Imagine God at His typewriter. He uses a typewriter because He loves it . . . there’s no “delete” key because He never makes a mistake. No white out. No correction paper. When He writes our stories, they happen just as He envisions them. Amazing.
But when does He write them? No one knows. Did He write them before He created us? He knows us and knows all about us then. Or does He write them after we’re born? Does He ever change them? There’s only place in Scripture (Exodus 32:14) where it says definitively, “The Lord changed His mind.”
And we get hope from that. If He changed it once, He can change it again, right?
But we can find a more encouraging answer in this thought: God is timeless. He operates outside time and space. God could hear us in “real time” and consider changing our story right now. But it’s just as real if He heard us years ago at His typewriter . . . or when He conceived us or “in the beginning.” We can’t know for sure but we can rest in the knowledge that He loves us, hears us, and does what’s best for us and brings Him the most glory.
Thus, because of the timelessness of God, all prayers are heard and considered before the story is continued or finished. Isn’t that comforting? To know that no prayer is unheard . . . no prayer is ever wasted . . . no prayer is irrelevant. What happens when we’re prayed for? Does prayer affect the outcome? I think it does. Consider this scenario . . .
As God types our stories on His typewriter, His phone goes off, meaning He’s received a message (a prayer) from someone. He knows the life and heart of this child of His and takes their request into consideration as He continues to type. When His phone continues to go off and He looks at the caller ID to discover “righteous men (and women)” sending up passionate prayers for something or someone, I believe He takes them into serious consideration. Scripture says . . .
“The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16b)
It’s easy to trust a faithful friend who loves you and always wants the best for you. Sometimes, the outcome we desire isn’t what we get in the short term. But God is about long term. A lot of people agree with Garth, “Some of life’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” But I believe all prayers are eventually answered one way or another. We may be in Heaven before we know what He was thinking, but I believe whatever happens is always for our best and His glory.
Prayer – Father, thank you for calling so many to pray for me. I’m so happy to be called by your Name and to be so loved by you. Heavenly Father, please keep building our faith . . . we can’t imagine living life without you. You are our awesome friend Lord Jesus. It’s in your beautiful name we pray. Amen.
