Every believer is supposed to continue always in prayer and Lord Jesus has promised to answer our prayers that we ask in His name so that the Father be glorified in the Son. Even then how many people really receive answers to their prayers? Since God has decreed everything in our lives beforehand, can our prayers change the mind of God and change the destined happenings?
The doctrine of predestination by God is definite, for God sends each person into the world with a purpose and not to just be born, live and die. The very fact that there are such a large number of people in the world, God sends others, each of us have a specific and definite role. King David praised God for this, ‘Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days which You fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them’ (Psalm 139:15-16). God had decreed everything for his life before his birth and all efforts of King Saul and his servants to kill David, failed.
‘Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers and they hated him even more’ (Genesis 37:5 & 20). As per his dream, his brothers and even his father would bow before him. He was sent by his father Jacob to go and check about the well being of his brothers. The brothers saw him from a distance, decided to kill him and cast him into a pit and say to their father, ‘some wild beast has devoured him’. They then said, ‘we shall see what will become of his dreams’. Joseph was sold as a slave, imprisoned on a false charge, but was found to be the only person who could interpret the dream of the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about seven years of severe famine after seven years of abundance. Pharaoh made him overseer over his kingdom as the most senior minister.
Joseph had been taught about the ways of the LORD God by Jacob and he could refuse the evil demands of his master Potiphar’s wife by saying, ‘How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ (Genesis 39:9). During all this period of suffering of about thirteen years, he would have meditated on his father’s teachings and prayed for a change in circumstances. ‘Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him, with their faces to the earth’ (Genesis 42:6). The actions of his brothers in no way could defeat the purpose of God for Joseph and his prayers brought in its fulfilment.
Cain killed his younger brother Abel in jealousy for God did not ‘respect’ his offering while that of Abel was accepted (Genesis 4:8-15). Though Cain tried to hide his sin from God, the All-knowing God declared the curse that would fall upon him for this. God said, ‘The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. So you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand’. At this Cain said/prayed to the LORD, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear…it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me’. God answered his prayer and put a mark on him, ‘lest anyone finding him should kill him’ and declared sevenfold vengeance on his killer.
Whether we realize or not, prayer is thirsting for God and the answers are received once our thirst matches the thirst of God for us. Since in prayer we are to open our hearts to the Almighty God, words without heart would have no meaning.
As per His routine, God still came to meet Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden even after their disobedience (Genesis 3:8). The biggest gift God gives mankind is the gift of Himself and prayer is the way to enlarge our heart to contain this most valuable gift and really value the same. The day after feeding the five thousand men, Lord Jesus was in the Synagogue in Capernaum and declared Himself to be the bread from heaven. The Jewish leaders who had come from Jerusalem to check on Him, asked Him, ‘What sign ill You perform then, that we may see and believe You?’ (John 6:30). They prayed long prayers with words but not from their hearts to receive the greatest gift of God to mankind, His only begotten Son as their Messiah. The Jews believe that being children of Abraham, they have an automatic entry into heaven and that Abraham rather watches over the gates of hell to ensure that ne Jew may enter there by mistake.
Lord Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead in answer to the prayers of his sisters and six days before the Passover, Lord Jesus was in Bethany in their house. Many of the Jews came to the house not only ‘for Jesus’ sake but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the Chief Priests plotted to kill Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus’ (John 12:9-11). God commanded Moses to anoint Aaron and his sons ‘that they may minister to Me as priests’ and this was to be ‘an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations’ (Exodus 40:13-15). The Chief Priests who were supposed to minister to God and be the link between God and the people were blinded to the truth about the Messiah due to their greed and arrogance. They not only failed to believe in the prophecies about the Messiah but also in the proofs of His works, for their prayers and worship was for self glorification rather than about God’s glory.
Lord Jesus taught the disciples about the power of their words in prayer. He told them that whoever says to this mountain, ‘be removed and be cast into the sea’ will see it happen, if he does not doubt in his heart (Mark 11:23-24). He further taught them, ‘whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’. God had decreed Joseph to be greater than his brothers and even in the worst of circumstances as a slave and in prison, he never doubted and diligently worked in whatever place he was. The person in-charge of the prison, where Joseph was held, ‘did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper’ (Genesis 39:23).
Prayer is the way to show our total dependence on the One we seek answers from and it is more about changing us from within to accept God’s will than about changing God’s mind. God will always create a way to ensure fulfilment of His plan at the right time, place and manner. God will not force His will on anyone and the Holy Spirit only points everyone in the right direction leaving the choice to us to follow or not. Without an earnest desire to do His will, we are bound to fail. Lord Jesus had chosen all the twelve disciples yet one of them turned to the devil to betray him (John 6:70). Judas believed in the Lord as the Redeemer but his belief, like most Jews of that time, was in the Messiah as a powerful leader who will set them free from Roman rule and establish His own kingdom. But God’s plan was declared by Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53) about the suffering Messiah. But it is true that ‘it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good purpose’ (Philippians 2:13). God answered the prayers of the Jewish people for their redemption but it was first from the slavery to sin and the devil. He answers our prayers not according to our demands but according to what is decreed for and best for us, though we may not realize it at that time.
How does prayer work in our lives? By not receiving an immediate answer to our prayers, most people try and find answers for the delay or refusal to the answer and that brings in the change in their lives. Once we see some of the reasons for no answer to our prayers, we will understand their effect on us. Apostle James, our Lord’s brother and head of the Jerusalem church, identified some reasons for our lack. First is lusting after things with no restraint (James 4:2) and second is wrong means of trying to obtain. He has said, ‘you murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war’ and these are ways of using violence to fulfil one’s desires that are not aligned to God’s ways.
