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7 Truths That Will
Make You Sweat
Prayer Doesn't Change God's Mind
February
18, 2007
This lesson in my
series is one that might have the most edge on it. All the lessons so
far were designed to get you to talk and discuss the topic. But this one
could be a lot touchier because it deals with a subject that is dear to
many people's heart. Prayer is special to people and it is a huge part
of the believer's relationship with God.
There is power in
prayer. But I want you to consider for a moment that prayer doesn't change
God's mind. To believe that it does might suggest that prayer, not God,
is sovereign. It is a matter of who controls what. Does prayer control
God or does God control prayer? I think that once we honestly look at
prayer as described in the scriptures, we will discover that God controls
and uses prayer.
Now before you get
too bent out of shape with me on this, think about who God really is and
who we aren't. Again, too often man views God from his very small perspective.
We have a tendency to think God thinks, acts and reasons like we do or
we at least try to reason who God is based on our own reasoning. But there
is no comparison between us and God. He is so much superior than we are
and we can't even begin to reason who he is and how he thinks.
Think a minute what
life would really be like if the Creator of all things really decided
things based on what we pray or don't pray. Imagine if God were to really
say, "Gee Mike; that is a pretty good idea. I never thought about
that before." Or worse yet, "I wasn't planning on doing that
but since you are a faithful servant, I'll change my plans and do it your
way." How would our existence be different today?
Now I want you to
understand something, God does indeed ordain and use prayer as a means
of accomplishing his will, but it doesn't make prayer sovereign. Prayer
is a tool God uses to accomplish His plan. God doesn't decide what happens
on the fly, based on the prayers of man.
What prayer is
and what it isn't.
According to what
you understand of prayer how would you define it? Many will say that prayer
is a way we communicate with God, a way of talking to him. That part is
true. But prayer is a lot more than that. Prayer is also the way we listen
to and get into step with God.
Prayer is the
process of discovering what the Lord is doing and coming alongside Him
in that. Glenna Salsbury
When she talked about
coming alongside, she explained it as sensing what the Lord's will is
and praying accordingly. Is prayer a process?
Romans
8:26 In
the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what
we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with
groans that words cannot express.
Someone explain for
me what Paul is talking about here in this verse? Prayer is the process
of discovering what the Spirit already knows. The Holy Spirit rephrases
our requests to comply with God's highest and best for us.
1
Thessalonians 5:17
pray continually
Someone explain this
to me. Notice Paul doesn't ask us to do this, he states it in a command
form. How do we do this? I believe this is a natural response from the
Holy Spirit living in us. The Spirit is always communing with the Father.
He doesn't cease. Our job is to join Him in that effort. Joining Him is
nothing more than trusting Him.
James
4:13-15 Now
listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that
city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why,
you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You
are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead,
you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do
this or that."
There is a Hitch
in Our Communicating
How did you learn
to pray? Did you go through some classes to learn how to do it? Did you
need a degree? Can someone quickly teach me how to pray based on what
they learned? Does prayer involve a specific format? Does God hear us
better of we are kneeling, have our hands folded or bow our head and close
our eyes? What works the best in getting God's attention?
Now this sounds funny
or stupid but there are a couple dangers that comes from thinking this
way, and many Christians do think this way.
- Some believe
in the notion that prayer requires a certain form and posture. The
truth is, there is very little instruction on form or posture. There
is a lot about the necessity, the right attitude and motive when praying.
But there are no set rules as to where, when and the posture you need
to assume. Prayer can take place anytime, anywhere and during any activity
you find yourself in.
- Some believe
in the notion that if you petition God long and hard enough, he will
grant for what we ask for. Why do Christians believe that? Because
they know it works in the real world. There are verses in scripture
that encourage us to pray to God for the things we need. How long should
we continue to ask for things from God so that he will hear is and answer
or prayers?
Philippians
4:6-7 Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is one of my
favorite verses and one that I lean on a lot. Look closely at what Paul
wrote. In reference to prayer, what is Paul encouraging the Christian
to do and what affect will prayer have? Contrast this verse with what
Jesus had to say about the prayer in Matthew.
Matthew
6:5-7 And
when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.
I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when
you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,
who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,
for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Notice how Jesus
concluded his thoughts; many words don't affect God to reward you. Another
thing, notice Jesus didn't say you will get what you asked for, you will
be rewarded. A few verses down in verse 10, Jesus teaches that our interest
in our prayers should be that His will be done, not ours.
