Epaggelia

Can our prayers change the mind of God? Moses changed God’s mind when he prayed to save Israel from being destroyed. Hezekiah’s prayer changed God’s mind from his death to adding 15 years to his life. Abraham interceded for the wicked city of Sodom & Gomorrah with the hope of saving it, if God could find just ten righteous people in it. God already knew their outcry of sin was great, but He did not know HOW GREAT until He sent the angels into the city to discover, Gen. 18:21. After the angel’s visitation, He couldn’t even find 10, so it was destroyed. Not even Abraham saw fit to save it, if 10 couldn’t be found. So what was the point of his intercession? Abraham was concerned about his nephew Lot’s abode & family, he loved Lot and had raised him as a son, and delivered him from warring kidnapping Kings. Gen. 12:4-5, 13:8-11, 14:12-16. Even though God’s promise to Abraham would not be fulfilled through Lot, Abraham still wanted to save him. As events happened, only Lot and his two daughters came out alive. Remember Lots wife, Luke 17:32. This was the necessary point of Abraham’s intercession. Do we make intercession in prayer for our neighbors salvation in the context of impending judgment from God’s wrath, they rest under? Colossians 3:5-6. If Abraham had not interceded, then Lot and his daughters would have certainly been killed along with his wife!

The church practiced a devotion to prayer (Ac.2:42), and when a problem arose to be solved, (Ac.6:3-4), the apostles devoted themselves to prayer. Why? So that the Message would be spread and received into the hearts of men, (2Ths.3:1 & Mt. 9:38 & Rm. 10:1). Most people assume that it was for the problem to be solved, or that God would grant strength and wisdom for the ‘deacons’ in charge of solving the problem, but that is a superfluous assumption because God’s answer to the problem lay in the Apostles’ appointment and instruction. What the Apostles then prayed about was for God to give them the opportunity to spread the Word and that the truth would be received into the hearts of lost people, Mt. 13:18-19, Acts 15:7-9.

 When Jesus interceded in prayer, why did He intercede? John 17:17-26. For the apostles sanctification, our unity and to share in His glory. Without this being answered, there is NO WAY for the world to know who Jesus is and why He came!,v21. A million more Bibles can be printed and distributed, but if they are not PRAYERFULLY read, no salvation results! Today He is our mediator to the Father, so therefore He is still interceding for us, with the same intent. 1Tim. 2:5. This is the will of God! Luke 18:1-8, Persevere in prayer so that the Kingdom will increase!