Doesn’t
God Already Know My Needs?
Ephesians
6:18

As
we saw last week, praying in the Spirit speaks of a prayer that
transcends the mere words as spoken from our lips. As Paul continues with this
sentence in Ephesians, we can see that he writes of other aspects of prayer as well. As with
the thought of praying in the Spirit, these other aspects will also require
some study on our part to see what he means.
Our Petitions to
God
We
saw when we considered “The Sword of the Spirit,” that the Word of God is the
primary way in which God communicates to us. But in order for us to have a
meaningful relationship with God, there needs to be a two-way communication. We
also need to be able to converse with him. In much the same way that God speaks
to us through his Word, prayer is the way in which we communicate to God.
Actually,
in many ways prayer actually corresponds to the Word of God, except it is we who are
speaking to God instead of him speaking to us.
It
is in the Bible, God’s Word, where we learn of God’s perspective on matters,
and even the problems that he is facing. God is not reticent about sharing his
frustrations with us concerning unfaithful people and rebellious children. In his Word, he
explains to us why there are difficulties in the world, and how he believes
that we could help in these matters.
It
is also in his Word that God tells us of his love for us and of his devotion to
us. It is there where we learn of the astounding measures that he has taken to
redeem us to himself, even though there was nothing about us that would merit
him taking this extraordinary action on our behalf. From the earliest of days,
he has told his people that he would never leave them nor forsake them.
Scripture is abounding with assurances from God about his faithfulness toward
us.
Prayer
is all of those things—except it is we who are telling these things to God. We
tell him of the difficulties we face in our own lives and the difficulties of
the world, but we also assure him of our devotion to him. As he tells us that
no matter what may come, he will never leave us nor forsake us, in prayer we
also promise the same measure of our devotion to him.
Prayer
corresponds to the Word of God in that it completes the communication
relationship between us and God. God’s word is he speaking to us, and prayer is
we speaking to God. As a Christian life cannot grow unless we read and study
what God has to say to us in the Bible, neither will our lives grow if we do
not share our perspective with God.
Doesn’t God
Already Know My Thoughts?
But
you might ask, “Doesn’t God know my thoughts even before I pray?”
The
writers of the Bible certainly believed so. King David said in one of his
prayers, “Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O Lord”
(Psalm 139:4, 24-25).
The
gospel writers certainly believed so. They stated several times in their
writings that Jesus knew the thoughts of the people with whom he was speaking
(Matthew 9:4; 12:25; Luke 5:22; 11:17; 9:47; John 2:25).
Paul
believed God knows what we are thinking. He wrote, “The Lord knows the thoughts
of the wise, that they are futile” (1 Corinthians 3:20).
Most
importantly of all, God actually tells us that he knows our thoughts. Speaking
to the prophet Isaiah of the nations, God tells him, “I know their works and
their thoughts” (Isaiah 66:18)
“Even
before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear,” God says
(Isaiah 65:24).
Also, seeking to encourage the young King
Solomon as he began his reign of Israel to do so with integrity, God tells him,
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a
whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and
understands every plan and thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV).
And
to the prophet Jeremiah, “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind” (Jeremiah
17:10).
When
Jesus was teaching his followers about prayer, he told them, “And when you are
praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose
that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them; for your
Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:7-8 BSB).
Why Pray?
If
it is a fact that God knows our thoughts and the desires of our hearts, we
might rightly ask the question, “Why do I even need to pray to God?”
This
question brings up one way in which our prayers to God differ than his words to
us. That is, besides all of the other aspects of prayer that may correspond in
some way with God’s Word, another reason that we pray is that it is a manner in
which we seek guidance from the Lord.
To Hear Our Own
Voice
There
are at least a couple of ways in which we gain guidance from God in our
prayers. The first is actually quite practical and should even be apparent to
us, because many of us use this principle even in our daily choices.
When
we are confronted with a decision, it often helps to explain it to another
person—any person. Even if the other person has no idea on how to advise us,
the simple act of stating the details of the choice helps the decision-maker
clarify it in his or her mind so that the solution actually presents itself. We
often do not know what we may think on any particular matter until we make the
effort to verbalize it into comprehensible thoughts. Sometimes, as we explain
the difficulty, the answer becomes self-evident.
