PRAYER CHANGES STORIES

(SEQUEL TO TIME AND CHANCE VS TIME AND JUDGEMENT)

I grew up in a Christian home. I remember this hanging on our wall while I was much younger. It was a picture of someone's hands clasped together in an attitude common to praying. And it was written in that frame; Prayer Changes Things. I still see that hanging in a few homes I visit. But today, it is not even in my own home; it is in my heart.

Prayer is one divine privilege we get too familiar with. Prayer is the connecting line between the earth and heaven- between man and God. This very busy God has given us His direct line. Picture for a moment; you have got your President's mobile number. He may be too busy to pick your calls, but you know you are reaching him personally each time you call. That is how direct prayer is. The good news is; God is more than the president; He is God and your Father at the same time. He is never so busy that He will not pick Your call. You will not get a 'number busy' response. Psalm 65:2 says 'O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.' And, all flesh is all flesh. If you are flesh and you have an idea who God is, then you can pray and be sure He hears you.

Prayer changes things. Prayer changes lives. Prayer changes situations. Prayer changes circumstances. If you have got your B.A (Born Again), you can get your M Sc. (Master of Situations and Circumstances). Prayer is an incredible power given to God by man to interfere in his own life. Yes, you read me correctly. Man gives God the permission to intervene in his life by praying. Now I have to convince you and it should not be so much of a trouble to do that. My dad once said to me 'Deolu, why do people bother to pray at all? Can we change God's mind or influence Him? He will do what He will do, because He is God and He knows so much that we humans do not know about any situation.' Yet I have heard my own daddy pray on several occasions; and I know he does much more in his privacy. It reminds me of one man in my country . He lived most of his life saying there is no God. One day, he missed his steps and about to fall; and in that instance, he exclaimed 'Oh Jesus!'

You see, God created all things and put laws in place to govern all His creation. Have you noticed that even for man, God went to the soil just once? He then set Reproduction as the order to replicate man on the surface of the earth. That is how everything works. Think of anything at all, there is a law that orders it. And those laws are sufficient because the Bible said God 'upholds all things by the word of His power' (Hebrews 1:3). The power behind 'Let there be' is the same power that sustains it. There is a law that suspends the earth in cosmic space, and there is a law that brings to the ground everything in earthly space. There are several natural laws, and they do not fail. There are even laws that govern human behaviour. Man has devised other laws as much as possible. And as long as conditions for a certain outcome are fulfilled, the result is the same every time. It gives creation stability. It also shows an intelligent God; a secure God, too. You are a good leader when you do not have to always be there for things to work. Structures are set to uphold systems; and structures make systems work. Laws are the supernatural structures that give our natural world some level of predictability. For instance, you reap what (or more than) you sow. Have you not wondered how many people and nations of the earth do so well, without much ado about God? It is because they apply certain laws of life correctly. So it may appear you can live this life without so much interference from God. We often consider natural disasters as some 'divine interference', but we still call them 'natural' because they can be explained and because we know the laws that trigger them. The laws are reliable. They should guide us. But by praying, we can guide the laws. Do actors in a film just do as they desire? There is the Film Director that controls events to an end. Prayer makes you a director in the film of life. Today, I wish to portray prayer as the one great privilege to actively participate in the art of orchestrating events.

Excerpt from the story of Esther. She had become Queen for a while. Then there came Haman- the enemy of the Jews. Haman vowed to wipe out the Jews because of his perceived pride of Mordecai, Esther's uncle. Mordecai raised an alarm to Esther and Esther initially gave excuses. The prevailing circumstances may not favour an audience with the king. The chances are few. She later decided to take the risk. No, she did not 'try her luck'. She called for prayers from the Jewish community and she took certain steps. She went to the king and made tactical requests; inviting the king to her private banquet and inviting Haman to be a part of it. Then one night, the king could not sleep. The king asked that the Chronicles be brought to him to while time away. He opened a page and read that once in his reign; a conspiracy to kill him was uncovered. He also saw that the person who saved the king was not rewarded. That morning, someone was at his door. It was Haman. The king spoke first; 'what should be done to the man the king chooses to honour?' Read it yourself. That was the beginning of Haman's descent into the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Study the events in this story carefully. Was it Esther's great wisdom that taught her how to approach such a powerful, unpredictable king? Was it just a coincidence that that night, the king could not sleep? Why that night? Of all things, why did the king request for the Scroll? Why was it that page he read that night? Why did he take that interest in rewarding the hero? Oh, let's see, why did Haman choose that very morning to see the king? Why did the king speak first? You believe in coincidences? Me too; otherwise, it would not be a word in the dictionary. But remember the people prayed. Do you not think their prayers to God worked out all the events that followed? Instead of Esther getting the king's wrath, she got his favour and even an offer of 'up to half of the kingdom'. Instead of death, Mordecai and the Jews got life and life abundantly. Instead of shame, the Jews were honoured in all the provinces. Instead of… instead of… . Prayer is the power to orchestrate the 'instead-ofs' of life. You can get a better deal, if you will pray.

Whenever we do not pray, we leave too many things to the laws of life (and I did say that the laws can be trusted). One of these laws is what I call from the Scriptures 'the Law of Time and Chance'. In Ecclesiastes 9:11, Scriptures say '…The race is not to the swift, nor the battle of the strong. Nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding. Nor favour to men of skill. But time and chance happens to them all.' Verse 12 says 'For man also does not know his time; like the fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time; when it suddenly falls on them'. Time and Chance says; every time comes with an opportunity. And when 'man … does not know his time' he cannot take his chance. People who do well simply take some chances when the time comes. But you can do better than live your life by chances. There is a better way to live. Chance could also mean 'luck'. I looked for other synonyms of Chance, I saw 'accidental, coincidental, fortuitous, gamble, unintended'… There is however, another established law of life; it is the 'law of Time and Judgment'. In Ecclesiastes 8: 5, Bible says '… a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment. The Message version of the next verse says 'Yes, there's a right time and way for everything, even though, unfortunately, we miss it for the most part'. How can any man be so accurate as to know the proper procedure for everything at every time? There was a tribe in Israel that gifted. (1 Chronicles 12:32). You can develop this gift too. This is where prayer comes in. Prayer is one way to 'trust in the LORD with all your heart…'because all that is in your head (that is, your own understanding) will fail you ultimately. Prayer is one way to 'acknowledge God in all your ways'. Prayer is one way to get God to 'direct your paths'. (Proverbs 3:5-6). When God directs your paths, you miss what you should miss and meet what you should meet. Things happen for you, and not against you. And everything will be for your ultimate good.

Pray provides us the privilege to have the All-knowing, All-powerful God intervene in our situations. Prayer is not a 'last resort'. It is not something to try when nothing else works. Prayer is not also, an excuse for laziness. Why do some people appear to pray so much and yet have little to show for it? It is because; prayer itself has laws that govern it. In fact, there is a prayer that is abominable to offer God. Prayer is not the opportunity to play God. You do not turn God to your 'errand boy' just because you pray. Prayer is not just to correct what has gone wrong; nor is it just to prevent what may go wrong. Prayer is an attitude of God-consciousness. Whenever you use an appliance you bought as if it is your own and you may do anything you wish with it, that appliance will fail you and may even harm you soon. But when you use it with a consciousness of the maker's manual, you enjoy and maximize the appliance. Prayer is not an invitation to God to live your life for you; it is a call to live your life for God and for your good. It is nothing but pride not to pray. It is your life, but did you make it? Why not commit life to the Maker of life?

Your life is not a coin that is thrown. Do not leave your life to coincidences. You can participate actively in the divine nature. Employ the power of prayer.