An Outcry

In my reading this evening, I came across a scripture that gave me pause:

Genesis 18:20-21 - "And the Lord said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.""

Reading further, we discover that God looked for 10 good people in Sodom and Gomorrah and could not find that number. Abraham cried out and interceded for salvation of the cities and those within it, if only 10 righteous people could be found in those cities. God agreed in His mercy. But the condition was so severe that not even 10 people could be found who called on the name of the Lord. So God destroyed it all.

The Word says that this chain of events was kicked off by an "outcry" that was great. This word “outcry” in Hebrew literally means a distress signal or a cry of grief. A most sincere cry for help. God chose to honor the outcry. He took action and credited the outcry. "Because the outcry...is great..." He went to judge the accuracy of the outcry and found it to be valid. In response, God first purposed to have mercy, and then He brought justice.

So here's my question: Who was crying out?

Possible answers might include the righteous. Or those being abused and oppressed. Or Creation. Or angels stationed there.

I don't know if we can prove an answer, but I believe there are implications whatever the reality was (and is). Let us explore the possibilities: If angels cried out, then they are certainly crying out today, are they not?! We can say the same for Creation. We know that all of Creation groans and also anticipates the "children of God to be revealed" (Romans 8:19-22). Even the blood of Abel, after being murdered, cried out from the ground for justice and God heard and responded (Genesis 4:10-12). If it was the abused and oppressed crying out, then once again, we have the assurance that those cries are heard today. Consider that nearly all of the oppressed were not crying out to God specifically, for there were less than 10 godly people in the entirety of the cities. The implication here would be that God hears the cry of even the ungodly against injustice and sin. How much more does He attend to the cries of the righteous who call on Him by name!

This brings us to the final group whose cries might have been those cited by our Lord as reason for Him to respond with action: The righteous 9, or 8, or 1. Implications abound. What power in the cry of so few who cry to God! With what fervor they might have been crying out! In this, we once again affirm God's attentiveness to cries against injustice and sin, as well as the power God grants the prayer of those who call on His name.

           James 5:16b – “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

The overarching implication is this: Our God sees. Our God hears. Our God judges justly. Our God cares. And wherever injustice and sin abound, an outcry to God abounds. And wherever an outcry to God abounds, God's presence and power abounds. And wherever God's presence and power abounds, justice and righteousness will most certainly abound. Though we may endure heavy setbacks and the intense struggle against sin and injustice may seemingly carry us past our abilities to fight the good fight, victory is ours. Yes, victory is ours because victory belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and those who call on Christ belong to Him.

Praise our Lord who works for justice and righteousness on this earth and for eternity, and for His grace to save all who call on His name!

Some questions to think about:

In Genesis 18:20, who do you think was crying out and what made their cry so great?

Where do you see Sodom and Gomorrah today? (apply this on both micro and macro levels)

With whom do you most identify: Are you currently in a position more like Lot (living among the oppressed and threatened by that oppression)? Like Abraham (living away from the immediate oppression, but in a position of knowledge)? Like someone else?

Have you ever been discouraged by the oppression, sin, and injustice that you have become aware of? What does this passage speak to you about your situation?

When is it right to cry out for justice? When is it right to cry out for salvation (for the sinful oppressors)? Is it possible to cry out for both at the same time?

What is your specific role in this today?

Take Action! Consider these 3 ways:

     1.Join me in the fight: www.AsOurOwn.org/takeaction

     2.Join the discussion by sharing this post or commenting below.

     3.Join the outcry and lift up prayers of intercession in the name of Christ today.

A Call to Fast & Pray

Friends and family,

This coming week is special. For many people it will mean days with the family and celebrations. But for others, this week is special in a different way. This coming holiday week is one of the busiest for brothels here in India. Similar to American events like the Super Bowl and the associated increase in sex-trafficking there every year, this coming week brings a much larger volume of customers to the brothels.