It
is one of the reasons that I normally will not speak extemporaneously, at least
if it is on a somewhat difficult subject. It is my practice to write into
coherent sentences what I am going to say. I find that the act
of writing itself clarifies the issues in my own mind. I sometimes will tell someone, “I
can’t know what I think about this until I write it down.”
It
is much the same as we explain a difficulty to another person. Once we put all
of our scattered thoughts into some coherent sentences, we can see both the
problem and the solution much more clearly.
The Invalid of
Bethesda
There
is a story in the Bible that somewhat corresponds to this in the matter of
asking God for something. It is found in the Gospel of John, chapter five.
As
the story goes, there was a pool of water, which the people called “Bethesda”
near the Sheep Gate in the city of Jerusalem. The pool was a gathering place
for those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed. They gathered there because they believed at
certain times, an angel would come and stir up the waters of the pool. After
the stirring, there was a belief that the first one of these needy people who
was able to step into the waters would be healed of whatever infirmity that he
or she had.
I
am doubtful that this actually was the case with the pool. I do not think it
was some sort of “magical” pool of water, but that it was simply a local legend
that was believed by many of the city. I have seen several places similar to
this in various parts of the world, different sites or objects that the local
people considered to have healing properties.
Nevertheless,
whether or not the pool Bethesda was truly magical is not important at this
point. What is important was that there was this belief among the people that
it actually did have the power to heal. Specifically, there was one man in need
of healing at the pool who had been convinced that he could be healed at this
pool.
The
man had been an invalid for an astounding thirty-eight years. It was his hope
that someday, when the waters became stirred, he would be able to make it to
the pool first. We do not know exactly what the man’s disorder was, but it
seems that he was unable to use his legs.
One
day Jesus arrived at the gate and saw this man in his condition. He asked him,
“Do you want to be made well?”
It
seems like a question that does not actually need to be asked. The man was
lame, and he had been lame for thirty-eight years. He was at the pool where
people believed that they could obtain healing. Certainly the answer to the
question should be rather obvious.
Jesus
also certainly knew the answer to the question that he asked the crippled man,
but he was seeking to get the man to explain his need. The man did not simply
say “yes, I want to be healed” but he explained his present difficulty of
getting to the water in time.
The
man replied, “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is
stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
Whether
or not the man realized it, he verbalized this shallow perception of his need
and what it would take for him to be healed. The solution that he was seeking
was actually no solution at all. He did not need someone to help him to the
water, he needed Jesus to heal.
This
is more often the case with problems that we face than we realize. Like the
lame man, we often look at our difficulties as if there was some perceived instant
solution that could make it all right. We look for some “magical” answer to our
problems.
It
is this type of belief that keeps the lottery industry so healthy. It feeds
upon people who are often hurting but who believe that one day they will buy
that one lottery ticket that will get them to the pool at Bethesda first, and
all of their problems will be made right. All the bills that they have
accumulated because they were seeking fulfillment in life by purchasing
“things” would be paid if they could just get that lucky number.
But
these people do not need a magical number. They need Jesus.
They
need Jesus to say to them as he said to the crippled man at Bethesda, “Get up!
Pick up your mat and walk.”
There
is more to the story of this lame man at Bethesda, but the point right now is
that by verbalizing his perceived solution to his condition, the man should
have realized that he was looking in the wrong place for healing.
To Hear the
Voice of God
This
leads us to the second reason that we are to pray, even if God already knows
our thoughts. To do this, we again can look to some words of King David. “Let
all the godly pray to You while You may be found” David writes.
He
then expresses his confidence in God when he continues: “Surely when great
waters rise, they will not come near. You are my hiding place. You protect me
from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”
David
was expressing these words during a time of apparent great distress, confirming
to God his commitment to remain faithful despite the difficulties that
he was facing. He was also seeking guidance from the Lord. We do not know the
specifics either of David’s difficulty or of God’s instructions, but we do have
God’s promise that he would give guidance.
