“Prayer does not change anything,” he blurted. Shaun, a middle-aged man, was angry because God had not stopped his girlfriend leaving him or his mother from dying. What followed was months of dialogue and after each visit my friend allowed me to pray for him even though he could not bring himself to do it. In time, Shaun saw the hand of God lead him to a new woman who became his loving wife. Through the process Shaun’s faith in God and prayer was restored. His experience is not unusual for us humans. Why can’t God’s kind and loving will be done for us when we pray?
The Lord’s will has not been carried out perfectly on earth since Eve and Adam sinned by taking the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-6). The first humans followed their own will and were deceived by the will of the enemy—the devil (Revelation 12:7-9). One of the results of sin was that this world was now in turmoil—it was created by God but is ruled by Satan (Job 1:6,7; John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; Colossians 2:15). That is why God’s will cannot be carried out perfectly on this earth—we humans gave the devil a right to be here, causing chaos for everyone.
When Jesus came to earth He knew He was coming into enemy territory (Revelation 12:3-5; Matthew 2:1-18). It was the people in this territory who He came to rescue. The devil offered Jesus an easy win—you can have the earth and all humans back if you allow the devil to still be ruler. Thankfully Jesus denied the offer and overcame that intense temptation (Matthew 4:1-13).
Jesus came to bring a new kingdom to earth—God’s kingdom of love, righteousness and justice (Matthew 5-7). The key to the new kingdom is knowing who the King is—Jesus (Matthew 16:13-20)—and confessing His name. The new King can live in our hearts and minds (John 3:3-8; Ephesians 4:20-24). The new King has overcome and defeated the usurper (John 16:33; 1 John 3:8, 4:4). We connect with the new King through prayer. In fact, the new King taught us a new way to pray, although today what is known as the Lord’s Prayer is well known (Matthew 6:9-13).
After we have acknowledged the Father, Creator God, and honoured His holy name, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This prayer is requesting the reversal of what came to earth with sin. Jesus is asking us to bring His kingdom and power and love on the people and situations we are concerned about. We are claiming Jesus’ kingdom victory for them. In doing this, we are demanding the devil and his evil intentions to leave.
In my imagination, the Lord’s will is done perfectly in heaven. The angels are eager to do what God wants (Psalm 103:20). In the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking for God’s will to be brought to the situations we and our families and friends face in life. We are giving permission back to Jesus to push away the enemy and his plans, and allowing God’s will to be done. We are praying a prayer that will bring spiritual battle to earth. We are opening heaven’s doors and blessings to counteract the evil plans of the devil. We are claiming victory in Jesus.
While our prayers cannot dictate to God what to do, they do open up His love, power and intervention to the situation or person we are praying for. Our prayers cannot guarantee the outcome but on the authority of Scripture, we know that God is working to make some difference.
No wonder the apostle Paul says that prayer is a weapon in the battle of life (2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:12-19). Ellen White asks, “Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence?” (Steps to Christ, page 95).
Knowing this makes me want to not only pray more but teach others to pray in the power and authority of the new King Jesus. Will you join me in praying for God’s victory in our lives?
