As a biblical counselor, I am asked often
asked one question more than any other and that is, “Do our prayers really make a
difference with God?” “Can
our prayers prevent bad things from happening?” My first response to this would be to give them
an answer in a nutshell and say yes, no, maybe or better yet sometimes. I do know that for the most part this answer
is not the answer that they want to hear or expect. The truth is that there are just some
questions that cannot be answered with a simple cut and dry answer. The answer that needs to be given is that God
is Sovereign and because He is, that sometimes we confront God regarding a
situation that has, in the heart and mind of God been decided and
determined. Others I do believe are
situations that are still resting in the balance and are depending upon the
outcome in the lives of others and are still open for change. What we must take into consideration in all
situations is that there are going to be certain things that are far above that
which we can understand. So in regards to the questions that are asked we can
find some examples in the scripture.
Example
No. 1
“Do
our prayers really make a difference with God?”
“Can our prayers prevent bad things from happening?” In this first illustration one would say No, but it is clearly because the
plan of God in this particular situation been laid, David sinned and the
consequence of his sin had already been predetermined and prophesied by God that
the loss of the child’s life was the consequence of David’s sin with Uriah’s
wife Bathsheba. The loss of this child’s
life was something that he would have to face for the rest of his life. 2
Samuel 12:13-15, “So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has
put away your sin; you shall not die. (14) However, because by this deed you
have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to
blaspheme, the child also who is
born to you shall surely die.’”
When the child became sick we find that David
immediately began to plead before God with fasting and prayer for his dying son
to live but to no avail (2 Samuel 12:13-31).
We know that God heard his prayers but the answer that David labored for
was not the one that he wanted (but had to accept). I often wonder if David knew that these
prayers were not going to be answered favorably. I do believe that because of his relationship
with God that his prayers at this time would result in a strengthening his
relationship `with God. This is most
always the case when a believer labors in prayer, their answer may not be that
which they seek but their relationship with the Father increases.
David demonstrates this in that once he
receives an answer to his prayer we find that he not only accepted the answer but
that he was able to move on with hope.
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Vs 13-15 He hears the news form the
man of God
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Vs 15-18 His child gets sick and he
pleads for the child with prayers and fasting
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Vs 19 He hears and accepts the news
regarding the child’s death
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Vs 20 He ends his fast, washes and
anoints himself
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Vs 21-23 He shares his hope and that
which he had learned from God with others
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Vs 24 He comforts and consoles his
wife
So for David the answer was no, his prayers
did not prevent something bad from happening.
What we all did find out here is that sometimes our prayers do not keep
bad things from happening but they do help us to deal with the bad things so
that they do not get any worse, so that they do not become too overbearing. They help us to deal with the questions that
follow helping us to praise God through all that we have gone through. They
provide us with the hope that only God can provide, and finally the hope and
strength that we get from God help us to comfort those around us who, like we,
are struggling with finding answers from God.
Example
No. 2
“Do our prayers really make a difference with God?” “Can our prayers prevent bad things from
happening?” In this second
illustration one would say Yes.
It is in this passage we find that King Hezekiah, who was one of the most
prominent kings of Judah found in Scripture and is one of the kings mentioned
in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:9-10) is sick and he had been told that he
would not recover from this illness. So
we find that the king turned his face away from men and prayed to God to be
healed. He like David hears bad news
from the man of God and like David he too turns his face from men and plants
himself firmly before the Lord. Hezekiah
was more fortunate than most because he received an answer from God and one
quickly as God sent Isaiah back to him to let him know his prayer had been
answered.
King Hezekiah’s Life is Spared – 2 Kings
20:1-11 (also see Isaiah 38 & 39)
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Vs 1 He hears the news of his
impending death
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Vs 2 & 3 He turns his face to the
wall an prays & weeps for healing
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Vs 5 & 7 He learns from the
Prophet that God had heard and is answering his prayers granting him 15 more
years of life and will deliver his kingdom out of the battle they were in
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Vs 8 - 11 His proof was the sun dial
moving backwards 10 degrees
For King Hezekiah, the answer was yes, his
prayers were answered and he received a sign from God that his healing came
directly from God. What we find out with
Hezekiah is that he, like David went to the Temple after he received the
answer. We find that not only was King
Hezekiah’s life spared but others around him were as well. Though King Hezekiah received a direct
confirmation from God that God had healed him we cannot expect that today but
we can, if we look close enough, see His direct hand of involvement in our answer.
