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Foreign. Welcome to the Project 18 podcast. I'm Scott. I'm going to be your host today. Thank you so much. For those of you who have been interacting with us. Thank you that you're able to share with us some of the stories about your own life and even some of the questions that you're wrestling with. It's been really enjoyable to get to talk to you, to understand that, like, yeah, we're kind of all in this together, and there are parts of your lives that are kind of baffling and confusing that you're trying to wrestle through. And yet at the same time, there's so much to be grateful for and to celebrate. It's just been really cool to get to talk to some of you about understanding some of the things that you're going through. So thank you for trusting us so far with those things that are on your heart. I wanted to share a little bit about where we're headed in the next few episodes, give you guys an idea about some of the things that we're hoping to accomplish. I'm super excited to share with you this morning that we are actually going to add a video component to the podcast. We are in the process of setting up the cameras and getting that all ready to go because we want to be able to put faces with names of the folks that you're going to be able to interact with here. We've got it set up that we're going to also hear from a lot of our friends about some of the things that they're going through in life. We've got some interviews coming up with some dear brothers and sisters that are struggling with some major things like cancer and even some family things that are going on in their lives. They just want to, like, talk with us and share with us how they're processing that, how they're getting through that, and how the Lord is bringing them through that. So I'm excited just to be able to let you all know that pretty soon that's what you're going to be able to see here when you tune into the podcast. But also I just wanted to, I guess, remind everybody, that's been my prayer since the very beginning, that this podcast will be an interactive place for people to. To ask the deepest questions on their hearts in the safety of this platform. Not having to face shame, face ridicule, or even fear judgment. I mean, we are here to provide biblical answers to the tough things that you face. We believe that God has an amazing purpose for you, and then he wants you to understand the profound depth of his love for you. There's a verse in the second half of the Bible that a lot of people call the New Testament. And, and it puts it. Well, it's found in a book called First John. And in chapter three, verse one, we read that it says this. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called God's children. And we are. And so to that end, I'd love for the majority of our episodes to be broadcasts where we are answering questions and building trust with you. Intermingled with these question and answer episodes, these Q and A's, we'll also be exploring what I like to call the. The lesser known, totally amazing, weird parts of the Bible, the stuff that you never heard about in church when you're growing up, that type of content. Like for example, in our last episode, we began a discussion about the supernatural backdrop of the Bible and we'll continue in that series going forward as well. And the point of doing all of that, it's not just to provide you with some really good information that that's awesome to know about the book that you love. But my hope is also that by exploring all of that, you'll walk away with an even greater understanding of the amazing depth of God's love for us and that he actually has a plan for his creation, that he's right on track to unfold that plan. So for sure, we would really love to hear from you. And again, you can do that by texting us using the link that's in the podcast description, but that's what you get to look forward to. Some of these interviews, some visual stuff now and then, also lesser known content of the scriptures and, and by the grace of God, all that's going to be really kind of helpful in our lives as well. Okay, for today then, I just want us to pivot away from that Supernatural episode that we did last time because I have a great question that came in from a listener and I'd like to talk about that. We will circle back to that in the next episode and we'll, we'll do Supernatural Creatures episode number two next week. So you can look forward to that. But. But for now, I just want to answer this really cool question that came in and here's what our listener asks. He says, I often wonder about the power of prayer, specifically prayer for a certain outcome. I can find examples in the scripture that seem to suggest God can change his mind due to our intercession. Like, for example, Abraham interceding on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. But can we really change God's mind? Isn't his plan perfect and timeless? We also often stipulate in our prayers that God's will be done. But if God's will is going to be done anyway, what power does that prayer actually hold? He goes on to say, a good hypothetical example would be a person diagnosed with cancer whose friends and family pray faithfully. Eventually, if that person makes a full recovery, we would attribute that to the power of prayer. But are we implying that if nobody had prayed for that person, that God would not have intervened? Okay, thanks. I'm really curious about this issue and I wonder about it often. Okay, again, so I love this question. Let's see if we can come up with some of the biblical principles that will help guide us to some of the answers to kind of frame what is going on here with the subject of this prayer. I think it's important to name something right up front. First. First, our understanding of prayer and how God responds to our prayers is not something that we can fully understand, because, quite frankly, we cannot fully understand God. This overlaps with a discussion about the sovereignty of God and our human free will. We can certainly do a podcast or two on that subject also. But for today, I just need to own the fact that you may come away listening from this episode still baffled by the nuances of prayer, and that's just going to have to be the reality of some of it. But then, on the other hand, I don't want us to punt on this. I don't get to punt on this and just dismiss it, because there are some very certain things that we do know about prayer and what it means that we can understand. So I think, if memory serves me right, the only place we find that the disciples asked Jesus how to do something is when they ask him how to pray. We read that in one of the biographies of Jesus life that's called the Book of Luke. We find this in chapter 