This means more women working longer hours throughout the days and nights to satisfy the insatiable demand. This also means more children who are exposed to these environments having their senses assailed by the activities occurring in the next room, or as is unfortunately common, directly above them, as they try to sleep under the bed of their mother.

The threats to these children are clear: 95% become 2nd generation commercial sex workers. But the threat doesn't end there. Even for those who can be rescued or find another life, what their eyes see and ears hear can leave deep scars in need of healing.

These realities are hard to grapple with, and it is especially unnerving being so close to some of these places this week.  However, we are not powerless. Not even close.

This week, I am asking you to join me for a day of fasting and prayer of intercession for the vulnerable and defenseless. For those whose bodies are being used for destruction, and just as much, for the innocent little ones who will be threatened by being in the same place.

 

You see, without Christ, we are indeed powerless. But with Christ, our finite obedience and humble cries reach an infinite God. And in that, we have "the divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Cor 10:4) in Jesus name.

Please join me in fasting and praying specifically for the children currently forced to be in the brothels or other places of such darkness this week. Please intercede with me on their behalf for protection from physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual abuse.  Isaiah 59:16 - "God wondered that there was no intercessor" for the oppressed and vulnerable. Let God not wonder today. Let us stand as intercessors in the power of The Intercessor, Christ, to whom this passage in Isaiah refers.

I pray that Isaiah 58:6-9 brings you encouragement and guidance if you decide to fast this week:

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."

 

Thank you for your sacrifices for these children in the sight of God. May the God of all grace grant protection and salvation for the children in dark places this week and reward your faithfulness in Christ. Amen.

Pray It Through - Praying for a Sure Thing

When you’ve been praying for something, maybe for a long time or maybe just one day, and you get the news that your prayer is going to be answered in the near future, what is your response?

Praise and thanksgiving are very appropriate here. But what about more prayer for the thing that you already found out is a “sure thing?” And I’m not just talking about the word of a man saying it’s a sure thing, I’m talking about the Word of God Himself. Unfortunately, I have to confess that in that moment, my prayers often cease. What if instead our response was not only to continue to pray, but actually pressing the accelerator and diving into continual prayer and fasting? That doesn’t sound very logical, but it is the response of Daniel to the revelation of God’s promise for the Israelites in Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9:1-4a – “In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed…”

Notice first of all that the promise, the revelation, was discovered by sincere searching of the scriptures and an intimacy with God’s Word that Daniel certainly practiced (It earned him a trip to the lion’s den, as chapter 6 tells us that Daniel “got down on his knees and prayed” three times a day, even when it was forbidden.). The same will be true for us: if we are seeking a word from our God, if we are seeking direction, it will most often be found in the Bible. Daniel had one of those moments where you’re reading something that you’ve read before, but then suddenly it jumps off the page and you understand it like you never have before. Daniel suddenly understood the promise given in Jeremiah 29:10:

“This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.” (see also Jer 25:11-12)

Daniel was able to see that not only would the captivity last only 70 years, but the 70thyear was approaching! Suddenly excitement as freedom was near! When you see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is so close that you are only steps away (things like financial security, full health, marriage, children, freedom from addiction, or anything you’ve been longing for and can see is almost yours after waiting for so long), do you get fixated on being in that place you’ve been longing for or do you respond like Daniel and pray even harder for the promise, the “sure thing?” I want to challenge you and myself to respond as Daniel with renewed fervor, not lacking thanksgiving, to seek Him fully and pray it right through to completion.

But let’s make sure we understand the nature of Daniel’s prayer. If you haven’t read Daniel 9 recently, I encourage you to stop reading this and read it now (if you have only enough time to read either my blog or the Bible today, please read your Bible! It is the only pure truth that lasts and anything you read outside of the Bible should point you right back into it.).

Daniel’s prayer was of sincere, sweeping repentance. In addition to prayer and petition, he fasted. In addition to fasting, he put on sackcloth and ashes, a sign of grief and repentance. Grief and repentance in the face of a fulfilled promise? Yes, this is the response of a human heart pure before the Lord, recognizing our sinful nature, His perfection, and confessing in His presence in response and awe of a gracious, loving, powerful, sovereign God of justice who would relent for “[His] people who are called by [His] name” (v. 19).

