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Prayer in
Harmony with God
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Scripture
"Father, I
thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me,
but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that
they may believe that you sent me." John 11:41-42
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Study
The power of
prayer is really mind boggling. The very idea that we can
communicate with the one who created us is incredible. The fact
that God has told us that he will listen to us and answer our
prayers is even greater. But it also raises some important
questions.
Because God is
perfect, how is it that he is willing to do what we as imperfect
beings ask?
How can our
prayer influence God?
How can God be
moved by prayer to do something He otherwise wouldn’t do?
Jesus is our Mediator
Jesus now sits
now at the right hand of the Father and is our mediator between Him
and us. A good analogy would be that of a courtroom setting.
Because we do not know how to properly conduct ourselves in court,
we would need a lawyer. If the judge had already made up his mind
in a case, there would be no need for a lawyer and we could just
show up to hear the sentence.
We have no
right to come before God without Jesus as our representative. But
because we can go before Him, it means that not all things are
predetermined and we are simply waiting to hear the outcome. We do
not have the power to change God’s mind, but we have Christ who
speaks on our behalf to the Father. Without Christ, we have no
right to ask anything of God.
Prayer and God’s Nature
Can God make a
rock so big that he cannot move it?
God cannot
answer any prayer that goes against his nature. No matter what our
sincerity and belief that God will act we cannot influence him to go
against his own nature. But we also must understand who God is. By
asking for justice, it does not violate God’s love. By asking for
mercy, it does not violate God’s justice.
When we pray
and expect God to act we need to understand who God is. If God can
make a rock so big that he cannot move it, we need to understand
what his power is in creation. If God cannot make a rock so big
that he cannot move it, we need to understand what God’s power over
his creation is. If we ask for blessing we need to understand that
God’s blessing may come in many forms, from financial to good
health.
God will not
violate His character to answer our prayers. Nor will He change His
mind. However, He will respond according to His nature in a way
that he otherwise wouldn’t have responded had we not asked.
Adapted from
“With Christ in the School of Prayer” by Andrew Murray
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