Prayer Changes Things, Part One

“Prayer changes things” has been one of the more popular phrases tossed around in Christian circles for a long time. However, the problem is just that – it is “tossed around” without any real thought given to what the phrase implies.

We all know stories of someone who has earnestly pleaded for God to change a situation in which they found themselves. Perhaps even you have a compelling story or two to tell. Let's assume that the following scenarios describe true believers in, and followers of, Jesus Christ - individuals who are committed to God and to His church.

A parent prays that their child will survive the surgery, and he does.

A family prays that their home will be spared from the ravages of a hurricane, and it is.

A faithful saint prays to be healed of some chronic ailment or disease, and it happens.

A family prays that they will have all the money they need to pay their bills this month, and they do.

A believing wife prays for the salvation of her husband, and, in time, the man is saved.

Prayer changes things. Right? To be sure, we all know stories of people who prayed for God to change something, and He did. But isn’t it also true that we know of perhaps even more cases in which someone prayed for God to change something, but He didn't. Again, let us assume that the following scenarios describe true believers in, and followers of, Jesus Christ - individuals who are committed to God and to His church.

A parent prays that their child will survive the surgery, but he doesn't.

A family prays that their home will be spared from the ravages of a hurricane, but it isn't.

A faithful saint prays to be healed of some chronic ailment or disease, but it doesn’t happen.

A family prays that they will have all the money they need to pay their bills this month, but they still end up short.

A believing wife prays for the salvation of her husband, but the man leaves this world without knowing Christ?

Prayer changes things. Right? Let’s bring that question to bear on a situation from the life of the Apostle Paul.

“So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12.7-10, ESV).

Is it true that prayer changes things? Well, obviously not for the Apostle Paul. Scholars have differed throughout history concerning what specifically the “thorn” was to which Paul referred in this passage. Though I personally believe it at least involved some physical ailment or limitation that Paul viewed as a hindrance to his ministry, it frankly doesn’t matter what it was. Whatever it was, it was significant enough for Paul to plead with the Lord on three different occasions to take it away. Now if prayer changes things, should not faithful Paul have experienced the removal of his thorn? The truth is, however, that prayer did not change this thing in Paul’s life.

Frankly, prayer doesn’t change anything – God changes things. At the same time, however, God in His sovereign freedom does not always choose to change the thing we have prayed about. What I believe God will do, however, is change us. I would like for you to consider taking a phrase out of your vocabulary and replacing it with a new one.

OUT: Prayer changes things.
IN: Through prayer, God changes me in the things.

I believe this is precisely what happened in Paul’s life. Prayer did not change the thing, but through prayer, God did change Paul in the thing. But how did bringing this need before the Lord and the Lord’s response change Paul? We’ll look at that in our next post.

I Was There

What a joy is mine to look into the eyes and hearts of my three children. When I think of how much I, imperfect and so prone to failure, love my children, I am staggered by the reality of how much God loves those who are His. What a privilege to know God by His grace and through faith in Jesus Christ. What an honor to call Him – Father.

Please understand that God has written a love letter to His children called the Bible. What I would like to preserve here is obviously not inspired, but has been a blessing to some in the past. I imagined what God might say to one of His children (consistent with what He has already said to His children in the Bible) if He had a conversation with them about their life. Perhaps you have had a tough go of it lately, or for a long while. Wouldn’t it be cool to find a letter from God in your mailbox, or tucked under the pillow on which you cried yourself to sleep last night? Maybe it would go something like this:

Dear Child,

I watched you running through the fields like you didn’t have a care in the world. I WAS THERE. I saw you learn, grow, and be a kid. I WAS THERE, and I was watching over you. I saw the good times, but I also saw the bad times. You were so young to have experienced the pain caused you by another – one you should have been able to trust, but could not. BUT I WAS THERE. I felt the pain with you. The confusion, the fear, the disappointment – I felt it, because I WAS THERE.

I have been there for it all. I was there when you had to make the hardest decision of your life. I know how you felt, even though you couldn’t tell anyone else. I was there when you felt guilty, ashamed, and just worn out from it all. I felt your confusion, your sense of failure, and your uncertainty and fear about what would happen next. And though it seemed you were alone, you were not. I WAS THERE, and I loved you.

