Yesterday I had all these questions about prayer, so on the way home several different situations from the Bible came to mind. Top of the list was Job.
Deep inside we all hope we don't have to be Job. Job prayed, but ultimately it all just played out the way it was going to anyway. Job's situation wasn't resolved right away, but does that mean Job's prayers were of no effect? I don't think so. In this case I believe Job's prayers strengthened his relationship with God. He was able to be honest with Him and to open his heart to Him. And that could be the very reason that in the end, everything turned out so well. Job continued to honor God through the whole ordeal. Without prayer, he may not have been able to do that.
Then there was the passionate prayer of King David for the life of his baby. He cried out to God, fasting and praying for the life of his son. On the seventh day, his son died anyway. David's reaction?
Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the LORD. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.
He had hopes that God would have mercy on him and let his son live. God didn't do what he wanted him to do, but he got up and worshipped God anyway.
The next incident that came to mind is in Daniel chapter 10:
12 Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.14 Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come."
In this case, it sounds as if some spiritual warfare had to take place in order to answer the prayer. It said Daniel's prayer was heard in heaven on the FIRST DAY he prayed, but for 3 weeks the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked the messenger (thought by some to be Gabriel). Michael, who the messenger refers to as Daniel's prince, is apparently the only one who helps Gabriel fight this spirit prince of Persia. What's up with that? Interestingly, it says when he was done talking to Daniel, Gabriel needed to go back and continue this fight. So, in this case it would seem the answer was delayed only because of spiritual resistance. Did Daniel's prayers help break through this resistance? It doesn't say...it only explains the delay. But it does assure us he was heard in heaven right away, and something was in motion.
Another interesting thing that came to mind was when the apostles tried to cast the demons out of a man but couldn't do it. Jesus said that type of thing required fasting and praying. Then he proceeded to heal the guy. Now people (including me) often think you should fast and pray for the thing you are wanting to see happen. But is this really what Jesus meant? Had he been fasting and praying for this particular man to be delivered? I don't think so. I don't think the focus of our fasting and praying is to be the results we are looking for. It seems to me the key is deepening your relationship with God. The more you fast and pray, the more in tune you will be. And apparently the more powerful your prayers will be when the need arises.
In contrast to the above, there are many, many examples of prayers being answered immediately. Healings, deliverances, resurrections. You would think I'd be just as confused as I was yesterday on what the purpose of prayer really is.
But today I'm at peace. Clearly, like so many other things in the realm of God's kingdom, prayer has many purposes. The most important of these purposes is it keeps us in tune with God. So I will continue praying. I will continue worshipping and adoring, I will continue crying out for our needs. And if the answer doesn't come right away, still I remain confident that something good is in motion.
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I so truly believe this and have come to realize that to a large degree prayer is more about us than it is about God. God already knows our hearts and every word that is on our lips before we even speak them. I think that prayer helps us to realize and articulate what is in our hearts and minds and also helps us to stay in tune to what God is saying to us about those things. That is why it is so important to take time to also listen to what he would say to us during our prayer times. Prayer is the time that we develop our relationship with \him. I think he loves that we want and desire to know him more, but I feel that it is we ourselves that benefit most when we keep in touch with Him! Great Blog Tracy
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