Every single verse from 4 through 16 speaks of confession of sin and repentance. So we see revelation followed by a full repentance, as Daniel confesses personally and on behalf of the entire nation, for “all Israel has transgressed your law” (v. 11). Finally, Daniel makes an appeal to God for who he knows God to be in verses 17-19. This is an appeal to grace, mercy, and for the sake of God’s own name to be glorified, because the Israelites bear God’s name before all men and nations. Revelation and conviction, followed by thorough repentance (13 of the 19 verses here), followed by an appeal to God’s character--His face, not just His hands.

2 Chron 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

You see, Daniel was a man seeking much more than personal gain or the hands of God to bless him and his nation. Daniel had an intimate, dedicated relationship with God through His Word. We have the same Word of God in the Bible, and additionally, we know that through Jesus Christ, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Through the Word of God, most purely Jesus Christ in our lives, we too can have this intimate relationship with a pure, just God who is also loving and merciful such that He saves those who call out to Him through the name of His Son Jesus Christ.

2 Chron 7:14 speaks to repentance and seeking God’s face, and the promise that follows: restoration, both spiritual eternity and the physical present. It is interesting how much Daniel’s prayer models this promise, in that He spoke up on behalf of an entire nation “who are called by [God’s] name,” he offered repentance for the entire nation and sought God’s face on behalf of an entire nation, all of which are prerequisites to the promise of forgiveness of sin and actual healing of the land.

What I see in this prayer is a leader stepping up in intercession for His people. Boldly, powerfully, humbly, and purely. This is a leader well acquainted with God and His Word. A leader who answered to God alone and not men. A leader blessed by God to rise to this position for a time such as the one described in chapter 9. These are real leaders and the kind that we need to be seeking in America and across the world. What good is a leader who can provide one generation of wealth and prosperity? We would fall all over ourselves for a leader that could deliver on 4 years of prosperity, yet we struggle to find even that. Yet what future do we preserve for our families and our nation if even a full generation of prosperity can be promised and delivered, but no more? We need to stop being so short-sighted and see the eternal picture, or at least 2 or 3 generations past ourselves for starters. We need a leader who will seek God’s face. A leader who knows His Word. A leader that answers to God alone and not men. A leader who will be an intercessor to God for his people, through Jesus Christ the Supreme Intercessor.

Can you imagine what great works God would come and do in America if a Daniel became President of the United States? How about a Daniel that became the leader in your school, your church, your office, or your family? What might be started on this small level and propagated by the hand of God? I don’t believe we grasp the power and value God places on a sincere intercessor who seeks the heart of God and His face.

Isaiah 59:15-16 – “So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

“He wondered that there was no intercessor.” In the book of Isaiah, this speaks to the absence of men to intercede on the behalf of the defenseless, such that evil abounded; to intercede to God the Father on behalf of a sinful nation; and the inability for a man to properly intercede for the sins of any man, such that God Himself would have to become a man, live a perfect life, make the sacrifice of death that results from sin, conquer death on our behalf, then take His place at the right hand of the throne of God with a the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the only adequate intercessor on our behalf.

Do to this lack of an intercessor in the time of Isaiah, the Israelites would soon enter into the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. And with Daniel as an intercessor at this time, according to the promise given through Jeremiah, at 70 years, they would be delivered.Notice also that right at the very onset of Daniel’s prayer, God gave a command:

Daniel 9:21,23a - “…yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering… 23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved…””

An empowering truth and realization is that at the onset of our first words of prayer, God has already seen our heart and begins to act swiftly in our favor when we bear such an attitude as Daniel.

