Does God Change?
Does God change His
purposes or His plans because men
pray? Is anything at all changed
because men desire to have them
changed? These are serious questions,
and they demand a serious answer.
It cannot be conceived
that God, who from eternity has had a
plan to which He is working, should
change that plan or purpose because
man wants it changed. “Like the
stars in the vast circuit of their
appointed path, God’s purposes
knows no haste and no delay.”
–The Desire of Ages, page 32.
“Above the distractions of the
earth He sits enthroned; all things
are open to His divine survey; and
from His great and clam eternity He
orders that which His providence see
best.” –The Ministry of
Healing, page, 417.
In view of these
statements, some will immediately
conclude that prayer does not and
cannot accomplish anything. If God
orders that which He see is best; If
His purposes know no haste or delay,
man can no more change God’s
purposes than he can change the stars
in their appointed path. Therefore,
what use is prayer?
It is clear that God
would not encourage us to pray and
promise to answer, if nothing was
accomplished by prayer. The statement
is clear: “The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.” James 5:16. Just what
does it avail?
In apostolic days,
prayer availed much. The lame were
healed; the blind had their sight
restored; the lepers were cleansed;
the paralytics had use of their limbs
restored; even the dead were raised.
Acts 3:1-8; Matthew 9:27-31; Luke
7:22, 12-15. In view of God’s
readiness to help us in answer to
prayer, we are exhorted to seek the
Lord while He may be found (Isaiah
55:6); to ask, seek, and know
(Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:90; to watch
and pray (Matthew 26:41); always to
pray (Luke 18:1); to pray that we may
be accounted worthy to escape (Luke
21:36); to pray with all prayer, and
supplication, and thanksgiving
(Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6); to
continue in prayer (Colossians 4:2);
to pray for all men (1 Timothy 2:1);
to pray everywhere (verse 8).
If we therefore were
asked if prayer changes God, we would
answer that prayer does not and is
not intended to cause any change in
God. His purpose is not changed.
There are times when He may have
alternate ways of working or may
permit a certain choice of procedure,
as in the case of David where He gave
him a choice of three kinds of
punishment because of his
transgression: seven years of famine;
three months of defeat in battle;
three days of pestilence. 2 Samuel
24:12-14; God’s purpose was not
changed though David repented; but
the king did have a choice of
punishment.
Men Are Changed
If we were asked if
prayer does not change anything we
would definitely assert that prayer
changes things, that prayer moves the
arm of Omnipotence, that prayer can
move mountains, clear away
difficulties, heal the sick, change
the entire course of a man’s
life, and even change history.
There are those who
believe-and Christians among
them-that prayer is primarily a means
of getting something out of God,
which He may hesitate to give, but
which persistent prayer will effect.
In support of this view they cite the
account of the unfortunate widow who
wearied the judge to the extent that
he at last gave her what she desired,
for no other reason that that she
annoyed him. Luke 18:1-8. In like
manner, they believe that if they
pray long enough, God will grant
their request. They forgot that the
parable was given not to show what
God is like, but what God is not
like. God does not give men what they
ask because they pray long.
Prayer is not
primarily to get from God what a man
wants, but rather to make man
satisfied with what he has. It is not
necessarily to relieve him from pain,
but to give him peace to bear it; it
is not to attempt to have God change
His mind, but to have man accept
God’s mind. Prayer is not an
endeavor to outline some plan of
action for God to follow, but to
ascertain what God’s plan is and
acquiesce in it; it is not to ask
that God’s will be changed,
but that God’s will be done. The
chief aim of prayer is for the
supplicant to come so completely into
harmony with God that God’s will
becomes his.
If the real purpose of
prayer is to bring a person into
harmony with God, what has thereby
been accomplished?
- The man is now
a partner with God and ready
to co-operate with Him in
whatever God wants done.
- His mind has
been taken from what he
prayed for to something
better. He has almost
forgotten what he was so
intent upon getting, and is
now occupied with what God
wants him to do.
- He has learned
what Paul did when he said,
“I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be
content.” Philippians
4:11.
- He has learned
to trust God fully, and has
discovered that answer to
prayer is not a problem to
him any more. All his
prayers are answered
according to the promise,
“What things so ever ye
desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye shall receive them,
and ye shall have them.”
