Joshua 10:14 and Prayer

Deacon · Sunday at 1:12 PM

I'm working my way through the book of Joshua.

Joshua 10:12–14 (ESV 2025)
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

14Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

~~~~~~

Joshua 10:12- 14 teaches that:

Prayer can be powerful and consequential.
God listens and responds to prayer.
Effective prayer aligns with God’s purpose.
God allows human petition to play a real role in his actions.
Miraculous prayers are possible.

~~~~~~~~

How does Joshua 10:14 interact with the attribute of God's omniscience (all-knowing) and his impassability? (God cannot be persuaded to act)?

Why was Joshua's prayer unique? ("no day like it before or since")

Rob

Ascetic X · Sunday at 1:31 PM

Deacon said:
I'm working my way through the book of Joshua.

Joshua 10:12–14 (ESV 2025)
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

14Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

~~~~~~

Joshua 10:12- 14 teaches that:

Prayer can be powerful and consequential.

God listens and responds to prayer.

Effective prayer aligns with God’s purpose.

God allows human petition to play a real role in his actions.

Miraculous prayers are possible.

~~~~~~~~

How does Joshua 10:14 interact with the attribute of God's omniscience (all-knowing) and his impassability? (God cannot be persuaded to act)?

Why was Joshua's prayer unique? ("no day like it before or since")

Rob

God’s impossibility is a concept based on the “unmoved mover” of Greek philosophy.

The term comes from the Latin passio (suffering), meaning God is incapable of being "passive" or acted upon by creation in a way that changes his divine nature.

Many contemporary theologians reject impassibility, believing it portrays a distant God, and that the incarnation of Jesus and His death on the cross reveal a God who truly suffers with his creatures.

It’s impossible to read much of Scripture without realizing that God feels compassion for His people (Isaiah 14:1); that He feels wrath against sin (Psalm 38:3); and that He is pained by the rejection of His love and grace (Luke 19:41–42). Jesus, who is “the exact representation” of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3), wept at Lazarus’s tomb (John 11:35).

Jesus, who showed us the Father (John 14:8–10), often showed that He was passible. We see passibility in the description of Him as our Great High Priest who is able to “empathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). The prophets predicted Jesus to be “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3).

Deacon · Monday at 4:43 AM

In Numbers 14:19–20 — Israel rebelled after hearing the negative report of the spies.
Moses intercedes: “Please pardon the iniquity of this people…” (v. 19 ESV)
The Lord responds: “I have pardoned, according to your word.” (v. 20)
God appears to be changing his mind as a response to Moses’ prayer.

In Joshua 10:14 — Joshua commands the sun to stand still during battle, and the text says: “There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man…”

God responds to prayer
God acts in response to prayer
Prayers matter

Yet in both cases, neither omniscience, sovereignty, or impassability is compromised.
The miracle is not God being overruled—it is GOD choosing to act in accordance with his foreordained redemptive purpose.
The event happened with purpose and foresight by an all-knowing GOD.

Prayer Does Not Override God
If God were passible (that is, being emotionally alterable or manipulated), prayer would function like a leverage.
But Scripture never presents prayer as coercion.
We obviously can't make God do something by praying; why even our expectations of how God may act in a given situation are suspect.

Omniscience -> God is all-knowing -> Prayer does not reveal anything to God
Impassibility -> God is not manipulated -> Prayer does not alter God’s nature
Sovereignty -> God’s will cannot fail -> Prayer is part of his ordained plan

God is unchanging in his nature, sovereign in his will, and yet freely responsive in his covenant relationship with his chosen people.
The mystery—God is unchanging yet relationally responsive—lies at the heart of biblical theology of prayer.

Rob

Charlie24 · Monday at 10:03 AM

Deacon said:
I'm working my way through the book of Joshua.

Joshua 10:12–14 (ESV 2025)
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

14Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

~~~~~~

Joshua 10:12- 14 teaches that:

Prayer can be powerful and consequential.

God listens and responds to prayer.

Effective prayer aligns with God’s purpose.

God allows human petition to play a real role in his actions.

Miraculous prayers are possible.

