have a part in how God works in the lives of people…circumstances…and situations.
Through prayer we invite God to take part in our lives…in the lives of other people…God invites us to share in His work through prayer…as a result of our prayers things will happen that otherwise wouldn’t.
Here’s the KEY…the relationship between divine sovereignty and petitionary prayer can be stated in one word—participation.
That’s the FIRST key in realizing what prayer does…prayer is a joint effort between us and God…praying means inviting God to help…God does not come into our lives without being asked.
If you want to see a change concerning any issue you must pray for God to become involved in what it is you’re praying for before He will intervene.
“Well God you know what needs to be done” is not an invitation to intervene.
In 1 Kings [16-17] we see the interaction between a person praying and God’s will.
In Elijah’s prayer he prayed for a drought and for rain…both began and ended by prayer…NOTICE…both occurred because it was a cooperation between Elijah and God…both were in agreement with the will of God.
Here’s where things begin to go awry…TWO THINGS…
FIRST…what I’m praying for must be in agreement with what God wants…is what I’m praying for in line with God’s will?…if not…your prayers won’t change anything.
BUT…therein is the difficulty…how do I know if what I’m praying for is in line with God’s will…what is the magic formula for knowing that?
Goes back to that misunderstood verses about how God works…as if these verses are the formula for answered prayer…that all I have to do is ask.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will
be opened. [Matt. 7:7-8]
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).
That’s why I can say that prayer doesn’t change things, because when praying to God there are conditions.
The problem comes from people who think that all you have to do is believe that verse and God will give you everything you ask for…when you ask for it …how you want it…regardless of who you are or what you believe…seeing those verses as a ‘blank check’ for answered prayer.
If you’re asking God for something in prayer…four things you need to do:
FIRST – You need to be a Christian
We have the mistaken idea that God hears everybody…He doesn’t…there are conditions.
FIRST…God does not hear sinners [John 9:31] …God does not listen to a sinner praying in the same way He listens to the prayer of a believer…if you’re not a Christian…God doesn’t hear your prayer request.
SECONDLY…you need to be a worshiper of God and in His will…you can’t be living a lifestyle that is in disobedience to God and expect to be heard…sin hinders the effectiveness of our prayer life.
SECONDLY– Tell God exactly what you need done…[Phil. 4:6] Let your request be made known to God…we are told in Scripture to tell God what we need.
There’s a danger when we don’t ask God specifically what it is we desire because God deals in specifics…to get a clear answer from God you must ask God a clear and specific question…there’s a distinction between general prayer and definite prayer.
General prayer is limited by our lack of knowledge in regard to what specific details to pray about. General prayers are made on behalf of all people, all lands, all things, and at times are so vague that it’s hard to identify exactly what it is you’re asking.
Praying for world hunger or world peace…or that all Covid-19 people will be healed is so general it’s hard to identify the exact request…whereas…definite prayer is a request made in definite faith for a definite answer.
THIRD — Are you praying in Gods will
Goes back to the question…how do I know if what I’m praying is in line with God’s will…God’s Word is an expression of His will…so when you pray in accordance with the things He has promised or declared in the Bible you’re praying in His will…the Bible tells us some things that are in God’s will regarding prayer.
Pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
Pray for missionaries (Luke 10:2).
Pray against entering temptation (Matthew 26:41).
Pray for those who minister the Word (Colossians 4:3; 2 Thess.3:1.
Pray for those who are in authority in government (1 Timothy 2:1–4).
Pray for healing of others (James 5:16).
Pray for the salvation of Jews (Romans 10:1).
Pray for mercy and forgiveness of your sin (Psalm 51:1–2).
Pray for boldness to tell others about Jesus (Acts 4:29).
Pray in secret (Matthew 6:5–6).
Pray to forgive others (Mark 11:25).
Pray prayers of thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6–7).
Pray with persistence (Luke 18:1).
Pray God’s kingdom come, His will be done (Matthew 6:10).
Praying for any or all of those is praying in agreement with God’s will.
FOURTH — Are you persistent in your request
What’s that mean… persistent prayer means ‘I will continue to pray until either God answers my prayer or tells me to stop.’ Well I prayed once…I’m good. NO.
Jesus gives two parables to emphasize the importance of persistent prayer…to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart [Luke 18:1].
One parable is the parable of the persistent widow who continually sought help from a judge who refused to give it…BUT she was relentless until the judge finally admits ‘I will give her protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ [Luke 18].
The second parable is the parable of the persistent friend who continued to knock on his neighbor’s door for food long after the door had been shut and his children were in bed…but because of the man’s persistence he finally gives him food.
What’s interesting is that the parable of the persistent friend is given immediately following Jesus’ instruction on prayer…I’d say persistence is a key factor in answered prayer.
That is the need to better define the comment ‘prayer doesn’t change things’. It’s because there are conditions that need to be considered when praying…we take a lackadaisical approach to prayer and wonder why we see no results.
In addition…we don’t see any results and assume prayer didn’t change anything …when in reality it did.
God’s purpose at times will be realized in different ways according to our actions and prayers…here’s how that works:
—Sometimes God doesn’t change the situation…He changes us…He changes your perspective…we are inwardly changed because of our prayers.
—Sometimes God answers prayer in unexpected ways…thereby changing my expectation.
—Sometimes He gives strength to endure the burden leaving the situation or the circumstances alone.
—Sometimes He changes our wants…not changing the situation or the circumstances…teaching us to be content with what we have.
—Sometimes He withholds His answers until we are ready.
—Sometimes what we’re praying is against what God desires.
On the surface would appear that in all those cases…prayer didn’t change a thing…everything remained exactly the same…BUT…in every instance…God was at work in making a change.
Think about this for a minute…another factor that needs to be considered in regards to prayer…we need to let God’s desires be blended with our desires and His thoughts be one with our thoughts…so that our wants are a duplication of His wants.
Here we see the real meaning of prayer:
- God intends to do something according to His will.
- He reveals His will to us through the Holy Spirit for us to know His will.
- We return God’s will back to Him through prayer.
- God accomplishes His work according to His will.
That’s the importance of Tuesday night prayer meeting…it’s when those here are lifting up the needs and concerns of others to God…a time when we join our will to God’s…so His desire becomes our desire.
It’s praying back to God His will .…it’s sometimes called ‘standing in the gap’ …an Old Testament term God used.
God was about to bring judgement on Jerusalem for their sins…but He would withhold that judgement if He could find just one man … ‘to stand in the gap’ …someone willing to intercede on behalf of the entire city and seek God’s mercy…just one person…God said there was no one…so He brought a devastating disaster on Jerusalem.
If you don’t think your prayer matters…God said if just one person prays…that person is known as an intercessor…someone who persistently pleads on behalf of someone else for a need.
Unfortunately…we have people we’re praying for who are stupid…just like the people of Jerusalem who couldn’t see disaster on their doorstep…there are people we pray for who lack the intelligence or common sense to realize what awaits them in the hereafter…so we stand in the gap on their behalf and seek God’s will for their lives.
Intercessory prayer is a pointed persistent pleading on behalf of someone else for a need…is where a person stands in the gap for another person and pleads with God on their behalf through persistent prayer.
God is willing to do many things but is limited by His people’s lack of prayer according to His will.
Do you see the complexity of prayer and why sometimes I can say with confidence…prayer didn’t change things…because we do not put ourselves in a positions to be used by God so His will can be accomplished in the person’s life we’re praying for.
I hope I have better defined the statement prayer doesn’t change things because it it’s dependent on us…the problem is we don’t realize or understand that there are conditions associated with how God works in answering that prayer.