In view of all this, as we stand in the climate of our times, will you join me as an intercessor for our people? Will you search the scriptures with me for truth and receive God’s promises and revelations? Will you give yourself to sincere prayer and repentance, thoroughly and personally, as well as for our entire nation? Will you set out with me to seek God’s face, desiring an intimate knowledge of His very character? If so, we will be the leaders through which God will accomplish His every promise to be fulfilled in our lifetimes. And when we see the eminent fulfillment of God’s every promise, every personal small or large thing, or on a national or global scale, let's respond as Daniel responded, diving deeper into prayer.

God’s promises are a sure thing. Let’s pray them through to completion. I pray that we discern and seek leaders like Daniel and that we ourselves would be those leaders right where we are today. Amen.

(To see all posts for "Pray It Through," click here.)

Seeking God's Face - Church in the Park Message

I had the honor of once again providing the sermon for Church in the Park in downtown Houston last Saturday. Church in the Park is an outdoor service for the homeless and is open to all passersby. This message is about seeking God's face, drawing heavily on 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 and Zechariah 3:1-4.

The Response - National Prayer Gathering

Have you heard about The Response, a national prayer gathering being held in Houston, TX on Saturday, August 6th? I wasn’t 100% sure about it when I first heard, but with the American Family Association (AFA) and my church publicly behind it, I’m definitely going. If you’re not going to be in Houston on Saturday, Aug 6, you can actually still register and get involved in many ways: streaming live video of the event, pray at home, get together with your local church to pray on this day, signup to fast during the week, or signup for a daily prayer guide for the first week of August. Please check it out here: http://theresponseusa.com/

This might be the largest coordinated prayer effort I’ve ever been aware of. Not only the 62,000 prayer warriors in Reliant Stadium, but nationwide, especially with AFA behind it. In the book of Isaiah, God cited Israel as forsaking Him and failing to call on His name (Isaiah 43:22) and furthermore “wondered that there was no intercessor” (Isaiah 59:16) to plead for mercy and grace for a nation in greatest need of those two things. In this passage, Isaiah points to Jesus as The Intercessor, but we as the body of Christ are also to be intercessors right here, right now. This is an opportunity to be lifted from the same allegations brought against Israel, such that God will not wonder “that there was no intercessor” but will instead be pleased by those who sought Him with their whole heart and therefore He is found by them (Jeremiah 29:13).

Isaiah 59:1-4, 15b-16 –

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.

4 No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity…

…Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

Within the church community, we often hear Jeremiah 29:11 quoted and I love it, but verses 12-13 are just as important:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 – “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

When I read the book of Isaiah, I cannot help but see the stark reality that the words do not just describe Israel in the time of Isaiah...they are absolutely a description of the United States of America today. Think about these parallels that we in the U.S. have with Israel: a nation established by God, founded on the Bible and God's principles; a nation that has borne fruit for God's kingdom; a nation that has taken an egregious moral wrong turn, embracing greed, lust, deception, selfishness, and idolatry of all forms; justice and truth have become relative terms instead of absolutes based upon God's holy, righteous standard; a nation that has become prideful and forgotten to give glory to God for our successes. What is chilling is what happens to such a nation, as described by Isaiah: it is torn down and sent into captivity for 70 years. I am going to tell you without any reservation, because this is not far-fetched whatsoever, but is simply the obvious truth as a student of God and his ways with His people and nations that He establishes--if our nation does not repent, cry out to God for mercy and grace, and commit ourselves as individuals and as a people to seeking the Lord first, forsaking and abolishing all of the moral decay that we have embraced as a culture, we as the United States of America will also fall, cease to exist, and become slaves to a foreign nation that hates our God and persecutes us for it.

Isaiah 43:22-28 -

"But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;
And you have been weary of Me, O Israel.
23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities.
25 “ I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be acquitted.
27 Your first father sinned,
And your mediators have transgressed against Me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;
I will give Jacob to the curse,
And Israel to reproaches."

