Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Does Prayer Change God? or Me?

• Does Prayer Change God? - It is a very common belief that if men shower God with prayer for a particular request that the volume and sincerity of the prayers will move God to grant those petitions. Many look at Mark 11:  “... whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”, as scripture to justify their position. This verse certainly appears to say that if we have enough faith in God we can motivate Him to do as we request. It seems that if God does not answer our prayer it is because we do not have enough faith. We therefore have fallen short in some way and we need to strengthen our faith and continue in prayer to God. God would then listen and grant us our request when we come to Him filled with faith. This deceitful logic of man is based on the idea that God must wait upon man to come to Him with faith and only then can God act. These ideas suppose that man changes God and that more prayer by more people with more faith is the commodity that God requires to act upon prayer. Let us examine these ideas in light of the whole Bible. Considering these scriptures, is there anything — anything! — we can tell Him that He does not already know? Is there anything about our lives that He has not already thoroughly considered in light of what He wants to produce for our good?

Mark 11:23-24 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Isa 40:13-14 “Who hath directed the Spiriof the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”

Psa 139:1-7 “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?”

• Does Prayer Change Me? - God shows us many times that God changes man through prayer. God will respond to prayer that is according to His will. How can a man pray according to the will of God? How can a dead sinner become a saint that prays according to the will of God? This happens only by the sovereign act of God in salvation: “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation” (Psa 69:13). As the sinner prays to God for salvation, God changes the man, according to His will. He justifies them from all of their sins so they will not stand for judgment. He looses them from Satan’s power and draws them lovingly into His Kingdom. He disciplines, chastises, and pities His children, all to bring them into His glory and know His love. As God molds the man, the man more and more prays according to the will of God. God answers his prayers because they are according to the will of God. God does not stand by helplessly waiting for man, but works within man to the benefit of the saints and His own glory: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification...” (1 The 4:3). Once saved, God works sanctification in the man to produce the fruit of the Spirit. One of the most astonishing facts is that the Holy Spirit lives [indwells] within the believer and assists him or her as he or she prays: “... the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us... he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God...” (Rom 8:26-28). The Spirit of Christ, dwelling in the believer, prays to the Father of things that are beyond the understanding of man. God does not leave His people alone, He assists them with prayer.

Isa 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

Col 1:9 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;”

Jam 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed [Spiritual healing/Salvation] . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Dan 10:12 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.”

Rom 8:26-28 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

• Nevertheless, Not My Will, but Thine be Done - Although God knows our requests even before they enter our minds, we are to express them to our Heavenly Father: “O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry” (Psa 88:1). In doing so we realize afresh our absolute dependency on Him for every physical and spiritual need of ours: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” (Psa 73:25), and qualify all our petitions, with the very important statement (and attitude) “nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done”. We read of Jesus’ greatest prayer to the Father, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done”, that He spoke three times in the Garden of Gethsemane (which means the “winepress of God”) where He started to endure the wrath of God. All too often our attitude in prayer about something emphasizes what we feel is our or somebody else’s need rather than focusing on God’s will. Which is more important? what this perfect, great God considers from His perspective or what we desire from our position of nearly blind ignorance of what is really needed? The Lord’s Prayer is the model prayer, indicating that we should not pray with the idea that we are bringing something new to God. It also introduces the thought that the purpose of prayer is not to overcome God’s reluctance to answer and give but rather to lay hold of His willingness to help us toward His perspective, the fulfillment of His purpose, and into His Kingdom. The overall emphasis in our requests, then, must be inclined toward His purpose and will. Prayer is not to change God’s Will but rather to align ourselves with God’s Will.

Matt 6:7-8 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

• God’s Will concerns the Work of the Gospel in this World - The Father works eternal redemption for His children at the price of the life of His Son: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He brings salvation to the elect, judgment on the unsaved, and many other acts and purposes according to His eternal wisdom and counsel. Jesus is our example and we are to follow Him in all things. Christ labored in prayer before His Father: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he [Jesus] went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Fellowship with the Father was a supreme priority in the life of Christ: “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).  John 17 is the magnificent High Priestly prayer for His Children.

Heb 10:7-10 “Then said I [Lord Jesus Christ], Lo, I come(in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Heb 5:7 “Who [Jesus] in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;”

Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,”

John 6:39 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

• Pray Earnestly, Without Ceasing - We might recall that in I Kings 17:1, about the physical famine in Elijah’s day: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word”. This famine occurred in Israel when the wicked man Ahab who was married to the exceedingly wicked Jezebel was reigning over Israel. This famine continued for three years and six months. In Jam 5:16-18 we learn that the famine was brought by Elias, when he prayed earnestly: “... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit”. This verse makes the point that Elias was a sinner like you and me, yet it declares, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. Then the question is how was Elias found “righteous” in the eyes of God? Before salvation, there is none righteous, no not one. Neither Noah, nor Job, nor David, nor Moses, nor Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, nor Elias, nor anyone else in himself was righteous. The robe of Christ’s righteousness [given in Salvation] is absolutely needed in order for one to be found righteous. One can be made Righteous only “through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. God looks upon a person whom He has saved as “righteous” because his sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. God’s Spirit worked in Elijah and caused him to pray according to the Will of God, as a result of his salvation. May God grant His mercy and grace to mold and shape His people that they will pray according to the will of God, especially in these last days: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Pet 4:7). Focus of our earnest prayers should be on our Salvation and for the Salvation of family and friends and the spiritual needs, the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

Matt 6:31-33 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Luke 11:5-8 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

1 Thes 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. 17Pray without ceasing. 18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”