The
response of God to the David’s petition: “I will instruct you and teach you the
way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you. Do not be like
the horse or mule, which have no understanding; they must be controlled with
bit and bridle to make them come to you” (Psalm 32:6-9 BSB).
God
promises to instruct us, but we often look in the wrong places for his instructions
and in the wrong manner.
In a Quiet Whisper
In
the book of First Kings (chapter 19), there is an account of the prophet Elijah
who at the time of this narrative was fleeing in fear for his life from the
wicked Queen Jezebel. During his flight through the wilderness, on one of the
first nights as he lay under a tree, Elijah actually prayed to God that he
might die.
“I
have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life.”
But
the Lord did not take his life. God instead put Elijah into a sleep, which from worry may
have begun a fitful rest, but then into a deeper, healing sleep. After
what must have been some hours, he was awakened by an angel, who gave him a
cake of bread and provided for him a jar of water. Elijah fell again into
sleep. Some time later, he was again awakened by the angel who again fed him.
“Get
up and eat,” the angel told him, “or the journey will be too much for you.”
It
indeed was a long journey. After
forty days Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb, “The Mountain of God.” It was there
where he was expecting to hear from God.
At
the mountain, Elijah entered a cave to spend the night.
The
Lord said to him there, “Go outside and stand on the mountain. Behold, the Lord
is about to pass by.”
Expectantly,
Elijah went to the mouth of the cave. As he stood there, a “great and mighty
wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks.”
Elijah
may have thought, “Surely in such a forceful display of power, I will hear the
voice of God.”
But
we read, “The LORD was not in the wind.”
After
the wind, an earthquake began to rumble under the feet of Elijah. But God did
not speak to Elijah in this demonstration of power.
Then
a fire, but neither did God speak to him in the fire.
The
Lord is a mighty and powerful God, so like Elijah, we may also expect God to
speak to us in great thunderous and impossible to ignore manifestations of
might. But it is only the insecure who feel the need to speak in false displays
of power. It is the Wizard of Oz who hides behind a curtain and pulls the
levers to activate his frightening displays.
None
of these, the great wind, the earthquake or the fire—none of them held the word
of God. At some point during these natural disasters, Elijah had been driven
back into his cave. He had stood on the mountain as he was told, but still no
word had come to him from God.
But
then, back inside the cave, he began to hear the sound of a gentle, almost
imperceptible sound of a soft breeze—a still and small voice. This was the
voice that he was to wait outside for! He returned to the mouth of the cave to
hear what God would say to him.
Once
again at the entrance to his cave, he prayed to the Lord. He told God of his
problems and how he thought he had done everything right in his service for
God, but how it seemed to have all come to nothing.
“The
Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your
prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life
as well.”
He
told the Lord of the depression that he was feeling—a depression so deep that
he wanted God to take his life.
In
the silence of the breeze, God spoke to Elijah. God told him the next action
that he was to take, and he encouraged him when he told him that there were
still “seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and
whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Be Still
Most
often, we also will hear the voice of God only in quiet whispers. If you seek
him, he will give you quiet assurances in what you must do and of his concern
for you.
The
word of God often comes to me by quiet and inward convictions that have been
formed by the reading of the Bible, and also confirmed in those Scriptures. For
me, the voice of God is not heard in thunderous orations and noisy events. It
is heard in moments of solitude and contemplation.
“Be
still and know that I am God,” he tells us in the Psalms (46:10)
God
told David that he was not to be like the horse or mule, animals which have no
understanding of why they are going to a certain place and must simply be
controlled and directed with bit and bridle.
Nor
does God want us to be led along like a mule in our lives. It is not the
intention of God that the direction in our lives simply be dictated by events
that come to us, but without having an understanding why it is all happening.
He does not want us to be mindless about the purpose and goals of our life.
If
like David, we first express our unwavering love for God and our confidence
that he will provide both a way and an answer, God will give his assurance of
his counsel and care.
Jesus
once said to his disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant
does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends,
because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you”
(John 15:15 BSB).
In
the end, prayer is the way in which we speak to God, but we see that it is also
a way in which he speaks to us.
The
Apostle Paul wrote, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by
the Spirit…For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10,16 BSB)
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