~~~~~~~~

How does Joshua 10:14 interact with the attribute of God's omniscience (all-knowing) and his impassability? (God cannot be persuaded to act)?

Why was Joshua's prayer unique? ("no day like it before or since")

Rob

Yes, I certainly believe that when heart felt prayer meets with the perfect will of God the sun will stop on a dime for all of us.

Sometimes we have to look back to see where the sun stopped for us.

Van · Tuesday at 8:26 AM

If we ask God to alter the outcome of our situation, are we not "testing" God. Are prayers where God's intervention in the physical world is sought, actually prayers in accordance with God's will?

OTOH, when we ask God to help us, to enlighten us and guide us, through difficult circumstance, then we are engaged in meaningful prayer.

The OP argument, God can and has in the past, intervened in the physical world, as demonstrated in scripture, means we should be asking God to unilaterally act to resolve our difficulties, misses the mark in my opinion.

Consider the Lord's Prayer:

Pray like this: Interpretive Translation

Pray to the Father
and recognize His authority.

Ask for an understanding of His will,
and the willingness to follow.

Ask only for what you need,
and the wisdom to avoid needless desires.

Forgive anyone you think has sinned against you,
and ask for forgiveness for your sins.

Ask for guidance to overcome temptation, and
for insight to keep falsehoods and lies far from you.

(Matt. 6:9-15)

Ascetic X · Tuesday at 8:46 AM

Van said:
If we ask God to alter the outcome of our situation, are we not "testing" God. Are prayers where God's intervention in the physical world is sought, actually prayers in accordance with God's will?

OTOH, when we ask God to help us, to enlighten us and guide us, through difficult circumstance, then we are engaged in meaningful prayer.

The OP argument, God can and has in the past, intervened in the physical world, as demonstrated in scripture, means we should be asking God to unilaterally act to resolve our difficulties, misses the mark in my opinion.

We can do both, as documented throughout the scriptures. We can pray that God deliver us from evil and also that God give us the strength to endure afflictions. Both types of prayer are meaningful.

Instances of believers asking God to deliver them from trouble are numerous, from Job to Jonah to Peter and Paul. Jesus even asked the Father to let the cup of God’s wrath pass from Him if possible. It is not wrong to pray for deliverance, as is done so often in Psalms. Such prayers are not less holy or spiritual than prayers for God to enable us to endure our suffering.

Van · Tuesday at 9:08 AM

Ascetic X said:
We can do both, as documented throughout the scriptures. We can pray that God deliver us from evil and also that God give us the strength to endure afflictions. Both types of prayer are meaningful.

Instances of believers asking God to deliver them from trouble are numerous, from Job to Jonah to Peter and Paul. Jesus even asked the Father to let the cup of God’s wrath pass from Him if possible. It is not wrong to pray for deliverance, as is done so often in Psalms. Such prayers are not less holy or spiritual than prayers for God to enable us to endure our suffering.

Respectfully, I disagree. Did Jesus pray for God to remove the cup, or remove the cup if it was in accord with His will?

Deliver us from evil means enlighten and provide guidance such that we can avoid evil.

Paul asked for the thorn to be removed, but then came to the knowledge God's grace was sufficient for him.

My view is God's grace is sufficient for me.

Van · Tuesday at 10:42 AM

Prayer can be powerful and consequential. True
God listens and responds to prayer. True
Effective prayer aligns with God’s purpose. True
God allows human petition to play a real role in his actions. True
Miraculous prayers are possible. True

God's actions are not all comprised of supernatural intervention, like stopping the Sun in its tracks. Sometimes they, actions or inaction convey enlightenment and guidance.

I know this view departs from the mainstream view, and should be viewed with skepticism. All I ask is you to study the topic, citing specific New Testament scriptures.

For example, the Temptation of Christ. See Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. Two of the three temptations were to ask God to use supernatural power to resolve a difficulty. And the third of course was pride, honor something other than God.

