Even if you don't feel like it. It's not just true around here, this is true everywhere. 22 Sin Ming Lane 3. At the end of the book, God plainly says that these men did not treat Job in the right way, that they are wrong. It isn't that we didn't pray enough with the right words and behaviors so God will answer. Why should I not be impatient? Realizing quickly that prayer was an important aspect of the believers life, I wanted to know more. God will get them sooner or later. 27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. Just give a bit of time and patience. Give it time, stay strong, and maybe in hindsight you will see how your prayers pan out. There is something erroneous in the question, If God knows everything, why pray? The question assumes that prayer is one-dimensional and is defined simply as supplication or intercession. We seek the Lord and ask Him what He is up to, why He doesnt choose to intervene. These were all people of faith backed up by communities of faith. Since then, Ive learned so much about prayer. Brittany lives with her husband, Ryan, and son, Roman, in Castle Rock, Colorado. And yet, in the midst of the darkness, there is an unshaken confidence in God. 13 They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. Besides, if not God then who else are we gonna talk to? Why Pray if God Has Already Decided Everything? - The Gospel Coalition In the meantime we call upon God to intervene and heal broken people and broken relationships, as demonstrations of the reality of the in breaking Kingdom of God. He may withhold meeting that need or choose to go another route. 8 brothegaminghero 2 yr. ago Does it matter 3 ShackintheWood 2 yr. ago yes, if you are praying to the god of mildly sharp cheddar cheese, i am not sure what you would expect to happen. You're just as wicked as the rest of them." Have you paid no regard to their accounts-. In fact, he says, the whole lives of the wicked are often untroubled. (Job 25:2 RSV). In many ways the church has fallen into Pharisaism, a kind of outward rightness with an inward wrongness. However, can our prayers change the circumstances? There is a basic unfairness at the root of things, and this is what causes many people to be troubled by the claims of Christians about a loving, faithful, just, and holy God. It is useful; it works. And prayer was the vehicle by which Jesus aligned himself with the Father. If God doesn't intervene what is the point of praying? John Calvin, in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, makes some profound observations regarding prayer: But, someone will say, does God not know, even without being reminded, both in what respect we are troubled and what is expedient for us, so that it may seem in a sense superfluous that he should be stirred up by our prayersas if he were drowsily blinking or even sleeping until he is aroused by our voice? Who then can understand the thunder of his power?". Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not clean in his sight; how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!" God is authoritative in all things. Its automatic that if theres new life within us, that new life finds expression in prayer. But they who thus reason do not observe to what end the Lord instructed his people to pray, for he ordained it not so much for his own sake as for ours. 5 Things Your Teen Has Questions about but Is Too Afraid to California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Reason no. If God is not sovereign were praying to a God who is not able to do something about our situation. So with this mockery and scorn he tries to break through Job's argument. In Verses15-20 Eliphaz suggests that Job is saying that he rejects the wicked and their way of life when actually he holds to it. Why Bother To Pray If It Doesn't Work! - What God May Really Be Like That's when we become discouraged because we want to believe that God hears our prayers and yet He may not choose to move in such a way. He represents the type of Pharisaism that comes on heavy with impassioned words and strong outbursts of feeling. Also never be afraid to ask for help, I bet you have people in your life who would be willing. 22 "Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest? 10 That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you. That brings us then to Chapters23 and 24, where you have Job's expression of his deepest problem. And here, in Chapter21, you see a careful attempt on his part to answer these arguments. 23 When he has filled his belly, God will vent his burning anger against him and rain down his blows upon him. (Job 22:4 RSV). So if we are getting by with things now, it is only because God is withholding his hand, that he might give us a chance to learn the truth about ourselves. I had never prayed before the moment I prayed for salvation. That's a very passive way of relating to God. Prayer puts us in direct communication with our incredible God, brings down idols and distractions, paves the way for deliverance, and tunes our ear into His voice. And see how lofty are the highest stars! 25 then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Answer (1 of 8): God sometimes doesn't intervene directly and humans, in this regard by showing love and kindness to others, are what God uses to intervene (look at how many Christian charities help with poverty in Africa). Prayer, like everything else in the Christian life, is for Gods glory and for our benefit, in that order. Gods overall desire is for healing and wholeness. Why Does God Allow Christians to Die In Accidents? So, we pray because God is changing us, hes changing things, and hes changing the course of events. It is our privilege to bring the whole of our finite existence into the glory of His infinite presence. The barrier problem can be seen in a passage of Scripture in Isaiah 59:1-2. That our first inclination should be to talk to Him. You see a sunset that is so moving that it awakens depths in you that you cant explain. What he says is simply that there is a mystery in God that no man can plumb. 