I am struck by the contrast displayed in this passage. In the same passage, God proclaims two seemingly opposite things: punishment and salvation. He assures wayward Israel that they will have both. How is this possible? Perhaps punishment by hard earthly circumstances is actually the path to salvation...perhaps that is the only way that a rebellious heart can be humbled and confess the need of a Savior. Verse 25 assures us that in the moment we call upon Jesus, our Savior and Intercessor, our sins are blotted out and we are restored to God. In fact, the preceding 21 verses of this chapter are amazing, offering encouragement and the description and assurance of full redemption for God's people.

The following verses in chapter 1 speak to the future of a nation such as wayward Israel and the U.S.:

Isaiah 1:21-28 -

"21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,

“ Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
And take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. "

The message in its entirety is clear then, that the wayward nation will be punished, and just as gold is refined in the fire, so are God's people. Even if only a remnant remains faithful, they come forth as pure gold. Let's repent now, and spare our nation. Let's cry out in intercession now, with all sincerity, such that God's ear is inclined to move in favor of us and re-establish us as His people. Repent now and fulfill His greatest will, or face the fire, being purified by the trial, such that a smaller remnant remains. We the people have the choice, and we must make that choice right now. Will you pray with us? Will you speak truth publicly, such that evil is exposed and the Gospel is proclaimed? Will you intercede for a nation on the brink of utter captivity--spiritual first, and then physical? If the worst happens, will you be the remnant, purified by the fire instead of burned away for eternity? I pray that you can answer confidently affirmative to each of those questions.

As for The Response prayer gathering, our nation needs this. Our families need this. We need this. God desires this. Let’s stand together and do this! My prayer is that this isn't just a one day or one week event, but that instead it is simply the kickoff of a prayer revolution in our nation and world. Let's first commit to focused prayer time in the coming week for our nation. Let's next commit to this being our new lifestyle--one of sincere prayer and intercession. May the God of all grace and comfort, of all holiness and justice, of all righteous wrath and chastening of those whom He loves, of all sovereignty and power, the God of our salvation and our Redeemer, our hope and our strength, our Counselor and Intercessor, be glorified in all that we do from this day forward, forever. Amen.

Pray It Through - Changing God's Mind?

I had a very theologically stimulating conversation with a close friend the other night. We were discussing the purpose of prayer and its results. The concept of “changing God’s mind” was brought forth. Through study of some books by prestigious theologians, he was leaning toward the side that says “prayer can actually change God’s mind and change world events.” At the beginning of the conversation, my reply was that prayer absolutely changes world events—but does that take place because God truly changed His mind or because we took the action that allowed the realization of His greatest will, instead of disobedience? I did not know the answer to these questions, and I still may not, but I feel that my understanding has grown towards the revelation of these answers and I would like to encourage you to engage in your own Spirit-led thoughts as you consider mine below.

“God changed His mind” In the Bible

Consider Moses. We read the following in Exodus 32:19-14, in response to the Israelites' construction of the golden calf, an offense punishable by death:

“'I have seen these people,’ the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (NIV)

The word “relent” in verse 14 is translated in a minority of English texts as “changed His mind.” The Hebrew word here is “nacham,” in the Niphal tense, which blueletterbible.com defines as follows:

נָחַם (nacham)

1) to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted

a) (Niphal)

1) to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion

2) to be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent

3) to comfort oneself, be comforted

4) to comfort oneself, ease oneself

(Note: When you read “changed His mind” in the NLT, NAS, or other version, “nacham” is likely the original language.)

So we see that God was moved to compassion by Moses’ intercession and it did absolutely change what would have occurred, had the intercession not taken place. But did God’s mind change, or was His preferred will for Moses to step up as an intercessor fulfilled by Moses’ prayer? Perhaps the jury is still out in this discussion, but I find the explanation offered in the previous sentences to line up much more harmoniously with the rest of the Bible than the belief that God actually did any changing of His mind, at least in the way that we experience the changing of our own minds—which is to be persuaded unto different thought or action. Was God persuaded here or had He already willed this and honored a prayer within His will?