And what was Christ's answer? He cited specific scripture questioning the validity of such a prayer of petition.

Ascetic X · Tuesday at 10:44 AM

Van said:
Respectfully, I disagree. Did Jesus pray for God to remove the cup, or remove the cup if it was in accord with His will?

Deliver us from evil means enlighten and provide guidance such that we can avoid evil.

Paul asked for the thorn to be removed, but then came to the knowledge God's grace was sufficient for him.

My view is God's grace is sufficient for me.

@Van - “If we ask God to alter the outcome of our situation, are we not "testing" God. Are prayers where God's intervention in the physical world is sought, actually prayers in accordance with God's will?”

Jesus asked God if the cup could pass from Him, but He also said: if not, Thy will be done. Still, Jesus was asking for intervention. If Jesus did this, I will do so, too.

Jesus never questioned or disparaged prayers of petition. His refusal of satan’s demands during the temptation was Jesus not obeying the devil. Jesus said our prayers for anything would be answered if we abide in Him.

God’s grace is sufficient for you to bravely tolerate persecution and trials, but God’s grace also provides intervention in the physical realm.

Asking God to intervene is not “testing” God. If it was, most believers in the Bible were “testing” God, for they asked for intervention frequently.

To deny or denigrate this is to unnecessarily limit God’s love and power. You would have to deny a vast multitude of sections of the Bible to assert that we should not be praying for God to alter an outcome or intervene in the physical realm. The entire book of Psalms would be negated, plus much of the gospels.

Suffering people never asked Jesus to increase their ability to endure being sick, lame, leprous, or blind. They begged Jesus to heal them in the physical realm, and Jesus did deliver them from their afflictions. Jesus also intervened in the physical realm by calming the storm and miraculously feeding the multitudes.

In James, the sick will be healed, not have their endurance of illness strengthened.

James 5:14,15

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

God not removing Paul’s thorn in the flesh, which consisted of personal weaknesses and opposition by humans, does not mean that asking God to intervene in the physical realm is somehow not meaningful prayer.

God intervened for Israel in the physical realm many times, in battle victories, in crossing the Red Sea, in manna from heaven, in water from the rock, in guiding them through the desert, in granting children to barren women, etc.

Sometimes when a person prays for intervention, but it does not happen, they might try to adopt a theology that God is distant, uncaring, not willing to do anything about our circumstances. This is a deliberate diminishing of personal faith and ought not to be.

Van · Tuesday at 11:14 AM

Ascetic X said:
Jesus asked God if the cup could pass from Him, but He also said: if not, Thy will be done. Still, Jesus was asking for intervention. If Jesus did this, I will do so, too.

Jesus never questioned or disparaged prayers of petition. His refusal of satan’s demands during the temptation was Jesus not obeying the devil. Jesus said our prayers for anything would be answered if we abide in Him.

God’s grace is sufficient for you to bravely tolerate persecution and trials, but God’s grace also provides intervention in the physical realm.

Asking God to intervene is not “testing” God. If it was, most believers in the Bible were “testing” God, for they asked for intervention frequently.

To deny or denigrate this is to unnecessarily limit God’s love and power. You would have to deny a vast multitude of sections of the Bible to assert that we should not be praying for God to alter an outcome or intervene in the physical realm. The entire book of Psalms would be negated, plus much of the gospels.

Suffering people never asked Jesus to increase their ability to endure being sick, lame, leprous, or blind. They begged Jesus to heal them in the physical realm, and Jesus did deliver them from their afflictions. Jesus also intervened in the physical realm by calming the storm and miraculously feeding the multitudes.

In James, the sick will be healed, not have their endurance of illness strengthened.

James 5:14,15

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

God not removing Paul’s thorn in the flesh, which consisted of personal weaknesses and opposition by humans, does not mean that asking God to intervene in the physical realm is somehow not meaningful prayer.