11 of his book. In the first verse, it says he was praying in a certain place. And when he finished, one of the disciples said to him, lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples. So, yeah, great question here. Let's jump into it. It's something that's being asked for centuries, actually. What does it look like to pray? And how does God want us to pray? And how does he interact with us and respond to our prayers? Let me just start with a couple of observations first, about the very nature of communication between God and people. We are told that from the very beginning, God created us to have a relationship with him, which is, of course, means that he desired communication between. Between us and Himself. We see this in the very first book of the Bible, called Genesis in several places. For example, Genesis, chapter one and verse 28, God blessed them. And God said to them, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth. And a lot of times when we read that verse, we just kind of quickly go over to the fact that it was actually God speaking to them. Communication had started. God was interacting with them on a verbal platform and telling them to do something again. We go a little farther. In Genesis, in chapter three, verses eight and nine, the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden at that time of the evening breeze. And they hid from God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and he said to him, where are you? Again, it's common practice of what they did. God communicated with the first man and the first woman. He established that desire to have that relationship where we are talking with one another and communicating to one another. So from that very start, there is a mutual communication between God and humanity. It was a natural part of their relationship. This is the basis of our prayers today. In fact, that's how we continue to communicate with God to deepen the relationship that we have with Him. Let's fast forward then to the second half of the Bible that we call the New Testament. We'll take a look at a book that we find there named Matthew. Because in chapter six, we actually have instructions from Jesus about prayer or in other words, how we communicate with God today. Here's what we read. It's been known for centuries as the Lord's Prayer. And I would agree with that title, but not necessarily because of its instructional value here to the disciples. To me, it's the Lord's Prayer, because it's the prayer that Jesus also prays in the garden on the night of his betrayal and arrest. See if you notice some of the similarities with, with this. Here's what Jesus prayed himself in the garden that we find in Matthew, chapter 26, verses 36 to 46. Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, sit here while I go over there to pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. He said to them, my Soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me. And then going a little farther, he fell on his face and he prayed, saying, my Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not what I will, but you will. And he came to the disciples and he found them sleeping. He said to Peter, so could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, for the second time he went away and prayed, my Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. And again he came and found them sleeping, for the their eyes were heavy. So leaving them, again he went and he prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and he said to them, sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of the sinners. Rise, let's be going. My betrayer is at hand. Now here's the prayer that he gave within earlier to teach the disciples how to pray. See if you can note the similarities here. Therefore, you should pray like this. Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. So this prayer actually communicates a ton of things about the nature of prayer itself. It tells us who God is, who we are, and what we should expect of him and what he wants to show us when we pray. For example, the very first sentence tells us that when we pray, it's a very personal thing. Because God has called our Father, we approach him as the all powerful creator of the universe, the one who hung the very stars in the sky, knowing of his love and his benevolence toward us as our Father is a very familial type of interaction. It's very natural for those of you have kids, you get this. I mean, you know that children can come to you at any given time in any given way, and that's what you want because you love them, it doesn't bother you. And in fact you want to hear from them in order to show them your love back to them. I can't begin to tell you how many times when our kids were little, we would just find them in the middle of the night tapping on us while we're laying in bed or just standing there, like when we Woke up and poof, there they are. Which is also kind of scary. I'm not gonna lie. All of a sudden, there's a kid there standing you. But they have things on their heart. And as parents, we allowed that. Like, we actually welcomed that. We understood that there's things that they needed to approach us on. And because we loved them, it wasn't a burden to us, it wasn't a bother to us. And especially when kids are toddlers, we get to see this a lot, right? They'll come up and tug on your pant leg and they'll just like, doesn't matter what you're doing. All of a sudden you need to see them and look at them, and they are the center of everything that's about to happen. And that's what it is with God, except for the fact that he awaits, that he loves us. He wants us to, I guess, catch him at any given time with the things that are on our heart. Let's continue here. He's not just our Father according to what's going on here, but he also has the status of being holy. We know that this distinction recognizes the fact that we are not holy. We are broken, we struggle. I mean, we mess up. We know that God wants us to transform our lives into being more like Him. So prayer becomes one of the ways that we acknowledge that we call upon him as a holy God to show us how to be holy and to the things that we face in our own lives. And then this frames our expectations of response from our Divine Father. Let me illustrate what I mean here by going back to our question the listener asks. Oftentimes when we pray God's will be done. That's us recognizing that whether he responds to our request by granting us what we ask, or even if he doesn't, we want his holiness to be revealed in that situation. It's ultimately about him and not about us. I mean, I grew up in churches that we frequently prayed for people to be healed from sickness and surgeries or whatever else you can think of. You name it, and that