Practical Importance of the Matter

As my conversation with my friend continued, we began to realize a few things: that our minds were not entirely made up and were open to further “proof” that may be brought forth, that in this moment we differed in our opinions, and most importantly that we absolutely agreed upon the following things: Regardless of whether God is actually changing His mind, it doesn’t alter the fact that prayer works—things in this world change because of and in response to our prayers. The overarching point became less about why God honors prayer (changing His mind or otherwise) but that the answer to that question does not dictate whether or not I pray—we pray because of the following:

1. It brings me closer to God in a loving relationship, and that would be sufficient enough reason to pray even if it availed no impact on the world.

2. When we pray, it does change things.

Addressing point #2 above: When we pray, it does change things.

However, let me very quickly point out that I don’t believe a correct attitude in prayer is to convince God of anything, or to persuade Him. This is hard to grasp because in our interaction with humans, when we speak passionately about something, we perceive the opportunity to spread our point of view, whether by enlightenment, argument, conviction, or otherwise. Even those of us who are the least logical-minded, when we converse, we understand the necessity of satisfying another individual with our words such that our point of view or our desires are accepted and even chosen. So when we pray to a sovereign, holy, all-powerful God, we tend to approach Him in the same way. He understands that—He made us. Nevertheless, do you really want to project your imperfect thoughts and plans onto a perfect God such that they come to fruition? Any thoughts that we have are either in error, whether completely or just slightly, or they are born of God and are perfect. Therefore, we cannot convince Him or bring a plan to Him that is any better than the one He already prefers. We can only come in agreement, be strengthened in our concurrence, and be empowered to go and live out the purpose that God prefers. In that moment, we have taken part in an important transaction that God allows through free-will…and life events change.

Human Observation and Understanding of Cause and Effect

To illustrate our human view of prayer and events versus God’s perspective, consider a car on the street of a highly populated city. We have the view of the driver of the car. We see the immediate landscape in front of us and have a general sense of where we might like to go and how it might be best to get there. God, however, is above the city in something such as a blimp, seeing your very car, where He desires you to go, and the best way to get there. We often go long periods trying to navigate on our own intuition, following the same mistakes of men before us and around us from whom we have learned worldly wisdom. One day, we realize we have a GPS, or a phone line to the overhead blimp (prayer). We ask the GPS or blimp (God) to help us with the direction or to get to a specific destination. What we observe is that our asking led to a change: turn here, go there, the light turned green or another red light. Even when we recognize His hand guiding us, we might be tempted to say in our limited point of view that our prayer actually changed those things and even changed the mind of God. But in reality, God already saw all and knew all, and He would not have guided you in a way that was not within His will. Therefore, we were right that our prayers changed things—we received the right direction as a result of contacting Him. But we were probably wrong in thinking that our prayer actually changed the mind of God—instead, it merely allowed us to interact with God such that His desires were fulfilled, in a way that they weren’t fulfilled apart from our prayer. How important that prayer was! Even if in the beginning we were asking to go 180 degrees opposite of His will. Because when we began to realize the general direction He was guiding us and we continued to pray for direction and for change, we began to walk within His will. None of this would have happened without the prayer.

So prayer is absolutely necessary and vital to God’s will, but it does not change it. I encourage and implore you: pray any matter on your heart to God continually until your heart has been changed or the thing comes to fruition, being open to either, having faith in God and His perfect love. In either case, through prayer, God’s will has been realized.

The Product of Free-Will

Another amazing part of this discussion is the fact that we get to take part in such things and are given free-will. Free-will allows us to make choices. If we have the ability to choose God, then we have the ability to reject Him. There is not one possibility without the other. The possibility of rejecting God opens the door to the amazing relationship of choosing Him—and this is love (agape)! God is sovereign and ruler of all. And in that sovereignty, He by all means has the right to make the choice to limit His control and allow free-will. Please do not misinterpret my words and call this a heresy. This makes God no less sovereign—in fact, it puts an exclamation point on His sovereignty, coupled with His patience and love—that He would purposefully step back ever so slightly from controlling all decisions and actions at all times, such that we would have the capacity to make choices…and in that, have the capacity to love. Otherwise, we are just robots. But since God is love (1 John 4:8), then God is a choice-maker. And by making us in His image, He has made us choice-makers capable of love. This is His design and He looks at this creation and calls it good (Gen 1:31).