God intervened for Israel in the physical realm many times, in battle victories, in crossing the Red Sea, in manna from heaven, in water from the rock, in guiding them through the desert, in granting children to barren women, etc.

Sometimes when a person prays for intervention, but it does not happen, they might try to adopt a theology that God is distant, uncaring, not willing to do anything about our circumstances. This is a deliberate diminishing of personal faith and ought not to be.

1) Yes we are to ask for what we want, IF it is in accordance with God's will.
2) No one said we are not to ask for God's help. It is in manner of the requested help that is at issue.
3) The issue is NOT that God's grace sometimes provides supernatural intervention, but what intervention we should be asking for.
4) Yes, asking for God's supernatural intervention when it is NOT in God's will is "testing God." We have God's word for that!
5) I asked for specific citations from the NT, and you simply offered generalizations.
6) Yes, Jesus and His Apostles performed sign and wonder miracles to authenticate the gospel. That does not provide support for ongoing sign and wonder miracles provided by many a charlatan.
7) Thanks, you cited James 5:14-15!

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

Yes I know the mainstream view is the prayer is for physical healing, but a significant minority view is the prayer is for salvation resulting in being raised up on the last day, having been forgiven. Therefore contextually considered, the passage does NOT support requesting supernatural physical healing.

Yes, Paul's prayer does not say we are not to ask for what we want, but certainly teaches we are not to test God by asking for something not in God's will.

To be obedient to God's will does not diminish God or our faith in God.

Van · Tuesday at 12:13 PM

Another specific passage used to support asking for supernatural intervention is found at Matthew 14: 28-30.

Here Peter specifically asks our Lord Jesus to "command" Peter to come across the water. Jesus agrees and says "Come."
Peter initially trusted fully in Christ's power, and got out of the boat and starting walking toward Jesus on the water.

But then, Peter, became frightened, and began to sink. Question, did God almighty lose the power to keep Peter above the water? Nope!! So what is the lesson?

A prayer, offered in faith, and not discredited with doubt, appealing in the Name of Christ, or according to His purposes, can bring God's supernatural intervention. If anyone puts their trust in the Name of Christ for salvation, that can bring God's supernatural intervention, transferring the person from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of Light.

Ascetic X · Tuesday at 1:05 PM

Van said:
1) Yes we are to ask for what we want, IF it is in accordance with God's will.
2) No one said we are not to ask for God's help. It is in manner of the requested help that is at issue.
3) The issue is NOT that God's grace sometimes provides supernatural intervention, but what intervention we should be asking for.
4) Yes, asking for God's supernatural intervention when it is NOT in God's will is "testing God." We have God's word for that!
5) I asked for specific citations from the NT, and you simply offered generalizations.
6) Yes, Jesus and His Apostles performed sign and wonder miracles to authenticate the gospel. That does not provide support for ongoing sign and wonder miracles provided by many a charlatan.
7) Thanks, you cited James 5:14-15!

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

Yes I know the mainstream view is the prayer is for physical healing, but a significant minority view is the prayer is for salvation resulting in being raised up on the last day, having been forgiven. Therefore contextually considered, the passage does NOT support requesting supernatural physical healing.

Yes, Paul's prayer does not say we are not to ask for what we want, but certainly teaches we are not to test God by asking for something not in God's will.

To be obedient to God's will does not diminish God or our faith in God.

That is a gross distortion of the plain teaching in James on ministering to the sick. You mention an admittedly minority view, then emphatically state what the passage does not support, as though only the minority view was valid.

Nowhere in the New Testament does it say the unsaved are sick and need to be prayed for by elders, anointed with oil, and the prayer of faith by the elders will save them, as though salvation depends on the faith of the elders. Unsaved individuals are instructed to repent and believe on Jesus as Lord.

Elders and other believers cannot pray the prayer of faith if they are not sure what God’s will is. Jesus said “your faith has made you whole.” Only once, when a town was full of disbelief, was Jesus restricted and did no mighty works there.