When I look at it all – the good and the bad – I remember who I had in mind from eternity for you to be. And I want you to know something – you are still that person. Nothing has destroyed that because I WAS THERE. I know you must wonder from time to time why, if I was there, I did not just prevent some of the things that were so hard. Why did I allow them? My child, there is no way I can explain it to you in a way that you can understand. My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Just know this: I was always there, I am here now, and I will always be here. Please walk daily in the assurance that you are mine and that I have a wonderful plan for your life. Nothing in your past or your present can prevent My plans for your future!

And please walk daily in the assurance that I have heard your prayers and have forgiven you for the times you walked down the wrong paths. Not only have I forgiven your sins, but I have chosen never to remember them against you again. They are removed from you and from My record as far as the east is from the west. They have been cast into the deepest depths of the sea. I buried them because I was unwilling for them to bury you. They are gone, but you are here. And you are here because I WAS THERE. You are free, and you are forgiven!

You are Mine. I designed you for Me. You will live and become who I made you to be. Nothing is going to take that away from you. Nothing is going to take that away from Me!

You will find in Me all you ever dreamed of and more. I have given you more than you realize you have, but you will learn in time. I have prepared and preserved it all for you, my precious child. All you searched for so long and could never find is yours now. It is real, and it is forever!

Walk in My love, dear child. Walk in My care. Enjoy with all your heart the life I have prepared and preserved for you. Love and live as an offering of thanksgiving to Me. Never look back – only straight ahead. Walk each day with your hand in Mine. Live for me and never forget that you are here because I WAS THERE – all along!

Enjoy, my love. And know, my precious child, that you are the light in My eyes, and that I love you with a love that knows no end.

Your Father

The Seamless Relationship Between Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility In Salvation

Let’s get straight to the point. To deny God's sovereignty in salvation is heresy. To deny humanity’s responsibility to choose in response to God's prior choice is also heresy. To deny either is heresy because the Bible teaches both.

We do, by an act of our will, choose Christ. If this were not the case, John 1.12 would be meaningless. There we read, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” If this were not the case, Acts 16.31 would also be meaningless, as would many other passages. The Philippian jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Now, there was nothing he could "do" to merit salvation as if it was by works, but there was clearly something he had to "do." Paul said, "(Here's what you have to do. . . you have to) believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

To be sure, we do - by grace, through faith - choose to receive Christ and believe in him (Eph 2.8-9). However, we do so only because it is God’s will. We looked at John 1.12 above, but what about the very next verse? It says, “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1.13, ESV). This birth was not of blood; that is, we have no right to claim to be children of God on the basis of our ethnic, religious, or any other heritage. This is a spiritual birth that did not come about due to the will of the flesh. Furthermore, this spiritual birth did not come about by the will of any man – including ourselves.

Though we receive him and believe in his name; that is, we acknowledge that Christ is who he says he is, place our trust in him, and yield our allegiance to him, we do so only because it is granted us by the good will of God for his glory and purpose (See Eph 1.4-6; 2.10; Titus 3.). We must never forget that we were dead in trespasses and sins. Folks, dead people don't do anything! The only hope for a dead person is resurrection, and that is precisely what God did (Eph 2). When we were dead in trespasses and sins, God “made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved”(Eph 2.4, ESV). Now we can "do" something - we're alive! Now we can respond rightly to God's prior choice.

And furthermore, the elect will not choose to reject Christ. In Jesus' high priestly prayer (The Lord's Prayer - John 17) he said that none had been lost among whom the Father had given him (verse 12). Furthermore, in John 6.37, Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” God chooses some, and the elect come to Him - period! Neither side of that comma can be denied or even "played down" if we are to rightly divide the Word of Truth. God chose the Philippian jailer, but he had to "believe" in Jesus. The Father has given some to Jesus, but they have to "come" to Jesus. And they will.

We speak of the so-called tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. However, this is our tension alone - the Bible knows no such tension. That is, the Bible is not at war with itself over the matter. Though our finite minds may see these truths as mutually exclusive, in the Bible they fit like a hand in a glove. The Bible never sets them apart from one another or even seeks to explain how they work together. This is our tension; created because our finite minds can never fully comprehend (much less explain) the depths of the riches of God’s grace to us in Christ Jesus (see also, Deut 29.29).

