AVE YOU EVER stopped to for Noah, with the animals already on it. church prayed for His will to be done in
H
consider the many different Instead he left it up to Noah. Sure, He this little girl’s life. Even though we can-
types and styles of prayers gave Noah guidelines to follow—the not always understand God’s will, it is
that our Father must hear in dimensions of the ark and how many always for the good of His people. Jesus
a day? With millions of peo- animals to bring aboard. But then, God himself, while here on earth, instructed
ple on the earth, our Lord placed the big responsibility on Noah’s us to pray for the Father’s will to be done,
hears an assortment of prayers: from the shoulders. The very existence of mankind not ours (the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-
little girl praying in America for her lost and the animal species was, in one sense, 13). Then, as recorded in Matthew 26:39,
kitten to the father in Rwanda praying for laid in Noah’s hands. Jesus modeled the Lord’s Prayer in the
his kidnapped son to return home safely. God leaves a lot up to us, doesn’t He? Garden of Gethsemane right before He
We all pray for something dear and close Like prayer! He wants us to send up peti- was taken captive: “He went a little far-
to our heart—but what about the times tions on the behalf of others and for our- ther and fell on His face, and prayed, say-
when God needs us? selves. God knows what’s going on in the ing, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this
Many times in my meditations, my world, but He wants you and me to cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I
mind wonders why God operates the way express our concerns to Him anyway. will, but as You will’” (NKJV).
He does—take Creation, for example. A student once asked me, “Does Sure, it is only natural that we grieve
God made the heavens and the earth. He prayer really make a difference?” This was for the loss of a loved one; however, in
made all the living creatures including after a little girl in our church died of a the case of Amber, if we look at the big-
Adam. Here are the questions I find rare brain tumor. He went on to say that ger picture, we can see that this little
myself asking: Why didn’t God go ahead girl’s life left a huge testament of God’s
and name the animals Himself? He prob- love and mercy. By people coming
ably would have done a much better job,
When God wanted a temple
together in prayer, lives were changed for
and He could have done it in the blink of
an eye. Why did He place the Tree of
built to dwell in, He did not
God’s good . . . and theirs.
So the question becomes “Does God
Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Gar- make one instantaneously need you and your prayer?” The answer
den of Eden? Would it not have been bet-
appear out of nowhere.
is “Yes!” Can God make it on His own
ter to never give Adam the choice to eat
from the tree? These and other questions
Rather, He let the people of
without us? Absolutely! For whatever rea-
son, He chose you and me to make
run through my mind.
that time build Him one.
things happen for Him. I like to look at it
Why did God create us as indepen- this way: God has placed us, as Chris-
dent thinkers? God could have decided to tians, in the role of ambassadors for Him.
interact with His creation more frequent- if prayer is intended to make a difference, The Encarta Dictionary defines ambassador
ly and in more spectacular ways. Or God then why did Amber die after countless as “somebody who serves as an official
could have done even less, as the deists Tuesday night prayer meetings and after representative of something, for example
believe. He could be like a watchmaker all of the people in our church had prayed a movement.” That is how I like to look
who winds his clocks and then leaves for her? Prayer did not seem to make a at the role of a praying Christian. The
them to run all by themselves. In this sce- difference to spare her life. I began to praying Christian is a representative for
nario, then, prayer would be irrelevant. wonder myself, Does prayer really make a the people, one who will go to the Lord
But instead, God has always relied on difference? After a few days, I finally con- in prayer and petition God for the needs
humans as partners to further the process cluded, Yes, prayer does make a difference. of this world.
of His creation. Not that He needs us in Even though God chose to allow this Also I believe God wants us to pray
order to do so, but He has just chosen to little girl to die, many great things hap- to show ourselves and those around us
do it that way. For example, when God pened as a result of the church unifying that we care for the needs of our fellow
wanted a temple built to dwell in, He did in prayer: many of her family members man as well as our own needs. Richard
not make one instantaneously appear out received Christ as their Savior; our church J. Foster, in his book Celebration of Disci-
of nowhere. Rather, He let the people of became unified and closer as a church pline, said, “To pray is to change.” When
that time build Him one. It would not body; and many who had become negli- we pray, we are not only changing our
be perfect—not by God’s standards— gent in their prayer lives found a renewed lives for the better, but we are also chang-
nonetheless, the people fashioned one for sense of purpose in prayer. All of this ing the course of history.
Him. Once they were finished, God happened as a result of prayer.
accepted it and dwelt there. Another Prayer does make a difference, espe- Steven Liscum serves as associate pastor
great example, God told Noah to build an cially when we know how to pray to at the Cramerton Life Church of God in
ark. God could have had it waiting there God. The majority of the people in our Cramerton, North Carolina.
EVANGEL • DEC 2008 21
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