You attempt to disparage my summary of biblical realities as mere “generalizations”. I am not going to quote huge sections of the 4 gospels to you. You are not quoting any scripture verses that support your theory about how we are outside the will of God to pray for His supernatural intervention in the physical realm.

Jesus made it abundantly clear that healing is always God’s will. Not one single time did Jesus ever tell a sick person that it was not God’s will to heal them. Jesus never told them to pray for more endurance of the illness. Jesus never claimed that sickness was used by God to teach people something.

There is no verse anywhere in the New Testament that says the so-called sign gifts will cease when the original apostles died. What would even be the reason for the cessation of gifts of healing? People don’t get sick or possessed by demons anymore? It is absurd and unscriptural.

There are charlatans who are fake faith healers. But there are also charlatans who pretend to preach the gospel, but who preach a materialistic message of having your best life now.

Pastors who focus on symptoms and worldly disbelief may have their faith in deliverance shaken. So they assume it is not God’s will to intervene in the physical realm. This false theology lets them save face and maintain some respect.

The works of Jesus includes physical healing.

John 14:12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Mark 16

17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

18they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

19After the Lord Jesuse had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

20And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.

Van · Tuesday at 3:30 PM

Ascetic X said:
That is a gross distortion of the plain teaching in James on ministering to the sick. You mention an admittedly minority view, then emphatically state what the passage does not support, as though only the minority view was valid.

Nowhere in the New Testament does it say the unsaved are sick and need to be prayed for by elders, anointed with oil, and the prayer of faith by the elders will save them, as though salvation depends on the faith of the elders. Unsaved individuals are instructed to repent and believe on Jesus as Lord.

Elders and other believers cannot pray the prayer of faith if they are not sure what God’s will is. Jesus said “your faith has made you whole.” Only once, when a town was full of disbelief, was Jesus restricted and did no mighty works there.

You attempt to disparage my summary of biblical realities as mere “generalizations”. I am not going to quote huge sections of the 4 gospels to you. You are not quoting any scripture verses that support your theory about how we are outside the will of God to pray for His supernatural intervention in the physical realm.

Jesus made it abundantly clear that healing is always God’s will. Not one single time did Jesus ever tell a sick person that it was not God’s will to heal them. Jesus never told them to pray for more endurance of the illness. Jesus never claimed that sickness was used by God to teach people something.

There is no verse anywhere in the New Testament that says the so-called sign gifts will cease when the original apostles died. What would even be the reason for the cessation of gifts of healing? People don’t get sick or possessed by demons anymore? It is absurd and unscriptural.

There are charlatans who are fake faith healers. But there are also charlatans who pretend to preach the gospel, but who preach a materialistic message of having your best life now.

Pastors who focus on symptoms and worldly disbelief may have their faith in deliverance shaken. So they assume it is not God’s will to intervene in the physical realm. This false theology lets them save face and maintain some respect.

The works of Jesus includes physical healing.

John 14:12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Mark 16

17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

18they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

19After the Lord Jesuse had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

20And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.

Obviously we disagree.

I asked for specifics and you, at first, gave me generalities.

Jesus did NOT make it clear "healing is always God's will!" Everybody physically dies, many sent on their way via fatal illness. Paul seemed to suffer from poor eyesight, and Timothy from frequent aliments.

I side with the Cessessionalists, and I believe you do not. This is not the dispute at issue in this thread.

To suggest I deny modern day miracles, God's supernatural intervention today, is misdirection.

But to return to the actual issue,

Pray like this: Interpretive Translation

Pray to the Father

and recognize His authority.

Ask for an understanding of His will,

and the willingness to follow.

Ask only for what you need,

and the wisdom to avoid needless desires.

Forgive anyone you think has sinned against you,

and ask for forgiveness for your sins.

Ask for guidance to overcome temptation, and

for insight to keep falsehoods and lies far from you.

Ascetic X · Tuesday at 3:47 PM

Van said:
Obviously we disagree.

I asked for specifics and you, at first, gave me generalities.