There is one more
spot I want you to look at where Jesus teaches about prayer. It is the
conclusion of the parable of the unexpected visitor. When man asks for
things from man, he hopes to get what he needs. But when man asks of God,
the expectation should be totally different but the reward if far greater.
Luke
11:9-12 "So
I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him
a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him!"
When I first studied
this passage many years ago, I was confronted with a question that changed
my attitude about prayer, It all depends on what you are asking for. A
person in the flesh asks for things differently than a person in the Spirit.
The difference is in the asking. A man of the flesh asks to fulfill his
own desires. The man in the Spirit asks to fulfill the wish and desires
of the Spirit. The asking is the key. The reward comes from asking for
the right things.
But God, Did You
Think About This Point?
How many times have
you made requests of God that totally surprised Him? He totally didn't
see that request coming? Have you ever worried about something so you
go to God in prayer, and in many situations, you repeatedly go to him
in prayer? Why do you do that?
Matthew
6:31-32 So
do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?'
or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
God knows what we
need. In fact, he knows we need it before we know it. Asking him for things
in prayer may make us seem more proactive but it won't tell God anything
He doesn't already know. He also knows what is best for us.
How would your life
be different today if God had granted every request you ever made of him?
Would your life be better or would it be a disaster? Here is the point,
what makes you think you are qualified to know what is best for you? The
fact is, we only know what see and feel at the moment we pray. We don't
know how all the pieces fit together - but thank God, He does.
Romans
8:28 And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Did you catch the
important part…whose purpose is all this for, His! Now that is easy
to say and believe yet, we often seem to think we know what is best for
our lives, and if we just ask God enough times, He will give in to our
plans or requests.
Here is a hard question
to ponder; do our repetitious requests change what God has already planning
to do? NO! We have many examples where people in the Bible petitioned
God and indeed, we are encouraged to do so, but we have to realize that
our requests do not change God's plans. Right before Romans
8:28 is verse 27 which goes like this:
Romans
8:27 And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the
Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
Do you want to know
why it is fruitless to plead to God to change his plans on our behalf?
Because when we pray, our Spirit is pleading for us believers in harmony
with God's own will. Don't misunderstand what scripture is saying here,
it is important to pray to God and make requests of him. It is an important
part of the way God accomplishes His will. I just want you to understand
it doesn't change God's mind. If we could change God's mind through prayer
then we would be sovereign, not God. God is not a reactionary God.
1
Samuel 15:29 He
who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is
not a man, that he should change his mind."
God does not alter
or make up his plans as he goes. God's work is not a work in progress.
According to scripture, God's work is finished. His will is never to be
questioned. Daniel 4:35 Here is the good
news in all of this. If we look at Jesus and how this fact affected him,
we see that this all brought him peace and rest. Jesus himself lived in
reliance on the Father's will.
John
6:38-40
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will
of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I
shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the
last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son
and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day."
It should be comforting
to know that God, who knows the end and the beginning, can be trusted
in regard to His own plan for our lives. The role of prayer is to help
us get in touch with what he is doing.
What would happen
if you were able to change God's mind? Think of the consequences. What
would be the burdens? What would happen if another person were able to
do the same thing and prayed opposite what you requested? If you could
change God's mind, what message would God be sending if you earnestly
prayed for something to happen, say a healing, and it didn't happen. Then
what?
When you pray, what
do you go there to do? Do you pray to seek answers or do you pray to give
direction? To find rest and peace in prayer, we must realize that things
unfold as God would have them. Many times man has learned that greater
blessings often times come when our requests aren't granted. God does
hear our prayers and he comforts us through His Spirit - but he doesn't
change his mind. He wants us to pray like Jesus did, all the time and
seeking for His will to be done, not ours.
So why bother praying
at all. If God already has his plan and I can't change his mind, isn't
prayer a waste of time? That is not at all why we pray - to get our way
with things. Prayer does some very important things:
- It bonds and unites
us with God and it bonds believers together. When we pray together it
also causes us to commune together. It is an intimate way of connecting
with one another and with God.
- We find peace
being able to lay our problems and burdens at the feet of Jesus. Through
prayer we can give the problems to the one who has the control. Let
Him comfort us with His Spirit as he walks with us through his plan.
- It allows us to
get in touch with what Jesus is doing in our lives so we know how to
get on board and respond.
- Prayer is the
best way to celebrate Jesus and to say thanks. It is the best way to
praise God and give him all the glory for his will and plan in our lives.
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