Does it really make any difference if I pray?
"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matt. 6:9-10
I've been thinking lately about the whole concept of prayer. And while doing this, I was reminded of a magazine article I read a while ago (don't recall which magazine offhand) about some scientists and researchers who conducted a study on the effectiveness of prayer. They apparently came to the conclusion that you couldn't scientifically prove that prayer actually works. Duh! Really?
Anyway, it does bring up something that a lot of the faithful do wonder about...that is, do my prayers really matter? I mean, if God's will is going to be done anyway, does it really make a difference if I pray? And, if He knows my needs before I even ask, why do I still need to ask? And by their actions, you might conclude that many Christian's answer to these questions would be in the negative. For if we really thought that prayer did indeed make a difference, we would pray about everything! But most believers admitedly don't pray like this. My desire here in this blog is to share some thoughts that will hopefully motivate you to pray more.
Part of the problem that I see is that we're confused about our relationship with God in the outworkings of His eternal plan. While we know that God's will indeed will be done and His ultimate plan cannot be thwarted, we can, if we're not careful, begin to at least subconsciously adopt a Christian version of a que sera sera, whatever will be will be..." attitude. I contend that this rather fatalistic view is not taught in the Bible, nor do I believe that God wants us to believe that our prayers don't matter.
Now, there are certainly other reasons that we don't get our requests answered. One notable reason is that we are praying contrary to God's will and, really, contrary to our own best interests. Other reasons would be that prayer is for us, to help us come into a better understanding of God's will for something, or to cast our anxieties upon Him, to find peace that passes all understanding. Another obvious reason to pray is to commune with God, to draw near, for no other reason than to spend time with Him and grow in grace. I do not want to discount those important reasons nor do I wish to minimize their purpose in prayer. But I also believe that there is much more to prayer than this, and so it's imperative that believers understand this so we can work more effectively in the Kingdom.
First, we need to remember that the Bible does indeed tell us to pray. In fact, we are to told to pray without ceasing (I Thess.5:17) and if it were not so, Jesus would've told us to pray, even to be persistent in our asking. In Matt.7:7 (NLT version), “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Of course,we also know that Jesus prayed constantly during His earthly ministry and now, we see in Romans 8 and Hebrews 7, that both the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us before God (to "intercede" literally means to meet, to stand up for someone else). So,prayer and intercession are obviously important to God!
That our prayers really matter is the underlying principle Jesus is teaching in the so-called "Lord's Prayer" in Matt.6:9-13. We notice three things right up front about this prayer:
First, that we address God as our Father...He's our Father! This speaks of intimacy and special priviledge. Because of faith in Jesus' Blood shed on the Cross for us, we have access to our heavenly Father, the Giver of all good things. He is someone we can approach with confidence, and where we can find grace and help in time of need (Heb.4:16)
Second, hallowed be Your name...we worship Him as God alone, acknowledging the exceeding glory of His holiness. That He is our only source and supply. That we put no other gods before Him nor do we look to any one else to get our needs met.
Third, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We invite God's rule, His activities into our lives here on the earth. The rest of the prayer deals with doing exactly this in our everyday lives.
Now, before I go further, let me say that God doesn't need to do this. But, for His own reasons, He chooses to include us in His affairs. And let me also say that this does not diminish His sovereignty in any way. In fact, it's part of it! Also, it doesn't mean we can get whatever we want if we pray. The key to this, and to prayer in general, is that prayer is connected somehow with God's will being released on the earth as it's already done in heaven. And if it didn't matter if we prayed for His will to be done on earth, Jesus' instructions here would be absolutely pointless.
Here's what Andrew Murray said about prayer..."God's giving is inseparably connected to our asking...only by intercession can that power be brought down from heaven, which will enable the Church to conquer the world."
Now, before you say that this is heresy, consider this...
God sent Israel into captivity because there was no one to intercede for them..."So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." Ezek.22:30. Therefore, Israel had to be put in God's furnace of affliction for 70 years because no one was praying or interceding.
This begs the question...what if someone would've "stood in the gap" and prayed for them? Would the outcome have been different? The answer can only be, yes, otherwise God would not have said so. This doesn't change His foreknowledge of Israel's future, or His ultimate will, but only how He waits for men to partner with Him through prayer and intercession in order to effect outcomes.
Still not convinced? Then consider these examples...
Abraham saves Lot from destruction by interceding with God when He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18)
Moses intercedes for Israel when God was determined to totally destroy them and start over while they were in the wilderness because they refused to enter the Promised Land (Num.14).
Daniel prays for God's will to be done after finding out that the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years, was about to come to an end (see Daniel 9:1-3).