Example
No. 3
“Do our prayers really make a difference with God?” “Can our prayers prevent bad things from
happening?” In the following
illustrations from 2 Samuel 24:11-25 (and 1 Chronicles 21:8-18), you can
probably give an answer of Yes, No, Maybe?
For King David, the answer was yes, no, maybe.
First of all I believe that we can say Yes because the plague had stopped notice 2 Samuel 14:17, “And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people…” We can think yes because David did repent and confront both God and the man of God with his plea and repented of the sin that had caused this action to take place.
Second, I believe that the answer to our question can be No, because it was not stopped before people lost their lives and God somewhat mentions that there was an appointed time to end the plague, 2 Samuel 14:15, “So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.” I can also see No as an answer because God himself was finished with the plague 2 Samuel 24:16, “…the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand…”
Third I believe that we can also say that the answer could be Maybe. I mention this as a possible answer to our question, “Were David’s prayers answered?” I say maybe because David did repent and confront both God and the man of God with his plea. “And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house” (2 Samuel 24:17) We can say maybe because David did recognized that he was to blame for the judgment. We can say maybe because David did pray and repent that could be what caused the Lord to repent and stay the angel’s hand. We must remember that in this passage that we find the plan of God had been laid, David’s sin and the consequence of his sin rested in the loss of life of seventy thousand souls in Israel and we see that God Himself stopped the Angle from proceeding. So we can say maybe.
A plague was initiated and stayed because of
the Sin of David – 2 Samuel 24:11-25 (and 1 Chronicles 21:8-18)
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Vs 11-13 He is confronted by the Man
of God as to his sin before God and the consequences thereof
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Vs 14 David rationalizes the consequences and wisely
chooses to place his judgment in the hands of the LORD and not men
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Vs 15 & 16a The judgment of the
LORD is inflicted upon the people of Israel as the hand of the angel of God
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Vs 16b The LORD repents of the outcome
of the plague that He has inflicted upon Israel and calls for the angel to stop
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Vs 17 David calls out to the LORD and
repents of his sin, asking God to stop the angel from inflicting further pain
on others because of his sin
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Vs 18 The LORD send the man of God
back to David with instructions on what God has for him to do
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Vs 19-25 We see David’s obedience and worship of the
LORD at a personal cost to him
Wrapping
it up
From what I see in all of this is that all
really boils down to one thing and that is in the Sovereignty of God. We must believe that He is sovereign and we
must believe and trust in Him for all things that matter in both faith and
practice. Yes there are times when our
prayers reach the ear of God and changes are made. Sometimes they reach His ear and the He has
already put the plan into motion and the change that we request is not one that
is granted. And finally because of the
Sovereignty of God He has already granted the change that we request before or
as we request it. He already knows the
thoughts and intents of our heart (Hebrews
4:12).
Final
Note
I do believe that Abraham said it best a long
time ago, “Shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25 ASB). A hard truth for all
to grasp is that God is just and always has dealt justly with man. It is man who screams out for justice from
God and they do so seeking a self-justice.
When you cry out to God for justice what they will receive instead is
purely moral–justice. Justice is a term
used for “what is right” but man
also wants to set the standard for “what
is right,” but God cannot let that be.
Justice is one of God’s attributes and it flows out of His
holiness. In the bible we find that
justice and righteousness are often found to be synonyms of each other. We find that righteousness is the quality or
character of being right or just and it is noted as an attribute of God, this
one attribute incorporates both His justice and holiness. It is a hard truth
for all to grasp but due to his Holy nature, God is just and always has to be
just.
We must praise Him because there is an added favor
to the justice He sends out. This favor
is that along with His justice we also receive His Mercy and Grace. Though our finite minds constantly grapple
with this and most can never grasp the truth of it. It is far better for us to live under the
umbrella of God’s Mercy and Grace then to live solely under His umbrella of justice.
