Prayer Changes Everything

   When most people think of prayer, they do not realize its power. They view prayer as some kind of magic charm or good luck spell that may or may not do any good. Prayer is often used as a last resort when everything else has failed. But what if we made prayer our first response to everything? After all the Bible contains example after example of times when prayer changed the course of history. Maybe you are afraid to pray because you worry that you might pray for something outside of God’s will. Allow me to present three examples of what happened when people in the Bible prayed for things outside of God’s will.

   When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then killed her husband Uriah, God sent the prophet Nathan to him with the message that God would kill David’s son as a punishment for his sin. David acknowledged his guilt and pleaded with the Lord for his son. Day and night David prayed and fasted, crying out for his son’s life. God chose not to answer David’s request and David’s son died. Then David praised the Lord and ended his fast. David did not praise the Lord for his son’s death, he praised God for his faithfulness. God had remained true to His word and David knew he did not deserve any of the mercy God showed him.

   With God’s chosen people, Israel, under attack and unable to mount an army large enough to repel the invaders, it did not seem like a good time for the king to become ill. Then God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah with the news that Hezekiah would soon die from the boil that currently inflicted him. Hezekiah immediately turned to the wall. Instead of focusing on the problem, he chose to focus on God. He pleaded for the safety of the people God had entrusted to him and asked that God would heal him and deliver the nation of Israel. Just like David, he acknowledged that he did not deserve God’s mercy. God heard Hezekiah’s plea and gave him fifteen more years to live. Israel was delivered and her next king was born during those years.

   While Moses spent time with God on the mountain of Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, the people of Israel grew restless. They built a golden calf and began to worship it instead of honoring the One who had brought them out of Egypt. God’s anger rose against them and he swore to destroy the multitude and rebuild the nation through Moses. Moses, however, would not hear of it. He reminded God that these people were chosen by the Lord to reveal His glory to the nations. If the Almighty destroyed them here in the desert after miraculously bringing them out of Egypt, the entire world would mock the name of the Lord. God relented. The fledgling nation of Israel was spared and God even renewed His covenant with them.

   In each of these examples God stated what His will was. Yet David, Hezekiah, and Moses all chose to pray for a different outcome. God did not rebuke them. He heard the prayers. God considered their pleas. In David’s case He chose to continue with His plan but in the stories of Hezekiah and Moses God actually changed His mind. I firmly believe that prayers have the power to change the course of history. Prayer invites God to reveal His glory and make His presence known. Prayers honor God when they focus on Him receiving the glory. God is willing to answer your prayers but you must ask first. If you do not pray, you will never see the miraculous.