10 Things You Should Consider before You Drink Alcohol, 7 Soundtracks for Every Feeling in the Christian Life, A Prayer for a Heavenly Perspective - Your Daily Prayer - July 11, Movieguide Warns Parents: 'Don't Take Your Daughter to See, 30 Morning Prayers to Start Each Day with God, On His Mind - Greg Laurie Devotion - July 11, 2023, Biblical City of Sodom Has Been Found, Archaeologist Says: 'Wiped Out in the Blink of an Eye', 10 Classic Movies Every Christian Teen Should Watch, 5 Things Your Teen Has Questions about but Is Too Afraid to Ask You, How I Learned to Have A Stress-Free Summer with My Kids, 5 Ways to Find Encouragement When Life Is Bleak, This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. Brittany Rusthas a passion to see people impacted by the power of Gods Word and His abundant grace through writing and speaking. However, there are times when God chooses not to intervene. But God did not intervene in answer to his prayers. No, he would not press charges against me. 9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. 4 Prayers for God to Move the Mountain of Depression in Your Life. The phrase, "God won't tamper with our free will" makes all answers to prayer impossible, except answers of direct intervention. 12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. When you accept him you will go to him for he is our Heavenly Father and will help us when we ask. Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!". 14 He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. Job never does that. We do not desire the knowledge of thy ways. 22 Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. 17 He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. James says that we have not because we ask not (James 4:2). Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it! He is inferring that Job thinks he is defending himself to the glory and honor of God, that God's integrity is at stake, and if Job confesses anything wrong God will falter and fail thereby, and that God's image in the eyes of men hangs on Job's ability to appear righteous. What would he gain if your ways were blameless? We have the matchless privilege of sharing our innermost thoughts with God. God can. The reverse is also true. 6 When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body. Prayer is discourse with the personal God Himself. What about these wicked people who live without a touch? Prayer is not a plea to God to intervene or to change His mind, or to give us some kind of privilege, extra protection or even some kind of advantage over our fellow humans, but it's our means of sharing our innermost thoughts with God and of worshipping Him. I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me." We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. God answered many prayers and did the seemingly impossible right before my eyes! Then Job answered: "Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your consolation. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre, and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. So often we go to prayer for a need and ask God to move. 11 The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke. 18 "Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one goes to the vineyards. Why Can't God Intervene? - Article - BioLogos This is a childish charge against Job. Thieves and scoundrels flourish (Verses2-3); poor people suffer terribly, they are mistreated, they have to scratch for a living, and they are exposed to the elements (Verses4-12). Not one of these things was true; he simply begins to invent things. Unanswered Prayers: Unanswered prayers are those God doesn't answer the way we pray them or he seems to be silent. We pray because God commands us to pray ( Philippians 4:6-7 ). However, there are times when God chooses not to intervene. He says to these pious, respectable friends, "Your arguments do not square with the facts. (Job 20:1-3 RSV). 31 Who denounces his conduct to his face? A lady said to me the other day, "I don't know what's wrong with me, but God won't answer my prayers. Nothing escapes God's notice; nothing oversteps the boundaries of His power. She is the founder of Truth and Grace Ministries, Truth x Grace Women, and is the author of five books. 3 What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? But the profit of this sacrifice also, by which he is worshiped, returns to us. In fact, it's so passive, it isn't really relating. Why Do We Pray if God Ultimately Decides the Outcome? (Job 20:27 RSV), "This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God." "Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Previously published in Does Prayer Change Things? 15 He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up. Peter says, "Don't accuse God of slowness in fulfilling his promises, as men count slowness, because God is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish but wanting to give all a chance to come to repentance," 2Peter 3:9). He comes very close, but he refuses to do that. So is this the same for us going to God our Heavenly Father. 30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.". Job goes on to describe how the criminals strike in the darkness, and God does nothing about it, Verses14-15: "The murderer rises in the dark, that he may kill the poor and needy; and in the night he is as a thief. 32 He is carried to the grave, and watch is kept over his tomb. He is somehow limited in his power, his knowledge, and his ability to actually intervene in time and space and do something. 1: If God won't allow suffering, we will lose our FREE WILL One of the greatest gifts of God is free will.
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