Many people called in to address this topic. Some called in arguing there wasn’t a god, and there was no point to prayer. Others called in and said God’s will was already determined. These people said the only point to prayer was to build a relationship with God, essentially implying there is no point in asking God for anything because He has already determined the outcome of everything. One caller called in and said we can ask God for various blessings, but we only get those blessings if we know how to pray. None of them seemed to understand the true power or purpose of a prayer of faith. So I want to address this subject in today’s blog entry.
A previous post has addressed the question of whether or not there is a God. The answer is there most certainly is a God. He is our Heavenly Father and is very much aware of us and our lives. I will not go into further detail on this question in this post.
I’ll instead start with the second set of callers. There were many forms these callers used for their arguments. But all of them came down to the same point. God’s will determines everything in this life. He has determined when and how everything will happen. Prayer cannot change His will according to these people.
This set of callers was partially right. The primary purpose of this world is to help us learn and develop to become the best people we can be. For many that means becoming like God. In order to become like God, we need to develop a perfect will. This means we must face difficult circumstances in order to learn to choose that which is good in the face of adversity. For this reason we must face certain hardships and difficulties that have been predetermined by God. No amount of prayer will prevent these hardships and difficulties. However, prayer can make it easier for us to suffer through these occasions.
We may also face circumstances in which no amount of prayer will change the circumstances because the circumstances were brought about by poor choices on our part. We have been given the agency to choose, as discussed in a previous post. This agency gives us the ability to make bad decisions. When we make any decision, right or wrong, the choice brings consequences, good or bad. If we choose poorly, we must suffer the consequences. Faithfully repenting and praying for help with the consequences will bring the help of God in carrying the burden of the consequences. But it is less likely that the consequences will be removed.
Thus we can see that there are times when asking God for things in prayer won’t change the outcome that has already been set. We cannot change God’s will. For our own growth we must face the predetermined circumstances. Yet faithfully praying can help lighten the load of the burdens we face in these times.
But prayer does more than bringing help in bearing the burdens we face. Prayer can also result in a different outcome than the one achieved without prayer. Our Heavenly Father has many blessings He is willing to give us. Some of these blessings will come about because of righteous acts. Some will come about because they are a part of our learning process. And some we will only gain if we have the faith to ask for them. Our Heavenly Father wants to give us these blessings, but has made a requirement for them a simple prayer of faith. In these circumstances prayer can change the outcome.
So God’s will does determine everything. Yet, at times, faithful praying can result in different outcomes than a lack of prayer would. At other times prayer can make it easier to endure the circumstances we must face, but will not change the actual circumstances.
The last caller stated prayer can change the results only if we know how to pray. This isn’t true. It is true that praying for something contrary to the will of God will not yield results. It’s also true that at times our wording can make a difference. After all a specific question may bring a different answer than a broad question will. But the only constant requirement to prayer is that it is done in faith.
I love prayer. I can testify to you that it is a powerful tool that impacts our lives. It brings us help. It brings us guidance. It brings us blessings. And it brings us closer to our Heavenly Father. So pray in faith, and trust that God is listening and stands ready to give you answers to your prayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment