Can our prayers change God's mind?

Last night at my Monday small group meeting this question was thrown out; “Can our prayers actually change God’s mind?” My answer basically, “I have no understanding of things that are not understandable.” While this answer brought a “chuckle” to the group (even to me it sounded much like Orwell’s double talk/double think process) it is still my stand on this and most any topic concerning God. I simply do not have the intellect, the ability, the brains, whatever you want to call it to comprehend the awesomeness of the Sovereign Lord God Almighty!

According to Robert B. Chisholm, Jr. Department Chair and Professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, “It depends. In the Old Testament not all statements of intention are the same, some are decrees or oaths that are unconditional and bind the speaker to a stated course of action. Others, which may be labeled announcements, retain a conditional element and do not necessarily bind the speaker to a stated course of action) Now to me that really sounds more along the lines of the explanation of a covenant than the answer to the question of whether or not God changes His mind, even though Dr. Chisholm makes many points which he richly substantiates with scripture references. .” (Does God “Change His Mind?” http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/02-exodus/Text/Articles/Chisholm-ChangeMind-BSac.pdf

Beneath the Cross states in their article Does Prayer Change God’s Mind? “There are two primary views of prayer in Christianity. One is that God uses prayer as one avenue to bring about his sovereign purposes in the world. The other is that man uses prayer as an instrument to bring about his will in heaven and on earth.” Okay, I’m not a theologian but the previous sentences seem a little over simplified. Further, “Open Theism is the theology that God does not know the future and he is, therefore, “open” in his relationships and dealings with people. Because of this belief, Open Theists claim that prayer can change God’s mind. Greg Boyd, one of the spearheads of Open Theism, says that this view of prayer helps God decide or change his mind, since he does not know everything. E.M. Bounds, the 19th Century Methodist minister, wrote, “Prayer affects God more powerfully than His own purposes. God’s will, words and purposes are all subject to review when the mighty potencies of prayer come in. How mighty prayer is with God may be seen as he readily sets aside His own fixed and declared purposes in answer to prayer” (the author’s emphasis). http://jamespruch.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/does-prayer-change-gods-mind/ Again, not a theologian, but aren’t the statements “God does not know the future” and “Prayer effects God more powerfully than his own purposes” well, just wrong?

Numbers 23:19 (NASB) states “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Yet Jonah 3:10 states, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.” (TNIV)
So which is it? I say again, “I have no understanding of things that are not understandable;” but I can see a pattern when I read scripture. A pattern of religious ritual in an attempt to earn God’s favor and to manipulate Him by man’s own actions into doing the things that man desired. Following God’s decrees just enough to look good, to appear obedient to the world, just enough to maybe say: “God you owe me, I’m your chosen people and I’m keeping your law, burning incense toYou and sacrificing burnt offerings on Your altar. See I’m doing my part, now You do Yours!”

I believe these, man’s self serving actions, are dealt with in Jeremiah 6:19-20, 7:21 and Amos 5:21-26 which states, "I hate, I despise your religious festivals; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Did you bring me sacrifices or offering forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.”

Maybe it's the condition of the heart? When the Lord is informing Moses of His plans to destroy Israel, Moses’ concern was not for himself or to make himself look good in the eyes of man or even to be exalted by God! Moses heart, his concern was for the Lord and the Lord’s reputation. Exodus 32:9-14 reads, "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (My emphasis) But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.' "Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.”

Jesus, our perfect example, who lived a rich prayer life as detailed throughout the gospels, not only instructed us regarding how to pray, but reminded us in Matthew 6:8b that “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” These words of Jesus re-confirm for me the sovereignty of God. That He does have foreknowledge of all things, that His nature is to be concerned for and aware of our needs and is the best argument for me against many of the statements of Open Theism.

The Bible tells me that God is pleased with the prayers of my heart! Psalm 141:2 tells us that our prayers are incense to God and the lifting up hands is like the evening sacrifice. And, that while the Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, the prayer of the upright pleases Him (Proverbs 15:8).

So, no I can’t tell you with total certainty that prayers will change the mind of the God; what I can tell you is that my plan is to seek His will and His heart as much as I humanly can and when it’s beyond my human ability I plan to ask Him to bring me closer to Him outside of that ability. Through pray I’m going to worship Him, seek His guidance and continue to make petition to Him. James 4:2 says, “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.”

But my friend Kevin, I think said it best last night. It’s like dealing with toddlers. We usually have a plan for what we are and are not going to give them, but sometimes just because we love them so much they ask for more and our hearts open and we relent, and give them sometime good. Isn’t that what Jesus was talking about when He asked, if your son asks for a fish will you give him a snake instead? (Luke 11)