Does Prayer Really Change Things?

Recently, I received the following messages concerning prayer via Facebook: “Does prayer really change things? If it does isn't that us taking credit for changing God's plan that is already set to be? I realize that God knows we are going to pray for something but if we don't pray isn't it going to be what it was going to be anyway?”

These are very good questions! Before we discuss prayer, there are two things that we must understand.

First, God is eternal. Because of this, He does not change, learn, or grow. Hebrews 13:8 teaches an important truth concerning Jesus Christ that also reflects the Father’s nature: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. In the Old Testament, the Father refers to Himself as “I AM.” This simple title teaches a profound truth: time does not apply to God because He is over and above time.

Second, mankind is not eternal. We have a beginning, and we do change, learn, and grow. Although the spiritual aspect of our nature will exist somewhere forever, our bodies will deteriorate and die. We do not know what will happen five minutes from now, nor do we understand everything that is occurring right now. Simply put, we are finite beings who are affected by the passing of time.

Since we never can understand things from God’s perspective, we are limited to discussing from our perspectives how God responds to prayer. Here are some thoughts:

1. We are commanded to pray

In 1 Timothy 2:8, Paul said, Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. Since Paul spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, his command equates to a command from God. Also consider Colossians 4:2: Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

2. God responds to prayer

James declared: You do not have because you do not ask (James 

4:2). Because of this verse and others, we must say that from our perspective, God responds to prayer.

3. We cannot take credit for the way that God responds

When God responds to our prayers, we cannot take credit for the way that He works. He is the all-powerful Sovereign of the universe, and all credit must go to Him.

4. Prayer changes things

James 5:16 demonstrates what the prayer of a godly believer accomplishes: Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

5. Prayer changes us

The true purpose of prayer is to change us so that we pray according to God’s will. We must learn from Jesus’ example in the garden to conform ourselves to the Lord’s will (Matthew 26:39), and He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

Conclusion: Perhaps the best way to describe how prayer changes things is to consider the sun. Every day, we see the sun rise across our sky throughout the day and set in the evening. But the sun is not moving - - the earth is! The earth rotates around the unmoving sun, but from our perspective the sun appears to change positions in the sky. 

God is unmovable and unchanging, and the universe revolves around Him. But when we conform ourselves to His will and pray accordingly, He uses our prayers to accomplish His eternal plan. In short, prayer really changes things!