Jesus did NOT make it clear "healing is always God's will!" Everybody physically dies, many sent on their way via fatal illness. Paul seemed to suffer from poor eyesight, and Timothy from frequent aliments.

I side with the Cessessionalists, and I believe you do not. This is not the dispute at issue in this thread.

To suggest I deny modern day miracles, God's supernatural intervention today, is misdirection.

I generally agree with, and learn from, everything you post. So we can joyfully edify each other in spite of a disagreement.

But I see in the gospels Jesus always healing the sick and crippled. As far as dying, He also raised the dead.

I do not believe Paul had poor eyesight. He said he wrote in large letters once, but that does not mean his eyes were bad. However, he once had a companion who was ill. Jesus taught that our faith enables us to receive healing. Trophimus may have been a babe in Christ or weak in faith for healing.

2 Timothy 4:20

Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.

Yes, the body wears out and everyone dies. But the (ideal) biblical way of dying is not through injury or sickness, but by God removing the breath.

Psalm 104:29

When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.

Job 34:14 Amplified

If God should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath.

Deacon · Tuesday at 5:29 PM

I remember a sermon in the distant past that emphasized that we should pray specifically, "God, this is exactly what I want, and how you should do it...."
I don't observe that in the prayers of Scripture.

James 5 mentions certain ways to pray for healing for the sick.
Prayers for healing in Psalm 30, Jeremiah 17, and others are rather vague.
However Hezekiah's prayer during his illness was quite specific... 'LORD, don't let me die!'

But I'm fairly certain that there are no prayers to find lost keys or a TV clicker.
To my knowledge there are no prayers for a cat or dog... (I don't think cats are among God's chosen), though there may be prayers for lost sheep.

I tend to keep my prayers centered around God's designs...
I have pleaded for the health and healing of my granddaughter...and God responded by granting her eternal life.

Rob

Charlie24 · Tuesday at 6:05 PM

Deacon said:
I remember a sermon in the distant past that emphasized that we should pray specifically, "God, this is exactly what I want, and how you should do it...."
I don't observe that in the prayers of Scripture.

James 5 mentions certain ways to pray for healing for the sick.
Prayers for healing in Psalm 30, Jeremiah 17, and others are rather vague.
However Hezekiah's prayer during his illness was quite specific... 'LORD, don't let me die!'

But I'm fairly certain that there are no prayers to find lost keys or a TV clicker.
To my knowledge there are no prayers for a cat or dog... (I don't think cats are among God's chosen), though there may be prayers for lost sheep.

I tend to keep my prayers centered around God's designs...
Although I have pleaded for the health and healing of my granddaughter...and God responded by granting her eternal life.

Rob

I remember a sermon from a particular Pastor that said we need to do our part before asking for something we need, but when we ask, ask big, He's a big God. In most cases he said, if it's in God's will He will give what's asked for so ask big.

I'm more conservative and will take whatever He's willing to provide, but then again I could have been missing out those times I asked small.

I had a situation some 6-7 years ago when my barn needed a new roof, it's big and took 75 sq of shingles, that's 225 bundles of shingles plus the tear off and replacing in labor. I didn't have nearly enough money to get it done.

So I took it to the Lord in faith, but still worried, I couldn't help but worry.

I won't go into all the details but 3 weeks later I had a brand new roof with the best quality materials money could buy. The deal I made with a guy came from nowhere, and I couldn't believe it when he stopped by and introduced himself as a local roofer and noticed I had some unused pasture he needed for his cows until he got his space in order.

We worked it out and I had enough money to finish it with the deal we made.

So I'm thinking if you're going to ask, that Preacher might be knowing what he's talking about. Ask big.

Ascetic X · Tuesday at 6:21 PM

Deacon said:
I remember a sermon in the distant past that emphasized that we should pray specifically, "God, this is exactly what I want, and how you should do it...."
I don't observe that in the prayers of Scripture.

Have you ever read the Psalms? Loaded with exactly what is wanted and how the psalmist requests God to respond to his enemies, often in gruesome details!

