Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?

Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?


This is a difficult question to answer. How do we reconcile the idea that our prayers influence God as James implies by writing, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results”, (James 5:16) yet God “knows everything” as 1 John 3:20 says?

How is it possible for us to influence God who has always known all things from eternity? Can it be done?

Back in the Old Testament book of Exodus, there is a moment when God is so angry with His people that He was ready to destroy them. He says to Moses about them, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” (Exodus 32:9-10)

Who could blame Him? The people deserved it. Justice demanded it. How could they mock God after all He had done for them? The Lord had etched the Ten Commandments on stone tablets, but before Moses could even deliver them, the first two had already been broken. At the people’s request, Aaron had taken their gold and fashioned an idol – a calf, like one of the statues they’d seen the Egyptians worship. Then they mocked the holy name of God by daring to worship the golden calf. They even had the gall to say that this statue was responsible for their newfound freedom!

How ungrateful they were! God’s anger boiled over.

Moses was taken aback. He didn’t want to see his family and all the people of Israel destroyed. But what could he do? The God of the universe had spoken. Still, Moses couldn’t help himself. He prayed a desperate prayer of intercession on behalf of the Israelite people, hoping against hope that he could change God’s mind. “But Moses tried to pacify the LORD his God. “O LORD!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’ (Exodus 32:11-13)

It was gutsy. Who was Moses to think he could alter the mind of God? But the Bible reports an amazing thing – Because of the prayer of Moses, God changed His mind. The next verse says it simply: “So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.” (Exodus 32:14)

God is sovereign and certainly doesn’t have to change his mind, but the Bible says he did, and the Scripture is full of other examples of God’s changing his mind – with Abraham, Elijah, and Hezekiah, just to name a few.

James tells us that “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16) So it’s not just a mirage – prayer has real power. This amazing story presents a challenge to those who believe that God predestines everything that happens. I don’t know exactly how to reconcile God’s foreknowledge with the free will of man, but the Bible says clearly that God changed his mind as a result of Moses’ prayer.

So although God knows all things – prayer can truly make a difference. God is so powerful that he can allow us to affect the future with our prayers, yet still work out his ultimate plan for this world because he not only knows the future, he knows all possible futures. But He does consider the prayers that we offer.

Some people who accept that God can answer our prayers get the mistaken idea that prayer is therefore some kind of dictation to God. When they pray, they act as if they’re telling God what to do, and he is supposed to do it. God is not a genie to whom we go for hocus-pocus solutions.

One author wrote: “Prayer would place an impossible strain on every sensitive Christian, if he knew he was certain to get everything he asked for.” Imagine the burden you would carry if every prayer we prayed was answered by God immediately! Imagine the ridiculous nature of our world if God granted every request. An example would be that we would never let a loved one go to Heaven. Our prayers would keep them with us forever. For our own good, we live in a world governed by certain basic scientific laws that are only interrupted on rare occasions, and then by a God who sees all, knows all, and cares about his children.

Yogi Berra, the great Yankee catcher, was once catching in an important game for the

Yankees. The score was tied in the bottom of the ninth inning. The pitcher crossed himself, then the batter stepped into the batter’s box and crossed himself. Both were obviously seeking divine intervention for the next pitch to go their way. Yogi quipped to the batter, “How about we just let God watch this one.”

Because God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and a God of love, He is not going to give us everything we ask for. He takes into account our immaturity and limitations. No matter how much we think we know what’s good for us, God sees the bigger picture and is interested in what is best for us. God’s Word says, “…we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)

Jesus Himself was not a dictator in His prayers. In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42)

Prayer is not dictation, but neither is it mere submission. Some folk go to the opposite extreme and contend that God already has everything mapped out in advance, so prayer is simply meant to be submission of your personal will to His predetermined plan.

We have all heard the stories of some Christians who will pray for healing and refuse to take their children to the doctor when they get injured or sick. Their reasoning goes something like this: “Who are we to dictate to God how His world is to be run? It’s already predetermined – prayer is just getting in tune with God’s will.”

God does see and control the future, but we are not puppets on strings. The Bible assures us that prayer changes things. God doesn’t have everything about this world preprogrammed. God is sovereign, but that doesn’t mean God rules over every detail to the extent that we are helpless.

Some things are predetermined.

The time and place where you would live. (Acts 17:26)

The plan for your redemption. (Galatians 4:2-5)

The time of Christ’s return. (II Thessalonians 2:6)

And many other significant events.

But prayer can dramatically change a multitude of daily events and circumstances.

Prayer is our teaming up with God, joining our strength with his power. One of His spiritual laws is that his power is released through prayer. When we pray, we make it possible for his power to be released for our benefit. When we fail to pray, we limit God’s blessing by our own weaknesses. James said, “…you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 4:2b)

Prayer changes God’s mind because He loves us. God did not create us solely to be His servants. He created us to be His children. He wants a fatherly relationship with us, and he communicates as much when He allows us the power to change His mind.

There are a lot of names for God in the Old Testament, but Jesus introduced a revolutionary, more intimate concept of God. He said, “This is how you should pray: “Father,…..” (Luke 11:2)

We know God loves this name because it’s the one Jesus used the most. More than two hundred times the gospel writers recorded Jesus’ referring to God as “Father.” Jesus wants you to understand that when you come to God with a need, you are petitioning a loving father. He said, “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:9-11)

This is a great verse. I was blessed to have a great father but even if you were not blessed with a great father you still instinctively know how a father should be. Listen again to what Jesus said: So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:11)

Prayer can change God’s mind, because God is a Father who loves His children.