The question is, what would've happened in just these few examples, if no one had set their hearts to pray or to intercede? You can't say that these situations would've still turned out the same. Certainly, Lot would've died in Sodom, Israel would've perished in the wilderness, and at least there's a possibility that the outcome of Israel's return from captivity would've been different too. You can only rightfully say that God foreknew what they would do and planned for it in advance. But either way, from our perspective at least, it makes a huge difference whether we pray or not. Whether we choose to cooperate with God's plan for our generation.
Let me close with this...that God is more amazing than we can imagine! Now, there's nothing surprising or revelatory about that statement, but it's much more than that. While He knows the end from the beginning, and He establishes our way, and His plan cannot be thwarted, yet...He waits for us to ask, to knock, to seek...to release His will upon the earth. That is mind-boggling! Do you realize what this means, mighty saint of God? It means that we have a part to play in history and what we do does make a difference! And like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, and those faithful who have gone before us, we can partner with God...as His friend...Who, as we draw near and abide in Him, tells us His secret things (Gen.18:17-19:Psalm 25:14; John 15:7-8) in order to execute His plan and purposes and, thus, glorify His name on the earth!
I hope that you will pray and seek His face. And may His will indeed be done in you, and me, as it is done in heaven. Amen.
I've been thinking lately about the whole concept of prayer. And while doing this, I was reminded of a magazine article I read a while ago (don't recall which magazine offhand) about some scientists and researchers who conducted a study on the effectiveness of prayer. They apparently came to the conclusion that you couldn't scientifically prove that prayer actually works. Duh! Really?
Anyway, it does bring up something that a lot of the faithful do wonder about...that is, do my prayers really matter? I mean, if God's will is going to be done anyway, does it really make a difference if I pray? And, if He knows my needs before I even ask, why do I still need to ask? And by their actions, you might conclude that many Christian's answer to these questions would be in the negative. For if we really thought that prayer did indeed make a difference, we would pray about everything! But most believers admitedly don't pray like this. My desire here in this blog is to share some thoughts that will hopefully motivate you to pray more.
Part of the problem that I see is that we're confused about our relationship with God in the outworkings of His eternal plan. While we know that God's will indeed will be done and His ultimate plan cannot be thwarted, we can, if we're not careful, begin to at least subconsciously adopt a Christian version of a que sera sera, whatever will be will be..." attitude. I contend that this rather fatalistic view is not taught in the Bible, nor do I believe that God wants us to believe that our prayers don't matter.
Now, there are certainly other reasons that we don't get our requests answered. One notable reason is that we are praying contrary to God's will and, really, contrary to our own best interests. Other reasons would be that prayer is for us, to help us come into a better understanding of God's will for something, or to cast our anxieties upon Him, to find peace that passes all understanding. Another obvious reason to pray is to commune with God, to draw near, for no other reason than to spend time with Him and grow in grace. I do not want to discount those important reasons nor do I wish to minimize their purpose in prayer. But I also believe that there is much more to prayer than this, and so it's imperative that believers understand this so we can work more effectively in the Kingdom.
First, we need to remember that the Bible does indeed tell us to pray. In fact, we are to told to pray without ceasing (I Thess.5:17) and if it were not so, Jesus would've told us to pray, even to be persistent in our asking. In Matt.7:7 (NLT version), “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Of course,we also know that Jesus prayed constantly during His earthly ministry and now, we see in Romans 8 and Hebrews 7, that both the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us before God (to "intercede" literally means to meet, to stand up for someone else). So,prayer and intercession are obviously important to God!
That our prayers really matter is the underlying principle Jesus is teaching in the so-called "Lord's Prayer" in Matt.6:9-13. We notice three things right up front about this prayer:
First, that we address God as our Father...He's our Father! This speaks of intimacy and special priviledge. Because of faith in Jesus' Blood shed on the Cross for us, we have access to our heavenly Father, the Giver of all good things. He is someone we can approach with confidence, and where we can find grace and help in time of need (Heb.4:16)
Second, hallowed be Your name...we worship Him as God alone, acknowledging the exceeding glory of His holiness. That He is our only source and supply. That we put no other gods before Him nor do we look to any one else to get our needs met.
Third, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We invite God's rule, His activities into our lives here on the earth. The rest of the prayer deals with doing exactly this in our everyday lives.
Now, before I go further, let me say that God doesn't need to do this. But, for His own reasons, He chooses to include us in His affairs. And let me also say that this does not diminish His sovereignty in any way. In fact, it's part of it! Also, it doesn't mean we can get whatever we want if we pray. The key to this, and to prayer in general, is that prayer is connected somehow with God's will being released on the earth as it's already done in heaven. And if it didn't matter if we prayed for His will to be done on earth, Jesus' instructions here would be absolutely pointless.
Here's what Andrew Murray said about prayer..."God's giving is inseparably connected to our asking...only by intercession can that power be brought down from heaven, which will enable the Church to conquer the world."
Now, before you say that this is heresy, consider this...
