Prayer Part 3 Series

But what we really want to bring out in this part of the lesson is that many Christians do not pray because of how they understand the sovereignty of God. Since most Christians believe that “God is in control” they don’t see the urgent need to pray or to pray consistently. They say whatever happens is going to happen anyway because God is in control. The problem with this belief is when Christians say “God is in control,” they are saying “God is in control of everything.” That is not true. Most Christians believe God’s plans cannot be changed, but we will give you an example shortly that disproves this. Before I go there, let me give you a way to wrap your mind around the notion of God being in control so that you can explain it to the next person who says that. If you have seen a movie more than once, then you know the movie’s beginning and ending. Well, God sees the beginning and the end of His plan for creation – He is not bound by time as we are. Now within His plan, there is a lot of freedom for us to make decisions for our own personal lives.

So, the control is God has a plan, from beginning to end, that is going to happen. However, we make independent decisions every single day that will determine whether we are going to be in God’s will or not be in God’s will. That’s not God’s decision to make. God will not control that, and Satan cannot control that. It’s on each of us. Although Satan will attempt to influence our decision as much as he possibly can, we make the call for how we will live and walk on this earth. When we understand this, we understand our need to pray without ceasing because when we pray, we seek and request God to intervene in our situations. We invite Him to act on our behalf. Barry, why don’t you conclude the lesson and I’ll summarize and close with a word of prayer.

So, let’s see an example of where God changed His plan after someone prayed. Look at Second Kings 20:1-6. “(1) In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ (2) Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, (3) ‘Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” We really want you to grasp and understand the significance of Hezekiah’s prayer and what it says to us today. He reminds God of how he has lived his life before Him. In essence, it has been a life that glorified Him. Now we know that God did not need Hezekiah to remind Him of his faithfulness to Him, but there is a spiritual principle at play here. Look at what we read in Isaiah 43:26. God says, “Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.” After reading this verse, what would you be able to remind God of if you were in this situation, or any situation? How would you be able to characterize your life before Him? If your life has not been one of faithfulness to Him, now is the time to repent and get a fresh start with your Father. Now is the time. Do it now before you continue this lesson. It is that important.