Why should we intercede (pray) for others?
When we pray for someone that is sick or helpless, is it for their benefit? For our benefit? For God’s benefit? Does our prayer play a role in influencing God? How does that work, since God is sovereign?
When we pray for someone that is sick or helpless, is it for their benefit? For our benefit? For God’s benefit? Does our prayer play a role in influencing God? How does that work, since God is sovereign?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
We nearly got lost on the point about God’s sovereignty and whether God can be changed, circumstances can be changed, or if everything is fixed against some perfect standard. The exercise of free will (God’s or ours) requires that change be possible. There are some things that are immutable, and God manages them.
When we pray for ourselves or others it does have an effect on us and them. It builds trust. It demonstrates relationship. It proves what we say we believe. But prayer must be looked at as a cooperative thing with God, and not something completely separate from Him.
When Abraham interceded for Lot and the evil cities he lived in, it changed God’s methods for the sake of Lot but not His intentions. The cities were destroyed. When Moses interceded for the Israelites on Mount Sinai, it changed God’s method but not His intention. Ultimately, all the Israelites that God had threatened to destroy because of their idolatry ended up dying in the wilderness over the next forty years. The way they died was changed, however.
Prayer will change us, particularly in our relationship with God. In a sense, we have God’s plan for our life (Plan A) and through prayer and petition we can ask Him to grant us an alternative (Plan B). It is better to describe this dynamic as the story of our life instead of God’s plan for it. That way, we see that we (God and I) are writing the story in real time, as we go.
We can pray (intercede) on behalf of others in the same way. In that way we help them “write their story” while building relationships in three dimensions: them, us and God.
We must pray continually about all things with thanksgiving. When we do, we are participating with God in a meaningful way to accomplish a common goal. This builds trust and relationship. Imagine, God cares about our opinion and is willing to use our input and advice to affect the world, yet without ever voiding His sovereign will.
Admittedly, this concept is entirely too large and complex for Dan Friesen’s three pound brain. Each of the rest of us admitted to the same limitation.