Truth Archive

If it were not for the power at our disposal to move and change the mind of God there would be no point to prayer.

Remember when God planned to wipe out the children of Israel and raise up a seed from Moses? Moses prayed and changed the mind of God. Exodus 32:9-14 This passage is the first of two occasions where Moses intercedes for sinful Israel before an angry God who was ready to wipe them out and succeeds in appealing for mercy for them.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites repeatedly turned away from God and angered Him to the point that He threatened to destroy them. In desperation, Moses intervened on their behalf and pleaded with the Lord to withhold the destruction He had planned. Time and time again, God answered Moses’ prayers with mercy and chose not to bring about the destruction He had threatened.
For example, in Exodus 32 the Israelites created a golden calf and worshipped it in place of God. The Lord in his fury threatened to destroy His people (Exodus 32:10). Moses prayed to God on behalf of the Israelites, pleading for Him to relent: “Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!” (Exodus 32:12 NLT). God in His unfailing mercy relented: “The Lord changed His mind about the terrible disaster He had threatened to bring on His people” (Exodus 32:14 NLT). “So he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them” (Psalm 106:23 NIV).
Jonah Prayed; Ninevites repented. Jonah 4:2 Jonah didn’t want to preach to Nineveh because he wanted them destroyed; so he tried to run away from God. They were a dreaded enemy to God’s people. He had likely prayed for their destruction, but God answered his prayer in sending him forth with the Gospel. When he was finally willing to go, sure enough they repented and God changed His mind and spared them. This was the greatest mission in numbers ever worked!
With both the Israelites and the Ninevites, God chose to spare them in response to human prayers and repentance. This decision on God’s part to act a certain way because people cried out to Him is, I believe, a recurrent theme throughout the Bible.
Similar examples of God choosing to relent from His plans in response to the prayers and sufferings of people are seen in Numbers 11:1-2; Numbers 14:12-20; Numbers 16:20-35, Numbers 41-48; Deuteronomy 9:13-14, Deuteronomy 18-25; Judges 10:13-18, Judges 11:1-33; 2 Samuel 24:17-25; 1 Kings 21:27-29; 2 Kings 13:3-5; 2, Kings 21:27-29; and 1 Chronicles 21:15.
Abraham prayed. Abraham knew this pending destruction. In Genesis 18:16-33 we see the patriarch standing before the Lord, actually praying for Sodom and Gomorrah and pleading that the Lord would reconsider His plan to destroy the evil cities. His nephew Lot and family were there and very wealthy. We read of the cities of Lot. Abraham’s prayers resulted in the deliverance of Lot and his two daughters (but Lot lost all his wealth). One daughter is listed in the lineage of Jesus!
King Hezekiah’s prayer: when Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Isaiah delivered to him a sobering message. “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live” (2 Kings 20:1).
The prediction was clear. No options were presented. Yet, notice Hezekiah’s response after the prophet leaves. “Then he turned his face toward the wall, and PRAYED TO THE LORD, SAYING, ‘REMEMBER NOW, O LORD, I PRAY, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly” (verses 2-3). There was unfinished work he wanted to do for the land he ruled over.
God quickly responded. “And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: ‘I HAVE HEARD YOUR PRAYER, I HAVE SEEN YOUR TEARS; surely I will heal you’ (verses 4-5)”.
Did Hezekiah’s prayer change God’s mind? Before answering this question, it’s important to distinguish between God’s prediction and God’s purpose. He wasn’t seeking to destroy the king’s life. The message was actually an opportunity for Hezekiah to turn to God for help. His answered prayer demonstrates how God is merciful, not vengeful. When we earnestly ask our heavenly Father to answer our prayers, let us always remember He loves us and wants what is best for us. God doesn’t know all about our future, but is waiting for us to determine our future. And, pray as Jesus, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.”