Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.’ – Isaiah 38:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 29, 2017): Isaiah 38 & 39

Does God hear our prayers? The obvious answer is that God hears our prayers – but maybe he just doesn’t do anything about them. The real question isn’t whether or not God hears, but really whether or not he cares. And then, if he cares, whether or not God is willing to step in and change what is happening in our existence.

Surprisingly, this is a point where some conservative and liberal theologians agree – but for different reasons. For the conservative scholar who sees and believes in the inaction of God, the reason that God doesn’t answer prayer is because God has already set out history beforehand. And God does not change his mind. Everything that could happen has already been written down somewhere – and what God has written cannot be altered. For these thinkers, God was already aware that he was going to extend the life of Hezekiah – he knew that Hezekiah would pray and that he would answer. It had already been decided long before the pages of history started to turn.

For liberal theologians, the reason is entirely different. For them, the world is a closed system. Nothing happens that is not part of the natural order of things. Miracles just don’t occur in our world. God has already refused to interfere with the things of man – and once again, that refusal occurred long before the pages of history began to turn.

But the story of Hezekiah would seem to demand a different solution. The theology of the liberal theologian doesn’t appear to apply. I mean, God did not walk away and just let the disease run its course. At least, in this case, the system isn’t closed. God stepped in and changed the flow of history. But for the conservative theologian who believes that it is all written down and can’t be modified, then that leaves us with God telling Hezekiah that he is going to die when he knew that was not the case; a circumstance that seems to be treading on the edges of the truth. And lying is not the behavior that we would expect from God.

The only option that would seem to be left is to say that our prayers move God – and, at least sometimes, he even changes our world and our future. This is the God that I believe in – one that responds to our prayers because he loves us. So, as Paul would say - pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:18).

We need to keep on praying for each other!

Originally Published on February 23, 2011

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 17