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Unpacking Prayer

Explore the intriguing concept of influencing God through prayer. Learn how to pray effectively, make specific requests, intercede for others, and maintain the right focus in your prayers. Discover the significance of earnest prayer and see examples from biblical passages where God responds to His people's pleas. Gain insights into what God may or may not change His mind about, and contemplate the nature of God's sovereignty and interaction with humanity.

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Unpacking Prayer

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  1. Unpacking Prayer Part 17: Can I Change God’s Mind?

  2. Word study in prayer: 1. Prayer – proseuche and euche - General truths that are crucial to praying effectively. 2. Requests – deaesis and aitema – How to make specific requests that are both personal and of cosmic significance. 3. Intercession – enteuxis – How to get serious with God about the needs and circumstances of others. 4. Thanksgiving – eucharistia – How to keep the proper focus in prayer at all times.

  3. General truths about prayer Praying for specific requests

  4. Can I Change God’s Mind?

  5. 1. God is absolutely sovereign and reigns over all of the affairs of the universe. 2. God is a person and has the capacity to interact with us and our circumstances.

  6. What do we mean by “change God’s mind”? - To make Him correct His mistakes? - To appeal to His mercy? - To touch His heart?

  7. Times when it seems that God’s peoples’ prayers swayed Him to “change His mind:” - Moses appeals to God’s mercy (Exo. 32) • David wants to worship God before • all of the nations (2 Sam. 7; • 1 Chron. 28:1-5) - Earnest prayer causes God to respond (Dan. 10; Acts 12:5-12)

  8. Acts 12:5-12 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

  9. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

  10. Times when it seems that God’s peoples’ prayers swayed Him to “change His mind:” - Moses appeals to God’s mercy (Exo. 32) • David wants to worship God before • all of the nations (2 Sam. 7; • 1 Chron. 28:1-5) - Earnest prayer causes God to respond (Dan. 10; Acts 12:5-12)

  11. Pages 255-258

  12. Things God will not “change His mind” about: - Greater things revealed in prophecy. - Going against His nature. • Those things which He • knows best about.

  13. Luke 22:39-45 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

  14. God is not a human who can be convinced that He should change His mind about something, but He is a person and can enter into our situation, allowing us input into His divine plans.

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