wasn't wrong. I think God desired that we pray like that. But it was also, on the other hand, very rare that we would pray, lord, show this person how to draw closer to you and demonstrate your holiness to others around them during this sickness. I mean, do you see the differences? Whether or not God heals you has nothing to do with his desire to be glorified through you. Let's go back to Matthew, where we read, your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. This hearkens to the reality that when we approach God in prayer, asking him to show us how to love people, how to live our lives daily in a way that governs that he governs us, like from the unseen realm, we are actively participating in his kingdom here on earth. The object is to love God and to seek his will. I think that humanly speaking, this always leads us to a place of, well, okay, why does God sometimes choose to do what we ask then? I mean, so in a sense, as much as we would like to have an answer for that, it's not the best question to ask. The best. The best question to ask focuses on my response rather than God's choice. Since prayer is dependent upon the holiness of God and how we trust him, even if it doesn't make sense to us, then the real question is how do I respond to his choice by faith and the things that I'm going through in life? This is what the second half of the prayer describes as well. Here's where we read give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors and do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. We are asked to trust God's provision. Jesus refers back to a story here that the audience knew very well from their natural history. When the Israelites fled Egypt, God provided them with just enough food to last one day, but he provided it every day as well. It reminds us that in a certain sense, all I need to know is, is that I can depend upon God's provision through this circumstance or through the circumstances that I come to him in prayer over. The prayer also reminds us that the change that takes place in our own hearts as we trust him more is in fact our loyalty to Him. And that can actually change even our darkest hatred, even to the point where we can love those who have wronged us and ask God's forgiveness to be extended to them as well. We can even radically trust God through prayer to the point that we no longer seek vengeance for people in our lives. That trust means that we can depend on God to bring us through the testing things of life, and that we can even ask him that he doesn't allow those things to happen or if he does, to protect us during those difficult times. This is the prayer that Jesus prayed while he was in the garden. And God's glory was eventually revealed through the death, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. He and his humanity didn't want that to happen. And so he prayed three times that Lord, if at all possible, please don't let me go through that. But nevertheless, it's not about what I want, it's about what you want. And God was faithful to keep him strong through those circumstances. All right, let's circle back to the question then one more time as we wrap up and see if we've helped shed some light on the whole nature of prayer. I think God wants us to pray for specific outcomes to the things we face in life. I think he desires that out of love and benevolence for us as a father. He wants to partner with us as people in order to bring the glory in the kingdom to function on earth as it does in heaven. It may seem like he changes his mind, but. But God already knows all the potential outcomes, and somehow his perfect will functions within our freedom to choose, to decide, and to communicate. Again, this is not satisfactorily explainable because of the depth of God, but we can certainly talk about what scholars call God's perfect will and his remedial will in a later podcast, and I'll be glad to get into that. So if we use a hypothetical example, then what about a person who would be diagnosed with cancer, whose friends and family pray faithfully and that person makes a full recovery? I believe we can certainly attribute that to the power of prayer. We have asked God to intercede as our loving Father, and he did a miraculous thing because we asked him to do that. That doesn't necessarily imply that if nobody had prayed for that person, that God would not have intervened, because again, that draws on some assumptions. For instance, there may indeed be praying in that situation that we have no idea about that they're doing that we don't know about them. And God, in order to show his glory, may still have not responded to the prayers of others in the way that they wanted him to respond. That's a very real possibility. You know, that may be correct, that because nobody interceded for that person, that that person ultimately dies. But the thing is, in both scenarios, the key point is that God was glorified by their life or their death in ways that we can't fully explain. Our part is to trust his decision as our Lord. And that's why we pray to our line, our hearts, to his heart as well. Let me leave us then with an encouraging word on this. Here's what we can walk away with from the scriptures. First of all, God wants to have an ongoing communication relationship with us. I mean, that's normal, that's natural and, and Jesus Himself modeled that in his own life and we can adopt that in our own hearts as well. When we talk with God and we grow and mature in our faith as we trust his decisions. We need to talk to him throughout the very day, every single day, during the good times, giving him thanks and even the life and death situations that we face those times. Just like Jesus did in the garden. In our partnership with God, he considers our free will, communication and and responds in the most beneficial way for our growth and his glory, even if we don't understand it or agree with it. Okay, thank you again for joining us today. Next week we're going to be doing part two, like I said, of the supernatural content. I hope you'll be able to join us for that. Lastly, I just want to reiterate something as well. If you're in a spot that you would really like to talk with somebody personally about some of the things that you're struggling with or you you have questions about, please reach out and connect to us. We want to come alongside of you and listen to you. We want to set up a time to meet with you if you're in the area. We want to be able to take the next steps with you in your journey towards healing and restoration. We desire that and we have some resources here that will be able to help you. So I hope you take advantage of those as well. But for today, thank you everyone for joining us. God bless you and I hope to hear from you soon. Take good care of.