C.H. Spurgeon was once asked if he could reconcile the two truths of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. “I wouldn’t try,” he said, “I never reconcile friends.” Spurgeon was right! Commenting on Spurgeon’s words, J.I. Packer once said that, “In the Bible, divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not enemies. They are not uneasy neighbors. They are not in an endless state of cold war with each other. They are friends, and they work together.”

Though we can never fully comprehend or explain how they work together, is it really that difficult to understand, at least in basic terms, the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility? I think not.

My then 9-year-old and 4-year-old daughters gave me a watch for Christmas two years ago. They love me and desired to give me something from themselves. However, there was a problem – they did not have the means with which to purchase the watch, much less present it to me in love as a gift from them. Well, you guessed it! We chose to give them the money to purchase the watch which they, in turn, chose to give to me.

Now, this is a simple illustration and, as any illustration, likely falls apart at some point. However, I think the basic point is illustrative of the seamless relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

As I initiated a love relationship with my children, thereby causing them to love me, so God has initiated a love relationship with us. We were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2.1, ESV). “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace (we) have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.4-7, ESV). It is, then, “by grace (we) have been saved through faith. And this is not (our) own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2.8-9, ESV).

What is “the gift of God?” Why, all of it! Yes, I receive him and believe in his name (John 1.12). Yes, I place my faith in him. But how? Only because of his grace. Only because he made me alive when I was dead. Only because he gave me the means through which I would give myself back to him in love. It is the gift of God.

My daughters didn’t know what love was until God granted me the great honor to show love to them; thereby awakening love in them for me. My daughters did not have the means to purchase the watch they gave me that Christmas until I gave them something they did not have and had no way to get – the money to buy it. They chose to love me, but only because I chose to love them first. They chose to give me a watch that Christmas, but only because I chose to give them the means with which to buy it.

One more simplistic illustration. Since I live in the beautiful horse country of central Kentucky, I often have the following picture come to mind when thinking about these things. Imagine a horse in a large field. The owner has constructed a fence around the property on which the horse roams, but the fence can't always be seen because the property is so large. Now, that horse belongs to its owner and is "fenced in" (whether it realizes it or not!). At the same time, the horse has a great deal of freedom within the parameters of that property. He can run freely from here to there. He can jump. He can play. He may also choose to attempt to jump over something, miscalculate its height, and get tangled up and fall - even become injured. He may even choose to wallow in a mud hole for a time. The owner may have granted the horse a great deal of freedom within the parameters of where he has placed the horse. But the horse is still fenced in - this was the owner's choice.

I know that is simplistic and could be articulated much better, but the primary point I want to make is this: We are free to choose, but only within the parameters of God's sovereign plan for the ages. That is, we choose, but we cannot choose contrary to the will of God. In other words, God's sovereignty is not limited by our choice; our choice is limited by God's sovereignty.

Again, the Bible knows nothing of the so-called tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Though we may seek to explain the seamless relationship between the two for the sake of our own understanding, we have no need to attempt to reconcile them as if they were at odds. Clearly, they are friends.

Holy Father, thank You for Your mercy; for choosing me by Your grace, and for enabling me to choose You through faith. Amen.

What You Are Searching for In Egypt. . .

Ah, stubborn children," declares the LORD, "who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! (Isaiah 30.1-2)

With the threat of an Assyrian invasion looming larger every day, the leaders of Judah abandoned dependence upon God and chose rather to form an alliance with Egypt. They had rejected God and placed their trust in human plans. God called them
“mockers” (Isa 28.14) because they arrogantly believed that their way was the right way. Because of their failure to depend upon God, Judah would face His judgment (see, 27.1-13, 28.1-22). The Assyrian army was God’s tool for judgment on Judah. Like a flood, Assyria would sweep Judah away (28.18).

The leaders of Judah thought their wall of protection was high and impenetrable. But there was a crack in their wall – and it was spreading. Gradually, little by little, the small crack became a spreading breach. Ultimately, the wall would “bulge” and collapse (30.13). The breach in the wall had spread subtly and without notice, but the collapse of the wall would come suddenly and for all to see. And the devastation would be total! Like a “potter’s jar crushed to pieces,” Judah would be left with nothing; not even the smallest fragment of self-sufficiency on which they could depend (30.14; see also, Matt 7.24-27). Even to try and escape on the fastest horses in the land would prove futile, for the enemies’ horses would be faster (30.16). All that would be left was a lonely reminder of where Judah used to exist (30.17).

