By Lisa S. Tarno

Do you think we can change God’s mind? Genesis 18 shows Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah; Exodus 32 shows Moses praying for God’s anger to abate towards the idol worshipping Israelites…and it seems like God changes his first course of action. What are we to take away from these examples in our own prayer lives? 

I don’t know if I can fully answer that question. At first glance, it seems we can press in and pray for situations to change. We can appeal to both of God’s characteristics of mercy and justice but I feel it’s vital to leave the results in His hands. Vital, in that, we realize we have no control of most things in life and certainly not God. Whether or not we get the answer we are praying for, we need to concede on Isaiah 55:8-9 which says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine…”

In reference to the Luke passage of the persistent widow wearing down the worldly judge and getting what she wanted, her tenacity is extolled. So then does the squeaky wheel finally get the oil so to speak? What exactly is being highlighted here? Are we to approach our prayers to God in that same manner? Or is there something else that God is after? 

I just had a similar conversation with my college age son. We are in mechanical crisis with the car we are letting him use. I say we because the initial payment comes from the bank of dad and mom. Later he will have to work more to pay it back. The breakdown is major and it’s taking more time to resolve than first thought. In our conversations I talk about how this is completely out of our control and to accept it. I first started with “There’s nothing we can do but wait….” But, I rephrased it as, “We can pray…that’s what we can do in this situation.”

He is frustrated by the prayer thing. He prayed that it wouldn’t be the transmission and it turned out it was. He prayed that it could be done by a certain time so he could get back to work, and that didn’t happen. So here we sit…in the parking lot of life. I shared with him that most of life is like this where we are waiting so it’s worthwhile to ask God to help us wait well. 

Furthermore, I completely understood his frustration as many years of life and prayers circled around in my head. There were times when God answered “Yes” and life was good. There were times where He answered “No” and I wrestled with that. Most of the time was a holding pattern of waiting….for the “Not yet” or “Wait”. I swore, in those times, I felt like God put me on voicemail and was too busy for me. Crickets…

So I shared with my son this story from Luke 18 about the persistent widow. This is what I can simply deduct, God desires a relationship with us….period! Of course persistence is applauded because it creates multiple conversations with a God who loves us and wants us to talk to Him…as much as we can. I think this verse is more about our relationship with God than it is changing God’s timetable for things to happen. The timetable could very well change, by God’s choosing, but more importantly how are WE changing? 

I suggested that my son ask God to help him wait well and to have God’s peace while waiting. I suggested that he ask for wisdom and discernment from God in the meanwhile. Why? Because I know without a shadow of a doubt that God will give us peace when we turn our focus on Him and will grant us wisdom because His Word says to ask for it and it will be given.  We can trust that He will meet all our needs because His word says that as well. We take Him at His Word. We just need to sort out what is really a need in the moment. 

Persistence in prayer, I believe, should be transforming us as we begin to pray from a basis of faith and not panic. I’ve always felt that if we are struggling with doubts while praying for something long in coming, we need to ask God to help us believe and find the peace of laying it at His feet. It involves a deeper quality: Trust! All throughout our lives we are learning to trust ourselves, others and God. Is it no wonder that we come into this world as a fist clenching infant that takes years to unravel the grip we have on life? The natural curve in our physical hands should remind us of the journey of letting go and trusting God! 

As we ask for the very things God too would desire in another person, we have to let the results be in God’s perfect timing. I hope for my prodigal to return and pray for that to happen… I pray for others that their eyes would be opened and receive Christ….yet….crickets. I believe that I am to persist in prayer especially for these things. Relationship, Trust and Faith are the gold that God is after in each of us.