He tells Moses (the mediator he has raised up) that he intends to destroy his people, and then relents when that mediator pleads for mercy on the basis of what he has already promised. How does a sovereign and personal God who dwells outside of time, relate to a sinful people with whom he has made a covenant? Exactly like the LORD in Exodus 32. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we come to God on the basis of Jesus’ accomplishment. Prayer confesses, God can handle it, and since he can, I have hope. In James 5:13-15, it says: Is anyone among you suffering Let him pray. Scripture makes it clear that prayer changes things. Scripture is clear that God wants us to pray and that he really and truly does respond to our prayers. We are never without hope because we are never without prayer. Prayer Changes Things But in another sense, prayer really does make things happen. He makes three key reflections which we must hold together: Prayer Changes Things - December 29, 2020. I’ve been dwelling on this question, and I’ve found Don Carson’s talk (see below) very helpful. And whether or not God wipes out all his people (except for Moses), is surely not one of the little decisions of life. Is it not true then that God has determined everything? Has he perhaps determined the big things of history, but left the little decisions up to the actions and prayers of man?īut surely the big things of history are always the result of lots of little decisions. In Exodus 32, God changes his mind in response to Moses prayer, which seems to show pretty clearly that it’s worth praying! ‘Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.’ Exodus 32:14. Through our prayers, God accomplishes His purposes.If God has determined everything, what is the point of praying? We know that as we pray according to His will, He says yes to our requests. We do not know God’s eternal, sovereign plan in all its details, but we do know that He works through prayer and answers prayer. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Yet, although prayer does not actually change God’s mind, prayer does change things. 6:8), and He does not alter His eternal, sovereign plan simply on our say-so. The Father knows what we need before we ask (Matt. Elijah did not give the Lord new information or act in a way that God did not anticipate. None of this should be taken to mean that our prayers actually change God’s mind. Jesus said Matthew 17. Both God’s sovereign determination and the prayers of Elijah brought about the result because God ordained the drought and its end as well as that it would be accomplished through the prayers of Elijah. Why did the drought start and end? Because God ordained that it would, and because Elijah prayed for such things. But from the same narrative, as well as James 5:16–18, we also know that the drought and its end occurred as a result of Elijah’s prayers. He understood exactly what we were going through, He cared, and He knew what was best for a vast plan I couldn’t see. When our daughter was ill prayer became a vital lifeline to Jesus. We are changed by the humble act of bowing before Deity and within that context offering all to Him. Because God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, we know that He ordained the drought that plagued Israel in the days of Ahab, as well as the end of the drought (1 Kings 17:1–7 18:41–46). Prayer moves us into a closer relationship with the Father. We see an illustration of this in today’s passage. In the case of prayer, we know that God has ordained that He will make certain things happen in response to our intercession. For example, He has not only ordained that the gospel will go forth to all nations, but He has ordained that the gospel will go forth through the means of the Great Commission as the church makes disciples of all nations (Matt. That is, our Creator has determined what will happen as well as the means that will make happen what He has determined will happen.
The simplest answer is that God ordains both the ends and the means.
PRAYER CHANGES THINGS HOW TO
This series of messages on prayer will help us to learn how to pray prayers that will change lives. That is a statement that many of us are familiar with. 1:11), why should we pray? If God already knows what is going to happen and, indeed, if He has already determined what will happen, what is the point of praying at all? HOW TO PRAY TO CHANGE LIVES COLOSSIANS 1:9-14 Prayer Changes Things. In light of the fact that God is sovereign over all and has ordained whatsoever comes to pass according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. Concluding our short study on prayer today, we will consider one final matter that frequently arises when we talk about the subject.
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