God said in Isa 30.13 that Judah’s “iniquity” was the cause of this destruction. What was their sin? Their sin was failure to depend upon God. To place one’s trust in anything or anyone at any time other than God is sin (Heb 11.6). So what is the answer? What must Judah do to be delivered? The answer is in Isaiah 30.15; “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you were unwilling.”

Right now, you and God know the areas of your life where you are trusting in something or someone instead of Him – areas where you have made unholy alliances. Even though that thing or that person might make you feel secure for a time, it is a false refuge. You think you have built a strong wall between yourself and the outside forces you cannot control, but your wall has a crack in it; a breach that will ultimately lead to the collapse of your self-made fortress leaving you unprotected and defeated.

You say, “I don’t know how I got here. It happened so gradually, I didn’t even realize it. But I know I don’t want to face life this way. How can I be delivered from myself? How can I know peace and contentment? How can I be happy again? I would offer four suggestions.

Through Returning (30.15). You cannot return to where you were until you turn away from where you are. You have to make a decision to return. The very first thing you need to do is to call this what it is. It is sin. To trust in any thing or any one at any time other than God is sin. Are you willing to confess it as sin today?

Through Resting (30.15). Let me ask you a question. As you have attempted to construct this wall of security around yourself through other people and things, have you had a restful spirit? Have you been at peace and content? If you’re honest, I suspect the answer is no. The reason is because you can never build the wall high enough or thick enough. No matter what you’ve done, you still don’t feel safe. You still don’t know the rest of peace and contentment. That comes only from God (see, Phil 4.7; Matt 11.28).

Through Reflecting (30.15). Let me ask you another question. As you have attempted to construct this wall of security around yourself through other people and things,has it produced a renewed strength in you? Again, I suspect the answer is no. The truth is that you don’t feel strong and courageous at all; you feel tired and afraid. That’s because such an approach to life affords no time for rest and quiet reflection. There is neither time nor energy left to reflect on who God is, on who we are as His children, or on the truths we find in His Word. The truth is that what you are searching for in Egypt is found in God. Renewed strength comes through quiet trust in Him (see Isa 40.31).

Through a Reassuring truth (30.18). And what is that truth? That “mercy” and “compassion” await those who return to God. Even though we may face God’s discipline (as Judah did) through the consequences of our prior lack of faith, there is hope beyond the discipline.

Perhaps things are not going as you would like in your life right now, but the worst thing you can do is to try to “make” them happen on your own. Even though it may seem harder and take longer to do things God’s way, the result will be what your heart is longing for. Happiness doesn’t come to those who rely on themselves or others to accomplish what they think they need. “But happy are all who wait patiently for Him.”

An Honor to Obey Him

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty'” (Luke 17.10; 1-9).

We generally want to receive something for our efforts. We want to be paid for putting in a hard day’s work. We want a parent to say, “I’m proud of you,” when our grades improve. We love to hear the fans cheer when we hit the winning shot. We want our boss to say, “You’re doing a great job.” We want our spouse to say, “Thank you for what you do.” There is in each of us a desire to be acknowledged, to be affirmed, and to be appreciated.

In and of themselves, these are not illegitimate desires. However, what the Lord might be getting at in this passage is the real motivation behind what we do. A friend of mine once told me that he often did things around the house in hopes that his wife might repay him with sex. Though he did not want this to continue to be his motivation, he admitted that it had been true of him in the past. And it is often true of us in one form or another. Sometimes we do what we do just to get something we want.

Jesus had given his disciples some pretty tough instructions; among them, how they were to forgive someone who had sinned against them if he repented – even if it happened seven times in the same day! And Jesus left no room for bargaining. He said, “You must forgive him.” Why must they, and what would be their reward for doing such a difficult thing? What would they get for their efforts? The little parable in this passage makes clear the “why” behind obedience to this command and all other commandments from our Lord. They would not do this to get something. No, they would do it because they were servants and Jesus was their Master. This was their duty.

In John 14.15, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The motivation behind our obedience to Christ is not the promise of reward or recognition. We are servants, Jesus is our Master, and, therefore, obedience is our duty. We seek no honor for obeying him; we seek only the honor to obey him, and thus show that we love him.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that I am your servant, You are my Master, and that obedience is not only my duty, but is also the way I show that I love You. Amen.”