God sent Israel into captivity because there was no one to intercede for them..."So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." Ezek.22:30. Therefore, Israel had to be put in God's furnace of affliction for 70 years because no one was praying or interceding.
This begs the question...what if someone would've "stood in the gap" and prayed for them? Would the outcome have been different? The answer can only be, yes, otherwise God would not have said so. This doesn't change His foreknowledge of Israel's future, or His ultimate will, but only how He waits for men to partner with Him through prayer and intercession in order to effect outcomes.
Still not convinced? Then consider these examples...
Abraham saves Lot from destruction by interceding with God when He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18)
Moses intercedes for Israel when God was determined to totally destroy them and start over while they were in the wilderness because they refused to enter the Promised Land (Num.14).
Daniel prays for God's will to be done after finding out that the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years, was about to come to an end (see Daniel 9:1-3).
The question is, what would've happened in just these few examples, if no one had set their hearts to pray or to intercede? You can't say that these situations would've still turned out the same. Certainly, Lot would've died in Sodom, Israel would've perished in the wilderness, and at least there's a possibility that the outcome of Israel's return from captivity would've been different too. You can only rightfully say that God foreknew what they would do and planned for it in advance. But either way, from our perspective at least, it makes a huge difference whether we pray or not. Whether we choose to cooperate with God's plan for our generation.
Let me close with this...that God is more amazing than we can imagine! Now, there's nothing surprising or revelatory about that statement, but it's much more than that. While He knows the end from the beginning, and He establishes our way, and His plan cannot be thwarted, yet...He waits for us to ask, to knock, to seek...to release His will upon the earth. That is mind-boggling! Do you realize what this means, mighty saint of God? It means that we have a part to play in history and what we do does make a difference! And like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, and those faithful who have gone before us, we can partner with God...as His friend...Who, as we draw near and abide in Him, tells us His secret things (Gen.18:17-19:Psalm 25:14; John 15:7-8) in order to execute His plan and purposes and, thus, glorify His name on the earth!
I hope that you will pray and seek His face. And may His will indeed be done in you, and me, as it is done in heaven. Amen.
posted by Pastor Mel at 2:19 PM
6 Comments:
Pastor Mel - Thank you for this message. Being away from "home" it has become apparent that I do not pray as much as I should (or need to)!
You and me both, really. I don't think God wants us to feel guilty for not praying enough, but to encourage us to believe that it's worth the effort. He wants the very best for us and we can play a part in His workings on the earth. What a priveledge!
Thanks for stopping in! At least you're not far away from "home" here.
God bless,
Mel
Good word and encouragement to all of us. When my kids were young I use to tell them to talk to God just like they would talk to me. It was after a conversation my youngest had with God when I really understood myself what I meant! My son spent a good fifteen to twenty minutes explaing to God how to do a belly flop in the swimming pool! He explained to God every way you could possibly do one...he made the splash sounds and recreated the best jump to get the best splash!
Pray without ceasing...that was it. Everything we do, everything we dream or care about, everything we fear or dread...God hears the prayers of the righteous. He desires and cherishes relationship. He loves us!
Thanks for the reminder to pray. mark
P.S. Have you received the gift yet?!
Yes, Mark! I received the gift! Thank you. What a surprise! Did you clean out your closet or something? LOL!
Seriously, thanks for the package. I will listen to all the CD's. I hadn't heard of most of the artists, except Don Francisco, who was one of the first Christian atists I actually liked after getting saved back in 1978. (Most Christian music sounded kind of sappy to me at the time, except for people like Don Francisco and Keith Green.)
Btw, I was a full-time musician playing in bands in clubs and other places before I got saved, and I'm still involved in worship music now, so music has been, and still is, an important part of my life. And I always like to listen to Don! I look forward to hearing the others too.
And I will also wear the t-shirt proudly! :-)Thanks again.
God bless,
Mel
Glad you received it Mel, Though it came out of the closet...it came from the heart. I kinda started my career by playing at a retreat with Keith Green...it was all down hill from there! Seriously, I played, worked, and prayed, with many of the great artists throughout the years and thankful for what the Lord took me through....and also very thankful that he gave me back my first love...Baseball!
Keep up the great work, look up, and never look back! Blessings, mark
Yes, I know it came from your heart, and I receive it from the heart, too!
And, btw, this proves that baseball and music are totally connected. I wanted to be a major league pitcher when I was growing up. My friends and I lived, ate, and drank baseball! Even though I turned out to be an okay pitcher in high school, I knew I lacked the talent to go all the way. Then I found the guitar... See...they're connected. :-)
But that's cool you're following your dream. I have to say I love music a lot more than baseball now. And speaking of dreams, when we moved to this area, I took our boys to the original Field of Dreams, where the movie was shot in Iowa. (And I can still hear James Earl Jones's booming voice reverberating through the years..."baseball!")
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