Does prayer change God's mind?

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Sharp

Sharp

Senior Member
#1
May 5, 2009
2,565
19
38
#1
Or does God just want to see our faith?

How can God change his mind? He is always right and has no need to change things.

Would God do something whether we prayed for it or not? God know what he is going to do, with or without our prayers.

So is the real value of prayer not the things we receive in answer to it, but the actual prayer itself?
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#2
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
23
0
#2
The scary thing is, prayer can change God's mind, if you are persistant enough. Scary because changing God's will may have unforeseen consequences down the track.
 
M

machew

Guest
#3
#3
MahogonySnail said:
The scary thing is, prayer can change God's mind, if you are persistant enough. Scary because changing God's will may have unforeseen consequences down the track.
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It's not scary when you realize His Love for you and for others. He has changed His mind in the Bible for those He considers friends (Abraham, Moses, David, etc). His heart is moved by those who are intimate with Him.
 
T

Thaddaeus

Banned
#4
Jan 31, 2009
2,225
11
0
#4
Sharp said:
Or does God just want to see our faith?

How can God change his mind? He is always right and has no need to change things.

Would God do something whether we prayed for it or not? God know what he is going to do, with or without our prayers.

So is the real value of prayer not the things we receive in answer to it, but the actual prayer itself?
Click to expand...
well there was a man, Hezekiah in the old testament, that God told a prophet, Isaiah to tell this man to get his house in order, for his time here was up, the man prayed and God gave Him 15 more years here so I would say yes God changed His Mind. God can not lie so it was time up for the man But God changed His Mind
 
Sharp

Sharp

Senior Member
#5
May 5, 2009
2,565
19
38
#5
Thaddaeus said:
well there was a man, Hezekiah in the old testament, that God told a prophet, Isaiah to tell this man to get his house in order, for his time here was up, the man prayed and God gave Him 15 more years here so I would say yes God changed His Mind. God can not lie so it was time up for the man But God changed His Mind
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But God always knew he was going to give him another 15 years. So how does that work?

Would he have given him 15 more years if he didn't pray?
 
T

Thaddaeus

Banned
#6
Jan 31, 2009
2,225
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#6
Sharp said:
But God always knew he was going to give him another 15 years. So how does that work?

Would he have given him 15 more years if he didn't pray?
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God said he was going to die but didn't say when, so it could have been today or 15 years from now , but No I don't not believe he would had lived the extra fifteen years if he had not prayed , for you have not for you ask not, but in contents I think God meant soon and not fifteen years. but prayer does change things for God could not have told us to pray for the sick, well let me rephrase that, God changes things through prayer

2ki 20:5Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.2ki 20:6And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#7
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
23
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#7
well there was a man, Hezekiah in the old testament, that God told a prophet, Isaiah to tell this man to get his house in order, for his time here was up, the man prayed and God gave Him 15 more years here so I would say yes God changed His Mind. God can not lie so it was time up for the man But God changed His Mind
Click to expand...
Amen.

And it is thought to have created unforeseen consequences for Israel, in that those who succeeded him were apostates.
 
pickles

pickles

Senior Member
#8
Apr 20, 2009
14,479
182
63
#8
I often see prayer as glorifying God's choices!
God bless, pickles
 
Ashton

Ashton

Banned
#9
Feb 18, 2010
191
0
0
#9
Sharp said:
Or does God just want to see our faith?

How can God change his mind? He is always right and has no need to change things.

Would God do something whether we prayed for it or not? God know what he is going to do, with or without our prayers.

So is the real value of prayer not the things we receive in answer to it, but the actual prayer itself?
Click to expand...
Hm... I don't believe prayer can truly change God's mind because I believe he has everything worked out from the beginning of time (Matthew 6:8). God already knows what we need before we ask him, because he knows the future. If he didn't know the future then there wouldn't be any prophets. But what would it do for our relationship with God for him to give us everything we needed without talking to him first? He recognizes our limitations and interacts with us within those limitations. If God didn't interact with us within our temporal limitations he'd discipline us for our sin the coming Tuesday. We'd be left wondering why he was so vengeful when we were obedient to him and why he was so lenient when we sinned against him. So it's not so much that our prayers can change God's mind as much as it is that God has built his divine plans from the foundation of the world with our prayers in mind.
 
G

giantone

Guest
#10
#10
A parent will make most of the choices for the child, but as as he gets older the parent lets the child have more choices, even bad ones.
 
G

giantone

Guest
#11
#11
God also will allow you to show if you believe His power, if you believe He can save you or deliver you.

2 Kings 13:17 *And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
18 *And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
19 *And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
 
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