Repeat after me:
I cannot change God’s mind.
Now let that sink in for a minute.
Too often I forget that prayer is not meant to change God; it is meant to change me. Jeremiah 14 is a great example of this. The prophet spends the chapter trying to get God to turn aside from his judgment, even using the tried and true method of appealing to the sake of his Name and reputation (14:7ff, 21ff). But God’s plans have already been set in motion and they will not be altered. In fact, looking ahead to chapter 15, God tells Jeremiah that not even Samuel or Moses could intercede for the people.
The belief that God holds off on executing his plans until we pray and then reacts to those prayers has led to a very arrogant approach to prayer. We do not approach prayer asking God to conform our will to his. Instead we expect God to grant all that we pray for, and then we become bitter or disillusioned when our requests are not granted. We should be extremely thankful that we do not have such a reactionary God who responds to the whims and emotions of his people, but rather a decisive God who acts in the best interest of his people no matter what they feel.
There is exceptional power in prayer, but it is the power to take my will and conform it to God’s, to give me a glimpse of how he works, and to give me confidence and peace that all things work for the good of those who love him.
This does not mean that we do not need to intercede on behalf of the sick, the lost, or the hurting. It simply means that our approach to prayer should not be with the intent of changing God’s will but with the intent of having our will changed by him. When our approach is the latter, we will never be satisfied unless God answers our prayer exactly as we have asked. When our approach is the former, we will be satisfied even if our request is denied in light of his greater plan.
I cannot change God’s mind, but he can change mine, and I need to be open to allowing him to do so.