And James said...

Dear Friends,

The word prayer carries many meanings, not the least of which is fellowship with God.

The meaning I wish to focus on right now is the idea that prayer causes (or can cause) things to happen that wouldn’t otherwise happen if we didn’t pray.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James 5:16b-18)

In other words, we have to be fervent for our prayers to avail much.

Some people embrace a view of divine sovereignty where God has pre-fixed everything. I don’t embrace that view. God created us in His image and likeness with our own will and creativity.

Sovereignty doesn’t mean God controls every little detail. It only means everyone is ultimately accountable to Him.

Also, some people embrace the idea that God exhaustively knows the future (in every detail). I don’t embrace that view, either. God gave mankind the ability to make their own choices. Besides, if God knew the future with exhaustive certainty, He would have to know His own future with exhaustive certainty and that would make Him an automaton. He could never have a new thought.

Here we find that the level of wickedness God’s people stooped to surprised even Him (not that He couldn’t manage it):

Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: (Jer 19:1-5)

God is wise enough to manage uncertainty. He can ride a “wild stallion.” He doesn’t need or want a carousel horse where there are no surprises.

Back to prayer.

Jesus said:

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luk 11:9)

In other words, in order to receive, find and have it opened unto us, we must ask, seek and knock.

AND . . . if we look at the context (verse 8) Jesus suggests that we must ask, seek and knock with importunity.

In other words, prayer is work. Yes, prayer is fellowship, but it is also work.

In the process of that work, our hearts, our minds, our wills, our intentions come into conformity with our Father’s general, overarching will (not His hyper-micromanaging will—there’s no such thing).

Jesus knew what it meant to pray to His Father with all His heart:

And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. (Luk 22:39-46)

Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (Heb 5:7)

I say all of that to encourage you to pray. Prayer is not a waste of time, or just a motion we go through. God is alive, He means business, and He wants us to mean business. If we ask, we shall receive. Jesus said so.

The onus is on us. How bad do we want our Father to save our families, our counties and our country, in the present or in eternity? Bad enough to pray fervently? He intervenes where we do so.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” . . .

Or to give some context:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Eph 3:14-21)

May God’s will be done, may He be glorified, and may Christ receive the reward for His sufferings.

Robert J. Borer