The Power of Persuasive Prayer
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This morning we are continuing our series called Prayer that Works. I hope you have been using your prayer journals these past couple of weeks. I am agreeing with you to receive the answers that God wants to give you.
Today we want to look at the topic of persuasive prayer. If you have your Bibles go with me to the book of Exodus. I will be reading from chapter 32.
I want to begin this morning by setting up Moses’ conversation with God.
About 4 months previously, Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, and it seems from the moment they were freed from slavery the Israelites did nothing but complain.
They complained at the waters of the Red Sea because they were afraid of the Egyptians. They complained in the desert because they didn’t think they had enough to eat and then they didn’t think they had enough to drink.
When they got to Mt. Horeb and saw the power of God displayed in lightening, thunder and smoke and they heard the voice of God, as He spoke declaring the 10 commandments, they basically told Moses, “You go talk to Him… we can’t stand to listen to Him anymore.”
19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
Ever since they left Egypt, the Israelites had done nothing but complain and grumble. And finally, while Moses is up on the Mountain top with this all powerful God, the Israelites decide that they’re bored and they talk Aaron into making a golden calf for them to worship, in spite of the fact that this was a direct violation of the 2nd commandment that had been proclaimed to them a little over 40 days before.
The Israelites have been nothing but trouble ever since God freed them from their chains and now it appears God has had enough. Look at verse 7 of chapter 32.
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people.
10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
Did you catch what God said to Moses? God tells Moses, “I’m going to wipe them off the face of the earth and build a new nation around you.”
God was essentially done with these people. Moses knew God was serious. Moses begins to talk to God. This prayer was immediate and it was extremely intense. But the result of Moses’ prayer was amazing because it changed the mind of God. God decided not to destroy the Israelites. God changed his mind.
Some of you may think that this isn’t suppose to happen. Look at what God tells us in Numbers 23:19
19 God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Some of you might even think this is a problem. We’re taught that prayer is a power force.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
All of our lives we have been told that we can change things through prayer. But in the back of our minds there is this nagging suspicion that our prayers don’t really don’t do all that much. Some of us think, God is God and God’s gonna do what God’s gonna do. So we think what difference does prayer make? If God’s going to do what He wants to do anyway, why bother?
But this passage tells us why we should bother. Look at verse 10 again.
10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
Why bother to tell Moses to leave Him alone? Why not simply stretch forth His arm and wipe the Israelites off the face of the earth and then tell Moses what was going to happen next? He’s God after all? What difference would it make whether or not Moses approved of this plan?
But it made a big difference because it looks like God is asking Moses for permission to do what He has decided to do.
Here’s why.
God gave Moses the authority over the people of Israel. Look at how God describes the Israelites.
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
When God sent Moses to go and get the Israelites out of Egypt, God gave Moses the authority over those people. God put Moses in charge. The people of Isreal have been given to Moses, they were his area of influence. And while God does want to destroy them He asks Moses’ permission because that’s a responsibility God has given to him. Moses has authority because God gave it to him.
And...
just like Moses, we have authority in prayer because God has given it to us. That’s why Jesus said.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
We have been given authority. We have been given permission to plead with God to alter His will to meet our needs and desires. That’s what prayer is all about. And we’ve been given that privilege because we belong to Him.
So, now let’s look at the issue of changing God’s mind.
Understand this, Moses did not presume to change God’s mind. Even though he had a position of responsibility and authority with Israel he still prayed with an eye on what would be in God’s will. Look at verse 11.
11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.
13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ”
Moses appeals to the reasons why God would want to spare the nation.
Even though Moses had a position of responsibility and authority with Israel, he still prayed with an eye on what would be in God’s will.
Think of it this way. A husband has a position of authority and responsibility in the home. The Bible tells us...
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Now some men take this passage as permission to do whatever they please with their wives. They believe they have a God ordained mandate to run their household with an iron fist. But such men are fools. For God tells husbands that even when we’re married to non-Christian wives, we are to treat our brides with special care.
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
That verse is saying that if a husband, who is the head of the house, misuses his wife, God won’t hear his prayers.
So, here is my point. A husband has authority and responsibility in the home, but he is wise if he keeps an eye on what God’s will is in his home, otherwise, his prayers are hindered.
Likewise, we have authority in prayer. In prayer, Christians have permission to ask God to shape His will to our requests, but we would be wise to always keep an eye on what god would desire. That’s why Jesus said...
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
In other words, pray with an eye on what would please Jesus, what would glorify His name.
Look at verse 14 again.
14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
God does not change His mind the same way a human does. He has no doubts or unsteady thoughts. He may honor the faith and prayers of His people by choosing a different course of action to accomplish His purposes. In this way, He encourages His people to keep praying and believing.
There are some people who believe in the authority of prayer, but they use that authority with the belief that they can somehow force God into altering His will to their desires.
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.
32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
This is what God was telling Moses. You keep doing what I have instructed you to do and when the time comes I will punish certain people for their sins.
When we pray we can pray with confidence. We can come boldly before God with the knowledge that we have the authority to petition Him.
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
When we pray we are entering the presence of God with our requests.
Let me close with this...
In 1540 Luther’s good friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius, became sick and was expected to die within a short time. From his bed he wrote a tender farewell letter to Luther. When Luther received the message, he immediately sent back a reply: “I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church. The Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying because I seek only to glorify the name of God.”
Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s reply came, but he soon recovered. he lives 6 more years, dying two months after Luther did.
God hears our prayers and He answers them. It is so important that we pray. And go boldly to the throne room of God.