So when the world hangs in the balance—our individual worlds or the entire earth—consider prayer. Pray the matter through to completion, knowing that your prayer does matter. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b). This is because it aligns us with God. This is because it changes our hearts. This is because God willingly gives us this power of Himself to choose and make changes in this world. This is because the angels respond to the word of God and the righteous prayers of His saints. This is because of the power and value God gives an intercessor.

God’s Design: Intercessor

Isaiah 59:15b-16: “Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

God has an almost peculiar affinity to intercession. We read in Isaiah that God “wondered that there was no intercessor” to plead the case of the terribly sinful Israelites, such that they might be spared the punishment and wrath of God. If the presence of an intercessor didn’t matter, the role would not have been mentioned. In the example of Moses and his prayers (discussions with God), he was the sole intercessor and God honored that.

To God and to us, an intercessor means everything. This is because the ultimate prophecy of Isaiah 59 is Jesus Christ as the ultimate intercessor to our Father in Heaven, such that we might be spared His wrath and instead receive eternal life (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1). The reason that John 3:16 is true—that through the love of God and by belief in Jesus we can be spared eternal death and instead have eternal life—is because when we call on Jesus for who He is, He intercedes to the Father on our behalf. In doing so, we are imparted the Holy Spirit, who cries out “Abba, Father” for us (Gal 4:6-7). If instead in the last day, Jesus says, “Depart from me, I never knew you,” we are damned because of our sin and the lack of righteous intercession (Matt 7:21-23).

So we see that a great component of the power of prayer is God’s value of intercession. In intercession, we agree with Christ for simultaneous grace and justice—a favorable outcome for us through Christ alone—and He responds in a very real way. He responds in eternally saving those interceded for, and He even responds by changing physical circumstances in the lives of those for whom intercession has been made. All within His will, of course. If in my human emotion of anger, I was so zealous to call fire from Heaven down upon the man who just cut me off on the highway, I highly doubt that God would honor that request. If God is pursuing that driver to be His child, then I just prayed outside His will and the Holy Spirit is grieved by that disharmony (Eph 4:30-32). But if instead I pray in sincerity that my co-worker who denies Christ would be saved by faith, and I pray in fervent faith, I know that the Lord will honor that prayer. Simply because God responds to holy intercession, none greater than Christ Jesus.

Conclusions

Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that “God changes His mind,” it becomes a little less relevant and doesn’t change these facts: Prayer does change specific physical things on this earth that are within God’s will. These physical things are changed because of their spiritual impact. Why this is true can likely be summed up by God’s gift of free-will and our capacity to choose and love Him, as well as each other. We should pray to seek God’s face (intimacy, seeking Him for Him alone) and not just His hands, and in a deep relationship, that would be enough. But beyond that, God desires that we are empowered and approach Him with confidence, knowing that He responds to our prayers and changes the world through us for His glory. I challenge you therefore, to approach prayer with the following motives:

1. Seeking God’s face (intimate relationship of knowing Him for the sake of knowing Him alone)

2. As a natural outflow of your love for Him

3. As an intercessor for your fellow man and God’s glory

4. As a subordinate to a sovereign God who has given you this responsibility and privilege

5. To test your desires and be transformed

6. To alter the world forever, making change for God’s preferred will and glory

What would the world look like if we all stepped up with these attitudes in sincere prayer? I don’t know fully, but I do know that it would look differently, for the better, and for God’s glory. I’m making a recommitment to prayer with full confidence of God’s power through it. I’m making a recommitment to prayer to bask in the full loving relationship with a loving God. Will you join me, be changed for good forever, and change this world for good forever? It is my prayer that you do. Amen.