For Christians, prayer is the act of conversation with God/Jesus. Prayer can be the intention to communicate with God at a specific time, giving thanks for all the blessings and the world we live in. Prayer can reflect emotion in a crisis. Prayer can be part of a ceremony or a routine. Prayer can be an exercise on a personal level or a corporate activity. Every religion has some form of prayer for talking to the deity it worships. Depending on the version of the Bible, prayer is mentioned approximately 650 times, and there are approximately 450 examples of prayer being answered. (www.questionsgod.com/word-pdf/all-prayers-of-bible.pdf) It can also be stated that all prayers are answered, and sometimes the answer is “wait” or “no”. The importance of prayer starts in Genesis and continues throughout the Bible into today’s everyday lives. Prayer is so important that Jesus took time to teach the disciples how to pray. In Luke 11:1-4, Jesus describes five areas that should be addressed in prayer. God’s name should be honored by focusing on His everlasting glory and eternal will, by asking for present needs, asking for forgiveness, being able to forgive others, and asking for God’s favor in the future. All these are covered in what we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer.
The Bible lists at least nine main types of prayer: prayer of faith (James 5:15), prayer of agreement (also known as corporate prayer) (Acts 2:42), prayer of request (also known as petition or supplication) (Philippians 4:6), prayer of thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2-3), prayer of worship (Acts 13:2-3), prayer of consecration (also known as dedication) (Matthew 26:39), prayer of intercession (1 Timothy 2:1), prayer of imprecation (Psalms 69), and praying in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14-15). (Carter, 2015)
So, with all this to think about, does prayer help change God’s plans, and what can we expect when we ask God for divine intervention in our everyday lives? If our prayers actually influenced God, we would have to accept that God is not perfect and is not in total control of everything. We know and accept that God is perfect and nothing we can say or do will improve God’s plan. So, the answer to changing God’s plans is a simple no. However, when we pray and ask God to intervene in our lives, things can change. When God allows for divine intervention, He does not change anything from His perspective; He enables us to see a better way than we initially thought. It could be said that if our prayers are not being answered, we may be praying for the wrong things. With proper prayers, we change, not God. Isaiah 46:9-11 reminds us that God’s plan will prevail; Second Samuel tells us that His plan is perfect; and Revelation 22:13 and Ephesians 1:4 tell us that God knows everything from the beginning of time to the end of time.
So, does this mean we are wasting our time praying? Absolutely NOT. Prayer allows us to communicate with God and to understand what is happening in our world. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us part of the answer, it states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We may not be able to change God’s plan or alter His course, but we can understand and accept that His way is always better. Isaiah 55:8-9 states, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This verse teaches believers to trust God’s perfect wisdom rather than their own human shortcomings, recognizing that God’s ideal knowledge will prevail and lead us to a better solution. We, humans, can only see what is in front of us and have no knowledge or control over the future. Prayer (conversations with God) allows us to see things from God’s perspective, which is God’s way of answering our prayers. With God allowing us to see things from his perspective, we are given a better way to process circumstances, which we can accept as prayers being answered. First John 5:14, the Apostle John reminds us, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” Often, we see things only from a limited perspective, which prevents progress. We pray for specific outcomes, and God shows us a better way and allows our prayers to be answered, and still maintains His total control and understanding of all things. Another way of saying this may be. When we give it all to God, life suddenly becomes easier; our troubles will not necessarily disappear, but will become manageable. Often, circumstances arise that lead us to believe God has not answered our prayers because we do not agree with or understand why things happened the way they did. But with time and understanding, our human hindsight will bring us to a better perspective on why God caused or allowed certain things to happen. Sometimes we have to try to view things from a perspective higher than our first thoughts. God knows about suffering and circumstances, and reasons we cannot see or understand. But we will gain this knowledge over time. We have to remember that God’s plan is perfect, whether we agree with it today or not. To reach this understanding will probably require more prayer, which will eventually be answered. Patience is needed in all things we do not understand. God will reveal the answers when the time is right. In the meantime, Matthew 6:9-13 suggests, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Carter, J. (2015, 5 7). 9 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PRAYER IN THE BIBLE. Retrieved from The Spiritual Network: https://www.thespiritlife.net/about/about/128-process/4913-9-things-you-should-know-about-prayer-in-the-bible-by-joe-carter