I keep hearing that “Prayer changes things.” While I accept the general idea I don’t see it as a guarantee given by the Bible. The change is a choice of God, not the petitioner.
You want a couple of examples? Start at the top. Take Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane just before He was arrested.
(Mar 14:36 KJV) And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.It seems pretty clear He is asking for plan B. At the same time He knows it isn’t going to happen.
Not enough for you? You are a hard sell. Next, take the apostle Paul. Yes, the Paul who said,
(1Th 5:17 KJV) Pray without ceasing.Paul is well known for his thorn in the flesh. He was not excited about it. He asked God to remove it.
(2Co 12:8 KJV) For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.He asked three times. God said, “No” three times.
Too many people think that prayer is a “to-do list” for God. Yes, there are verses that can be understood that way but they have qualifiers.
So pray. Expect God to answer. Accept the reality that “no” is an answer.
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.