Prayer 101: 8. Prayer and the Plan of God

I don't know about you, but I sometimes think about being part of something bigger or greater than me.

It's not that I'm arrogant or have a huge ego that needs to be constantly stroked (okay, I have a small ego that needs to be stroked every once in a while), but sometimes, life is pretty mundane. And when it gets mundane, all of us - including me - rhetorically ask, "Isn't there more to life than this?"

The answer to that question - whether we believe it or not - is, "Yes! There is more to this life." Each one of us, in our own unique way, is a part of the magnificent puzzle or mosaic of God's Eternal Plan. The problem is that we - I - only see a very small part of that plan. Sometimes we're oblivious to it. Other times, we may not believe we are "worthy" of participating in God's Plan.

The fact of the matter is that God - since man's creation - has continually used men and women as an integral part of His Plan of Redemption. After all, God's Plan of Redemption is for MAN and no other created being. The only other rebellious created beings are angels (now demons) who were created with a will, but not in God's likeness and image, and are already condemned without hope of redemption. Hell was created for their - and anyone who would choose to follow their example - rebellion and disobedience. These are facts that we have to not only understand but contend with. 

This all brings us back to the two original questions at the start of this study series on Prayer: Why do we need to pray? and What is prayer? The prophet Daniel knew that in order to survive his new life in exile in Babylon - and in particular in the service of the king's court as an adviser -  he had to lean in closely to God. He knew that his life would not only depend on God's provision and intervention, but Daniel himself would have to be in continual communion (prayer) with God. And that's exactly what we see throughout the book of Daniel. 

As the decades in captivity passed, I believe that Daniel understood that he was part of something greater; something even more grand than being a  confidant of the most powerful man in the world. This something was God-sized. Daniel not only watched God work, he was an active participant in that work. And so, Daniel prays. For over seventy years, he prays expecting God to answer those prayers. Daniel is found interceding for all whom God's Plan will affect, be it he and his friends, the respective kings, or the Jewish remnant. Daniel interceded, he confessed, and he praised. He clung to God for dear life and that in turn shows Daniel for who he was: God's man of the moment. 

Daniel was strong and bold in what he stood for (God) and who he stood against  (various Babylonian and Persian kings). Time and again we read of Daniel being "exhausted"  as he interprets dreams or ponders the future revelations that God has given him. Daniel is a man living a divine purpose.

I believe that should be the goal of all of us: to be living a divine purpose and being an integral part of God's Plan.

Let's look at the Bible and two examples of three great saints communing with God and understanding their positions as not only intercessors but as threads in this glorious cosmic tapestry. These examples are just a  sample of the many men and women whom God intersected with as He worked  His Plan. There are many, many more. Some are kings, some prophets, some warriors; some of high estate, others poor; they are male and female. Their examples did not only make a difference at those particular times and places, but they were "linchpins" in God's really big picture and plan; just as Daniel was.

God is most interested in the character of His people. He is interested in our not only knowing Him but almost more importantly, becoming Christ-like. We are to be His image bearers in every sense of the word. And as we - I - pray, as we commune with God in the morning, at noon, in the evening - all during the day - He reveals more. There is Glory and Joy in God's Plan.

In the book of Genesis, we read of Abram. God is about to rename him, Abraham.  God has already worked miracles in his life. God specifically called this man out of Ur of the Chaldeas to make him a "great nation". And so, this man out of nowhere, goes home, tells his wife the news, packs up all of their belongings, and begins the trek of a lifetime. Abram followed God without question. For years he and his wife Sarai would reap God's blessings on their lives. They would also suffer certain times of turmoil or trouble. They would also now experience their greatest blessing. We read in chapter 17:

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, 'I  am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your  numbers.' 

"Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 'As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your  descendants after you;  and I will be their God.'" Genesis 17:1 - 8.

God promised to make Abraham a great nation, but with whom? He and his wife weren't getting any younger. And instead of being patient with God's timing, they took matters into their own hands. Unfortunately, most of us know how that usually turns out! Sarai, now Sarah, was barren. She was in her late seventies. And so to "help" God's Plan along, she gave her maid-servant to Abram to bear him a son, and Hagar did. The boy's name was Ishmael. This arrangement didn't go well and now with Abraham and Sarah being at the ripe old ages of 99 and 90 respectively, things were about to change. Dramatically. 

But what about Hagar and more importantly her son Ishmael? We continue reading, "Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, 'Will a son be born to a  man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age  of  ninety?'  And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under  your blessing!'  Then God said, 'Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a  son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for  Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.' When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. Genesis 17:17 - 22.

Remember that praying is nothing more than talking to God. We talk to God and share with Him or articulate our concerns. We tell Him our needs. We are to pour out our anger or frustration or fear. We "know" that He knows all of these things already, but our Father wants us to be a part of the process; a part of the Plan. Isaac was part of the specific covenantal Plan of Redemption. Ishmael was part of the plan as well. But Ishmael and all of his descendants would dog the heels of the true descendants of God's promise forever. Not only back from Genesis to the end of the Old Testament, but even through to today in the guise of Palestinians and Arabs. In other words, be very careful about what you ask in prayer.  Make sure that your plan is God's Plan and God's Plan has become your plan.