Mark 11:24. A true Christian
will ask of God only that
which God wants him to have;
his will is God’s will,
and he asks that God’s
will be done; hence, whatever
he asks, he will get. He is
in close touch with God, and
sensitive to God’s will.
Prayer is that simple.
Learn to harmonize with God; attempt
to ascertain His will. As soon
as you have done this, your problem
is solved. You may then ask for
whatever you want, and expect to get
it; for you will want and ask only
for that which is in harmony with
God’s will, something He wants
you to have. You will in all
sincerity and simplicity inquire, as
did Paul, “Lord, what wilt Thou
have me to do?” Acts 9:6. In
addition, God will make plain what he
wants you to do. You will not
continually be imploring God to do your
will. You will leave the matter with
God and be content. Christ was so
sure that the believing supplicant
would receive a favorable answer to
his request that He could assure His
disciples, “If ye have faith,
and doubt not, ye shall not only do
this which is done to the fig tree,
but also if ye say to this mountain,
Be thou removed, and be thou cast in
to the sea; it shall be done. And all
things, whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall
receive.” Matthew 21:21,22.
Such answer to prayer
can be true only where the one who
prays is so completely in harmony
with God that his will and God’s
are one. It was on this principle
that Elijah declared, “As the
Lord God of Israel liveth, before
whom I stand, there shall not be dew
nor rain these years, but according
to my word.” 1 Kings 17:1.
Elijah’s Attitude
in Prayer
Elijah would never
have dared use such language had he
not had a previous understanding with
God that He would support and confirm
his word. God empowered Elijah to
speak as he did, doubtless to enhance
the prestige of His prophet, as would
be the case when his prophecy came
true.
As a result of lack of
rain, a famine arose, and Ahab
commanded that Elijah be found. When
they met, Ahab accused Elijah of
being the cause of the famine. Elijah
answered that the real cause was Ahab
himself in that he had forsaken God.
He then took charge of the situation
and commanded Ahab to gather all the
prophets of Baal and Astarte
together. Ahab would not have heeded
Elijah’s command had he not
already been impressed with
Elijah’s authority. It is
noteworthy that when God told Elijah
to call Ahab, God said, “Go,
show thyself unto Ahab; and I will
send rain upon the earth.” 1
Kings 18:1.
After the test on the
mount had been completed, and it was
time for the rain to come, Elijah
prayed for it as if he were
responsible for its coming. Seven
times, he prayed, and then the rain
came. Verse 42-45.
This story of Elijah
illustrates what Jesus meant when He
said, “Ye shall not only do this
which is done to the fig tree,”
but “greater works than these
shall he do; because I go unto My
Father.” Matthew 21:21; John
14:12. To shut up heaven for three
years was a great miracle than
causing a fig tree to wither and die.
We have no other
reason to believe that God at this
time will cause mountains to be
thrown into the sea at the command of
a man. Nor do we in the least doubt
that god could do this if the
occasion called for it. Christ uses
this extreme illustration to bolster
His word that God will confirm what
He has said, “all things are
possible to him that believeth.”
Mark 9:23.
Purpose of Prayer
In summing up what has
been said in this chapter, we reach
these conclusions: Prayer is not
intended to procure for us the things
we want from God. Prayer is primarily
the way to bring us into harmony with
God, so that His will and ours will
be one. When this is brought about,
peace and contentment will come to
the soul. There is no longer any
anxious pleading with God that He do
our will, but a willing conformity on
our part to accept whatever He sees
is best for us. We will continue to
pray as we have done before, but
“our prayers will take the form
of a conversation with God, as we
would talk with a friend.” In
addition, the conversation will not
all be on our part; “He will
speak His mysteries to us personally.
Often there will come to us a sweet,
joyful sense of the presence of
Jesus. Often our hearts will burn
within us as He draws nigh to
communicate with us as He did with
Enoch.” -Christ Object Lessons,
page 129.
In this sweet
communion that may be ours, we do not
keep asking for things any more than
we would of an earthy friend. We are
talking with God, telling Him our
joys and sorrows, and getting from
Him the counsel we need and the
blessed assurance that He loves us.
Memory Verse:
“If you
can’?” said Jesus,
“Everything is possible for him
who believes.”
Mark 9:23
Questions:
1. Do you
feel that your prayer life is
improving and your moving toward
God’s will?
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2. Can you
see yourself beginning to change what
you used to pray for? Explain.
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