"The mind and heart of the God are vulnerable to the pleas and the arguments of human creatures"-- Patrick D Miller, They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994), p. 126
Does our prayer make God change his mind?Can our prayer cause a willingness in God to have a change of heart and turn God's anger to compassion?
What about the following bible verses?
Don't they show the trust Abraham had in regard to Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Moses in regard to the covenant people? Didn't God changed his mind because his people prayed?
So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. (Genesis 18:22 [Abraham Intercedes for Sodom], ESV)
Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down. (Numbers 11:2, ESV)
And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. (Numbers 21:7, ESV)
Most often in the Genesis narratives, people speak to God and God speaks to them in term outside of the confines of liturgical times and places. More formal prayers, in the form of seeking God's guidance, is uttered by Moses during the desert wandering in a special designated tent, but even there it is not the apparatus of sacrificial liturgy that legitimates prayer. Most likely, ancint Israel always retained the notion that God could be called on by the believer, any believer, in prayer (cf. thestory of Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10). Directness and bold speech marked in the Bible the imprecations directed to God.-- Johaanna W.H. van Wijk-Bos, Making Wise the Simple: The Torah in Christian Faith and Practice (Eerdmans, 2005), p. 51.Since the time of Abraham & Moses, God has been listening to the prayers of his people, he is also doing it now. "outside of the confines of liturgical times and places" shows us that we need not go to a church to pray to God. God is not only in the church. He is ominipresent & he can hear our prayers. The fact that God could be called on by the believer, any believer, in prayer give us comfort. We know that in times of distress, even when there is no one to pray for us, God is always there & He hears us.He is always there & He is willing to listen. We can always be assured. Amen!
7 comments:
great post! always wondered about this question too. I have another question for you...do you think God knows (before Moses prayed) that he would plead for Sodom and Gomorrah? If so, how can we still say that our prayer make God change his mind?
ps: i love your writing. can i ask if you could write for the Synod Youth Ministry blog as a contributor? please?
Hi Wilson,
Yes, God by his 'foreknowledge' (I would sometimes hesitate to use this word since God is not limited by time. Time is a created entity!There is no 'here' or 'there', 'then' & 'now' for God!!) knows (before Moses prayed) that he would plead for Sodom and Gomorrah. In a similar way, I would also sometimes hesitate to say God changed his mind, since God is not limited by time.
"If so, how can we still say that our prayer make God change his mind?" A good question!
I would give an analogy. For example, when a parent bring their child to Toys"R"Us, & the child looked at a toy intently, the parent would most probably know the child wants the toy. But the parent may not buy it for the child unless the child ask for it, & in a PROPER manner. No crying & shouting!! In this case, we have a "the parents know what the child wants", "the parents know the child would ask for it" but the "child can still change parent's mind" scenario.
Of course, this analogy is not very good as the knowledge of the parent is incomparable to that of God. ...but hope this analogy shows my point.
"write for the Synod Youth Ministry blog as a contributor? "....
Of course, if you dont' mind（嫌弃)the quality!
Shalom,
Ignatius
i agree with your analogy but it merely illustrates that God foreknew our prayer and pleas, but it does not show that nothing we do "changes" God's mind. That is my biggest struggle. i had a similar conversation with a fellow pastor a few months back. he even went as far as to say that our prayers "influence" God's mind. I seriously would not say such statements. My opinion is such that yes, God knows when and where and what we are to pray and it is true that he is waiting for us to pray before he acts, but nothing we can do changes God's mind. Everything is pre-destined by God. If we say that our prayers change God's mind, then it would imply that God had a different plan before and he did not know of it. it's a very fine line. allow me to also illustrate. i like the example used by miroslav volf in his book "free of charge" (great book by the way). he said that the two false images of God today is 1) God the Negotiator and 2) God the Santa Claus
1) For one thing, God doesn't need anything we have to offer. God can walk away from any proposition. Hpw can we ever negotiate when we don't have anything God wants?
In the same light, how can we ever change God's mind when He knows way before hand what we want to pray about? who are we to think that we CAN change God's mind?
please note that for me, it does not mean that just because God knows then we dun need to pray. i think you understand what i mean.
2) i think u know what God the Santa Claus would mean.
btw, i am going to start a theological reading book club once a month at my place soon. you keen to join?
i will send you the link soon so that you can contribute to the Synod Youth Ministry blog. thanks. dun be too controversial ah?
Thks for inviting, a theological reading book club, that will be interesting....!
My email is at the profile page. Do keep me updated!
As to the question of whether our prayers "influence" God's mind, I think it would be better if my reply to you is in a blog entry. It is not an easy topic that can be explained in a few words! ... too messy if placed in a comment section!
Do come back to this blog when you are free!I think it would probably be up in a few days' time. .... have to consolidate my thoughts, & make myself sound logical!
Ignatius
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