We’ve been studying how to pray for each other from Colossians 1:9-14. Prompted by our study, several questions have come up. Do my prayers really matter?  Can I change God’s mind about things and situations? How do I know I’m praying for the right things?  These are great questions that prompt us to dig deeper into the subject of prayer.

Starting with what we clearly know from Scripture, God is absolutely and perfectly sovereign, and nothing happens unless He decrees it (Lamentations 3:37; Proverbs 16:33; Amos 3:6). There is a seeming paradox (inherent contradiction) in prayer. If God works all things according to the counsel of His own will, why should we pray? First, because it is a command, and frankly, that is enough reason. But a deeper reason is that prayer is how we have a relationship with God, it is speaking to Him and listening to Him, spending time intentionally in His presence. In our prayers, God works out His sovereign will, often reveals His will to us, and aligns our hearts with His.

Can I change God’s mind? The short answer is no. “God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Numbers 23:19). But we don’t know God’s mind (Romans 11:33-36). Our prayers asking God to change things are part of a process God uses to align us with His will, reveal more of Himself to us, and open our eyes to His providential work. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16); remember Jonah and the Ninevites.

You may remember the acronym we use when teaching people to pray: Praise, Repentance, Ask, and Yield. Don’t skip the yield. It is possible to pray for the wrong things, like when Israel prayed for meat in the wilderness (Numbers 11), and later for a king (1 Samuel 8-9). We do make our requests known to God, and we need to be specific, but we also need to remember we are talking to a loving Father who knows best how to lead and work in His children’s lives.  He is absolutely trustworthy.

Father, teach us to pray. As you welcome us into your presence in prayer, shape our hearts and our lives according to Your glory. We depend on You!

Marty