Does Prayer Change Anything?
There is an old saying that in a foxhole, there is no such thing as an atheist. The idea behind it implies that when people are facing a life or death situation, even those strongly opposed to the existence of God cry out for Divine help in their hopeful desperation. This raises a question: does prayer actually change anything?
The answer to that question really depends on your perspective. If you think of God only as a great cosmic genie, existent solely to grant you your wishes, then chances are you will see the answer as no. However if you see God as your Creator, having a plan and purpose for your life, then the answer will likely be yes. Why? Because ultimately prayer will always change a person. Depending on God's will, it can also change our circumstances. Whether or not we are changed positively or negatively depends on how we respond to the latter; that being God’s will to our request.
Like any parent or guardian, when a child asks for something, there are only three responses to our prayer requests: yes, no or wait. We have either had or seen the tantrum that can unfold when a child is told no or wait. Did you know we can respond this way towards God too when He says no or wait? This type of response can lead to anger with God and/or a loss of faith. This kind of negativity is rooted in a lack of trust and understanding of why. I remember a time when I had a ‘tantrum’ with God. My husband was one of three airmen in consideration for below the zone. Below the zone in the military is when a member gets to put on their next rank early. With any next rank comes a promotion and more money. I thought God would certainly answer my prayer for my husband to get this with yes, but it ended up being a no. It really impacted me negatively in my trust and understanding of God’s love until He helped me see why His ‘no’ was actually our for our best. Basically, He knew the best thing for us was to keep us in a lower tax bracket. Had my husband been promoted early, we would have entered into a higher tax bracket resulting in us paying more in taxes and making less even with the pay increase. However, because of the birth of our second child which took place in that six month wait before his next rank, the increase in our household size kept us in that same tax bracket. We were able to receive additional money a month instead of less. God’s ‘no’ was the best thing for us financially over those six months. I wish I had trusted Him when He first answered.
Does this mean we shouldn’t expect prayer to change anything about our circumstances? Absolutely not! The Bible tells us in 1 John 5:13-15 (ESV) “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” We can and should expect God to hear and answer our prayers. The question is do you have confidence in Jesus, the Son of God? Have you put your trust in Him and have you received eternal life? If not, please ask us how you can know more about trusting Jesus.
God has answered so many prayers of mine over the years for healing, protection, help, guidance, opportunities, etc…. Prayer can change the circumstances of our lives but when God says no or wait, we can still trust Him. When prayer does not change our circumstances we can still experience a positive change in our lives as we grow closer to Him in trust, accepting His will for our lives.
Nicky Gumbel, vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton in London wrote, “Sometimes you know what God’s will is - it is clearly spelt out in the Scriptures. At other times, you may not be so sure. In whatever situation, you can add to your prayers, ‘Your will be done.’ If the answer is ‘yes’ He (God) may be increasing your faith. If the answer is ‘wait’ He may be increasing your patience. If the answer is ‘no’, He may have something better in mind. Trust that His will is ‘good, pleasing and perfect’ (Romans 12:2).” (Bible in One Year 2020 with Nicky Gumbel, Day 329 Devotional, YouVersion Bible App, Version 9.16, RED 3.9.10.7197)
Does prayer change anything? Yes, even if it’s just a change in me. So no matter how big or small, I pray to God believing He will hear and answer me. And when I am told no or wait, instead of throwing a tantrum or losing my faith because I didn’t get what I wanted, I chose to trust He knows what’s best for me. Even when I cannot always understand and see it right away.
For more practical information on prayer, such as the benefits of prayer and hindrances, check out the article on Prayer 101.