Psalm 58

6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

Deacon said:
James 5 mentions certain ways to pray for healing for the sick.
Prayers for healing in Psalm 30, Jeremiah 17, and others are rather vague.
However Hezekiah's prayer during his illness was quite specific... 'LORD, don't let me die!'

But I'm fairly certain that there are no prayers to find lost keys or a TV clicker.
To my knowledge there are no prayers for a cat or dog... (I don't think cats are among God's chosen), though there may be prayers for lost sheep.

I tend to keep my prayers centered around God's designs...
I have pleaded for the health and healing of my granddaughter...and God responded by granting her eternal life.

Rob

You seem to be drifting into Deism, the error of thinking God is aloof and does not care about human needs.

Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread”. If we can pray for sufficient food to eat, why not ask God to help us find our lost keys?

The closer we get to God, the more we share big and little concerns with Him.

Psalm 81:10 says we can pray for big things.

I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

God meets all our needs.

Philippians 4:19

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Matthew 21:22

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Ben1445 · Wednesday at 8:23 AM

Deacon said:
In Numbers 14:19–20 — Israel rebelled after hearing the negative report of the spies.
Moses intercedes: “Please pardon the iniquity of this people…” (v. 19 ESV)
The Lord responds: “I have pardoned, according to your word.” (v. 20)
God appears to be changing his mind as a response to Moses’ prayer.

In Joshua 10:14 — Joshua commands the sun to stand still during battle, and the text says: “There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man…”

God responds to prayer

God acts in response to prayer

Prayers matter

Yet in both cases, neither omniscience, sovereignty, or impassability is compromised.
The miracle is not God being overruled—it is GOD choosing to act in accordance with his foreordained redemptive purpose.
The event happened with purpose and foresight by an all-knowing GOD.

Prayer Does Not Override God
If God were passible (that is, being emotionally alterable or manipulated), prayer would function like a leverage.
But Scripture never presents prayer as coercion.
We obviously can't make God do something by praying; why even our expectations of how God may act in a given situation are suspect.

Omniscience -> God is all-knowing -> Prayer does not reveal anything to God
Impassibility -> God is not manipulated -> Prayer does not alter God’s nature
Sovereignty -> God’s will cannot fail -> Prayer is part of his ordained plan

God is unchanging in his nature, sovereign in his will, and yet freely responsive in his covenant relationship with his chosen people.
The mystery—God is unchanging yet relationally responsive—lies at the heart of biblical theology of prayer.

Rob

Prayer does not change the nature of God. That is true. No more than when I change my mind, I am a different person.
But by God’s own words, His activities are changed by our prayers.
God’s Word says,
James 4:2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

If the reason we don’t have is because we don’t ask, God’s actions on our behalf are dependent upon our asking.
And I don’t believe that God has foreordained the prayers that we pray.

Van · Wednesday at 9:42 AM

Acting as one of the Elders of our local church, I was called upon to pray over several sick and dying members. I also prayed over my dying sister, Linda, and my dying sister, Debra. But the prayer I want to bring to our audience is my prayer over my dying Pastor. He was dying of Cancer, on a morphine drip, and near the end. He did not want us to pray for miraculous healing, but that his efforts to effectively spread the flame within our community would NOT die.

Unlike Paul, having heard and understood Paul's message, my Pastor did not want us to pray that his "thorn in the flesh" be removed, but like Paul, he wanted our prayer to be that we, the leaders he had mentored, would speak boldly in the name of Christ, continuing to bring the lost to Christ.

Van · Wednesday at 10:13 AM

What is our model for our prayer life?

Pray to the Father
and recognize His authority.

Ask for an understanding of His will,
and the willingness to follow.

Ask only for what you need,
and the wisdom to avoid needless desires.

Forgive anyone you think has sinned against you,
and ask for forgiveness for your sins.

Ask for guidance to overcome temptation, and
for insight to keep falsehoods and lies far from you.

His will is for us to do His will, not the other way around!

Joshua 10:14 and Prayer

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