Hi kb121o45~
Although (like any good parent) God may not answer "yes" to all our
requests, petitioning Him is an important part of Christianity. This
is true when we're asking for a specific need or want, as well as when
we ask for guidance in decision-making.
So the short answer to your question is "Yes, payer can affect your
own or someone else's decision-making."
Jesus specially told us that we can ask Him for anything, and He will
do it (John 14:14). (This "anything" certainly includes prayer for
others, since caring for other people is part of the foundation of
Christianity.)
Although it may be hard to fathom that God listens to and allows
humans to affect his actions, He clearly *does* change the course of
both minor and major events when we pray. As an example, think of the
conversation that went on before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra.
In that case, Abraham asked God to not destroy the cities, if only a
small number of righteous people were found there. God agreed.
(Genesis 18:16-33) Later, the Bible tells us that if we have the
prayers of others, we can be healed (James 5:14-16, for example).
There are a few important things to know about prayer in general,
however.
According to the editors of the respected "Illustrated Dictionary of
The Bible," those "who have not trusted Jesus Christ for their
salvation remain alienated from God. So while unbelievers may pray,
they do not have the bias for a rewarding fellowship with God. They
have not met the conditions laid down in the Bible for effectiveness
in prayer...Effective prayer must be a scripturally informed response
of persons saved by grace to the living God..." (p.866, Herbert
Lockyer, Sr., Editor, published by Nelson Reference; 1997)
There are several things that the Bible notes may hinder prayer. One
is "inequity of the heart" (Psalm 66:18); another, refusal of God's
law (Proverbs 28:9); an estranged heart (Isaiah 29:13), sinful
separation from God (Isaiah 59:2), waywardness (Jeremiah 14:10-12),
pride (Luke 18:11-14), lack of faith (Hebrews 11:6), and doubt or
double-mindedness (James 4:3).
However, God promises to answer us when we help the afflicted (Isaiah
58:9-10), when we believe that we'll receive what we ask for (Mark
11:22-24), when we forgive others (Mark 11:25-26), when we ask in
Christ's name (John 14:13-14), when we abide in Jesus and His words
(John 15:7), pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:8), obey God's commands
(1 John 3:22), and ask according to His will (1 John 5:14-15).
Ultimately, however, Christians must leave the resolution of their
prayers up to God. Few people who believe in God would argue that
somehow we know better than Him! So even when the answer to our
prayers are not what we expect, we can rest assured that God is always
a more wise provider and caregiver than we could ever be.
For further information, you may find the following article on
Christian decision-making helpful:
http://www.teachingpages.co.uk/minilesson/decisions.html
Keywords Used:
Prayer "decision making" Christian*
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"prayer for others" "decision making" Christian*
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22prayer+for+others%22+%22decision+making%22+Christian*&btnG=Google+Search
I hope this helps,
kriswrite |
