Prayer Changes Things (Pastor's Corner)

            Have you ever been surprised in an answer to prayer? Perhaps you prayed for something, and were shocked that it actually happened. In the book of Acts Chapter 12, that exact thing happened. Peter is arrested and the authorities were ready to execute him for preaching the gospel. The Church was still in shock from the death of James, the brother of John. They prayed, (Acts 12:5) but knew Peter was likely headed for the same fate.

            Yet, in the middle of the night, like a dream, an angel of God frees Peter from prison and Peter decides to visit a group of Christians who at that moment were praying, probably for his release (Acts 12:12). The servant girl is so shocked he leaves Peter at the door knocking and tells the praying Christians who don’t believe her! (Acts 12:15) When they finally opened the door, Scripture says “they saw him and were amazed.” (Acts 12:16)

            There is much to love in this story. First, the humor of Peter showing up and being left knocking at the door. But also, it is amazing to see the church pray for something they seemed not to believe would be answered in the way they desired. Perhaps this shows that the strength of the faith of our prayer is not the factor, but the strength of the One to Whom we pray is what counts! Certainly, God does not always answer us exactly how we want. Jesus prays to avoid the cross if possible, praying “may this cup pass from me” but ultimately submits to His Father, that His Father’s Will be done: “not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) Our prayers, for the sake of our good and God’s glory must sometimes be answered: “no.”

            That fact, however, should not lead us to abandoning prayer because it would “not change anything.” God is sovereign, yet still God sovereignly decided that prayer would change things humanly speaking. God loves to use means (our confession of faith even says so! WCF 3.1). God does not have to use the means of his Word to convert, yet God uses that secondary means. God also does not have to use the means of prayer to affect events, yet God ordains the prayers and events of history at times to aid our faith, and even advance the gospel. Stephen prayed for Saul, and Saul was converted. The church prayed for Peter’s release, and Peter was released. Hezekiah prayed not to die, and God gave him 15 more years. God answers prayers, for our benefit, and sometimes intervenes in ways that would be different if not for our prayers because God wills that prayer be the deciding factor. Prayer becomes a means of our peering into the graciousness and mercy of a Father who listens to His beloved children.

            One such prayer, that changed all of our lives, was uttered by Christ on the cross. “Father, forgive them.” Although God does not answer all of our prayers “yes” he does answer the prayers that are best for us. We can thank God then for a “no,” such as the Father answered Jesus’ prayer that the cup pass from Him, so that God could answer “yes” to the prayer: “Father, forgive them.”

Prayers of a Mother (Pastor's Corner)

            Prayer is powerful. It is powerful not because prayer itself is powerful, but because the God to Whom we pray is powerful and “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.”[Ephesians 3:20] We might hear that, but does it actually happen?

            Aurelius Augustus (popularly known as “Augustine”) was a saint, as all are who believe in Christ, but if you read his life in his autobiography “Confessions,” your first reaction would not be to call him holy. Augustine recalls his “hedonistic” days when he stole for the fun of it, was a womanizer, and followed every new worldly philosophy he encountered.

            This was not how Monica, his mother, raised him. She had as her desire that he would get married, live near her, and most of all to be a faithful Christian. But as Monica watched Augustine shacking up with various women, follow teachers and philosophers around and even move hundreds of miles away – she did more than watch. She prayed. A lot.

As Augustine wrote his autobiography, the narrative is the form of a prayer to God as he sees the hand of God on his life, and God seeking him, even when Augustine was not seeking God. Soon, Augustine met a Christian friend and listened to a preacher named Ambrose and picked up the Scriptures after hearing a child’s voice playing, saying “Tolle Lege!” or “Take and Read!” Augustine read a section of Romans about the evils of sin and glories of Christ and was convicted, turning to Christ. The first thing he did was tell his mother, whom he knew was praying for him. He wrote:

“From there we went in to my mother, and told her. She was filled with joy. We told her how it happened. She exulted, feeling it to be a triumph, and blessed You [God] who ‘are more powerful to do more than we ask or think’ [Ephesians 3:20]. She saw that you had granted her far more than she had long been praying for in her unhappy and tearful groans.” [1]

Our Confession calls prayer a “means of grace.” Yet, prayer is unique since the grace for whom it may be a means may not even be the one who is praying. Prayer was a means of grace for Saul as Stephen prayed for his soul. Prayer was a means of grace for Augustine as Monica prayed for her son’s soul. Prayer can be a means of grace as we pray, “offering up our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies”[2] as we pray for grace for our family, friends and even enemies to know the God of grace.

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[1] Augustine. Confessions. chapter VIII.xii

[2] Shorter Catechism Question 98