Next up is one of my favorite examples of being an integral part of God's Plan. I love reading the book of Esther. It's rich, it's moving. It highlights and brings to a conclusion events that began centuries earlier.

Under Saul, the first king of Israel, the prophet Samuel had instructed the king to completely annihilate the Amalekites (one of the descendant families from Esau - there's another story of a family with issues, now the twin brother of Jacob renamed Israel... but remember this is God's Plan and story, not ours), who centuries earlier than, had "waylaid the Israelites as they came up out of Egypt".  1 Samuel 15:2 - 3. 

This was to be their long-awaited punishment. God is slow and purposeful. His timing is everything. Please bear with me, the setup to Esther has to be laid out in its full context.

Unfortunately, Saul didn't follow Samuel's instructions. Some were left living including some of the family of Agag, king of the Amalekites. 

When we finally get to Esther, about 700 more years had passed. The Jews were in exile in Babylon. By and large, they were doing alright. Many Jews had successfully integrated themselves into their new home and culture, but events were to take a very bad turn. The Jews - as a whole were being plotted against. They were being targeted for annihilation.  And the "brains" behind this episode was a man named Haman, and Haman was an Agagite. Yes, from that Agag. Satan also has a long memory and patience to attempt to thwart God's Plan.

What would the Jews do? They were a conquered people living - albeit peaceably - in a foreign land under foreign laws. Esther was now called into action and prayer -  as well as fasting - to be the primary offensive weapon against the plot to destroy her people.

We read:"'...thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.' [told to Esther's uncle Mordecai] 

"When  Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: 'Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come  to your royal position  for such a time as this?'

"Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I  perish, I perish.'

"So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions." Esther 4:11 - 17.

"Such a time as this." All of us, in God's Plan, live that way. All of us Christians are called to be a part of God's Plan at various times and in various ways. There's no getting out of it. Whether we are teaching Sunday school or building houses for disaster relief or helping an elderly neighbor with their trash, we are called to be a part of His Plan of Redemption. We share Christ and His Atonement because we are actively engaging God not only in specific times of quiet, daily prayer but also because prayer has become a part of our lifestyle.

And now as the Jews in all of the provinces, including Esther and Mordecai,  prayed, God would move mightily. With prayer and supplication, King Xerxes would publish a new edict - written with the approval of Esther and Mordecai - to help the Jews living throughout the empire not only defend themselves but to bring down anyone who would harm God's chosen people.

As an aside, you never hear of the line of Agag or the Amalekites again in Scripture. God's Plan is never thwarted.

So what about today? What about us? Jesus has come and redeemed us through the shedding of His blood on the cross. He rose again in triumph over victory and death and is now seated at the Father's right hand. Why should we be concerned about  God's Plan? Isn't it all a done deal and finished?

Yes and no. God's Plan has been finished since Creation. God knew exactly what He was going to do and how He was going to do it. He has never wavered. Like Jesus facing the Cross, God's face is set like flint, unchanging, unmovable to finish to the last detail, every bit of His glorious Plan. The exciting part is that all of us still have an integral part to play. Prayer is a big part of the Plan of God. 

This is  what the Psalmist said about our prayers: 

"May my prayer be set before you like incense;
         may the lifting of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2.

Prayer is ACTIVE. We are to be actively in prayer.

As I first mentioned, all of us have a dream of doing something great, no matter what our position or station in life, we have a dream of being part of something even bigger. And it's yet to come. We need patience as God continues to unfold His Plan. Let's peek at what's ahead as we continue to pray and seek God's face for our lives and His Plan for our - and His - future. Time is fast approaching this future event.

Prayer is part of the Plan. In the very last days just before Jesus' second coming to rule and reign on the earth; just before God the Father finishes with the unleashing of the last of His Judgements on the earth during the time of the Tribulation, we read the following in Revelation 8:1 - 5,

"When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 

"And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and  hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake." 

Is that awesome or what?  The silence in heaven for half an hour is awesome enough but that censer with MY prayers in it; YOUR prayers in it; just think how much God thinks of your words and my words presented to Him. And when that censer is hurled to the earth, God's Plan really moves. 

Your prayers and my prayers and all of the prayers of all of His saints throughout the ages have gone and are still going into that censer as something fragrant being offered to God. Never think of your prayer as inconsequential. The words that Jesus gave us, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven" are truly mighty words. Whether we pray simply or grandly; whether we pray silently in our minds or we are pouring our hearts out with words of sorrow and anguish, if we are praying God's Will to be our will, that heavenly censer is being filled. 

This is why we need to pray. This is why we need to be in constant and continual communion with Him. We are to pray specifically for His Will to be done in our lives for His glory. We need to pray that God's Plan for our lives is revealed. We need to pray that our lives are a part of  God's Plan. As God receives His glory, we rejoice, we receive the joy that our Lord and Master and Savior is being Glorified and Magnified. He shines more glorious than the sun, and we get to be in that shining glory - His Glory.

Lord God and merciful Father, thank you that you have given me this great opportunity to be a part of Your unfolding Plan of Redemption for Your creation. Help me to look expectantly to what You will do in and through my life so that Your Kingdom comes and Your will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.