The reasons of unanswered prayers and how we learn from that are – First, hesitation in asking, ‘You do not have because you do not ask’ and it could be a feeling of being undeserving due to past sins, feeling shame in asking, the asking being for an item of trivial or extraordinarily large nature or simply being unaware (James 4:2). Mary, our Lord’s mother, told Him about sudden and unexpected shortage of wine in the wedding feast in Cana, depending on His nature of caring for all sorts of needs of people and He miraculously provided the best quality wine (John 2:3).
Second, Wrong motives, when we ask for things for our pleasures and not needs, our prayers are unanswered by God (James 4:3). One of the major clauses of answering our prayers as set by Lord Jesus is, ‘that the Father may be glorified in the Son’ (John 14:13). Father gets the glory when our prayers are for defeating the designs/works of the devil, for the well being of others and for showing compassion to widows and orphans and that should be our aim in addition to seeking our own well being.
Three, not forgiving others, in the Old Testament an offering was brought before the LORD God for forgiveness of sin and receiving blessings. Lord Jesus, as Lamb of God has taken away the sin of mankind on Himself and reconciled us to God by making us His children through faith. Lord Jesus has commanded us to forgive others when they sin against you to receive forgiveness for our sin and failure to do so takes us away from God with no answer to prayers. It is therefore important to reconcile with others at the earliest and not let it linger.
Four, doubt, Apostle James has compared the one who doubts in prayer with the wave of the sea, sometimes touching shore and going back (James 1:6). The Apostle has encouraged us to seek others to pray for us for ‘the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective’ (James 5:16). Most people keep asking others to pray with little faith in receiving the answer.
Five, sin, The Scripture says, ‘God does not hear sinners’, but this is not an absolute statement that God will never hear a sinner’s prayer (John 9:31). The fact is, ‘if we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). We are redeemed but with a sinful nature and tend to ignore the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Better is to seek forgiveness regularly and seek strengthening by God to escape sinning.
Six, marital disputes – Every married couple has disagreements but when one party or both make that a cause for dominating the other, we sin. We are commanded to ‘treat your wife with understanding as you live together… Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered’ (1 Peter 3:7-9). A husband is commanded to love his own wife and love forgives.
Seven, lack of understanding –God commanded Joshua to meditate on the Word of God day and night to get enabled to follow His ways (Joshua 1:8). The blessing of this was ‘then you will make your life prosperous, and then you will have success’. Moses listed out various blessings to those who follow God’s Word and then a long list of curses to those who do not (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
Many people believe that the Old Testament is no longer relevant for a believer for the Lord has fulfilled all that. The two disciples were travelling from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the first Sunday after Lord Jesus’ crucifiction (Luke 24:27). The Risen Lord appeared to them and ‘beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself’. During His temptation by the devil in the wilderness Lord Jesus countered the lies of the devil by quoting the Scriptures (The Book of Deuteronomy) and not anything from Himself (Matthew 4:3-10), though He is the Word Incarnate. Anyone who refuses to meditate and follow what Apostle Paul has also taught is likely to miss out on God’s blessings. ‘All Scripture is God breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God (a believer) may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work’ ((2 Timothy 3:16-17). The more we learn and live the Word of God the more our prayers are answered for then we know God’s will and ask accordingly. The moment we start to live the way God desires, our prayers and our lives start impacting others and lead them to the Lord as their Redeemer.
Connection of fasting to prayer – The second time that Moses went up the Mount Sinai and was given the Ten Commandment written on stone tablets, ‘he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights, he neither ate bread nor drank water’ (Exodus 34:28-29). Though Moses himself was not aware, ‘the skin of his face shone’ for he had been in the presence of the LORD, though he did not eat anything. This was after the Israelites had made and worshipped the golden calf. Moses’ fasting was not to please God in some way but to surrender to the LORD God as leader of his people. After His Transfiguration, Lord Jesus healed the deaf and mute boy while the disciples had failed to drive out the evil spirit. The Redeemer answered the disciples to tell them the reason for their failure ‘unbelief’ and then said ‘this kind (the evil spirit) does not go out except by prayer and fasting’ (Matthew 17:20-21). Many have taken this to mean fasting being the key to victory but then that would be the result of our works and not of faith.
Haman used deceit to get a decree issued for extermination of all Jews living in the kingdom of king Ahasuerus. On being asked by Mordecai, her uncle to intercede for the Jews with the king, queen Esther feared for her life for no one could go to the king without being called and violation resulted in sure death. She then sent a word to Mordecai, ‘go gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days’ (Esther 4:13-17). She also fasted for three days and then was ready to go before the king ‘against the law; and if I perish, I perish’. Fasting on their part was to humbly submit themselves before The LORD God and seek His intervention. It was not their prayer but their submission that changed the situation completely. Fasting as a means will not help in prayer but fasting as way to place love of God above all else and submission to Him will help. God is loving and caring and He desires us to be free from wickedness, to remove heavy burdens, to free the oppressed, to feed the hungry and clothe the poor (Isaiah 58:6-7). A loving God desires expression of His love in our lives towards others so that we can be blessed with more to share more.
Our prayers are assessed by God as per our thoughts and desires and any evil and unbelief will cause rejection and no answers. Hw Divine Love is clearly manifested in our lives when we submit whole of ourselves before His throne. Through prayer we reach out to God who is ever ready to help and pull us out of our troubles and trials to safety of His presence. Thus prayer is submission to God and His will to seek its fulfilment in us.
