God’s Decrees And Our Prayer’s Work Together

God’s Decrees and Our Prayers Work Together

In this article, I will attempt to give all my readers and listeners an accessible understanding of the decrees of God. My attempt is not to put you to sleep or allow you to check out without engaging.

It is right in that phrase—engaging—that God has laid out two very important truths. His decrees and the privilege of human obligation. These two truths in this article will be covered in three points.

One, God speaks; He is not silent. Two, God is faithful and powerful enough to fulfill what He states. Three, man's responsibility of prayer and obedience is a privilege and obligation that God has graciously given.

God Decrees Events in Human History

God gives statements of facts in the Bible. We call them decrees. Genesis one through three are full of them. For example, God states, “If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will die.” This is God giving a decreed command and man having the obligation to responsibly obey what God has commanded. However, as human history unfolded Adam and Eve did not obey.

Other decrees are just a statement of what will be. You will come out of Egypt after four hundred years more wealthy than when you arrived. These decrees are given in the Bible (God’s special Revelation) to show us that God is faithful to fulfill His words.

This is what separates the Bible from all other religious texts. God reveals some things to us in His Bible before they ever happen to show us that He is the God who knows the end from the beginning, and He has the authority and power to make it all happen, as He said.

No other religious text is so pervasive in future revelation.  

The example that shows God's decreed will and man's obligation to responsibly obey is found in Israel coming out of Egypt (more on this later). I want to start a few hundred years before that amazing event.

God told Abram in Genesis fifteen that his people would go into slavery, but after four hundred years, they would come out with great wealth. We see Israel become slaves in Egypt after Pharaoh begins to fear the population growth of the Israelites.

After these four hundred years, God brings His people out with a strong arm. In this same historical narrative, we see that God brings man into the picture through his prayer life. This picture shows one of mankind’s obligation of responsible obedience is praying.

Here is where I must point out a few heavy truths about God and man that will help our understanding of God's nature and man's obligation of responsible obedience.

There are two types of causes seen in scripture. The first cause is God. He is the one who brings everything into existence and sustains it, leading human history to its ultimate end. The second cause is mankind and our obligation to responsibly obey. The best way to see these two causes in action is to jump into the scriptures.

As I said earlier, in Genesis Fifteen, we see God stating what will happen to Abram's people. Israel is going into slavery. In Exodus two, we see God as a father, hearing the groaning of his people through prayer. God fulfills His decreed promise through the prayer of His people.

We notice the first cause (God) at work and the second cause (man) at work. This is the beauty of God allowing His creation to be engaged in His decreed will. It is from these truths that we see a minimum of three points.      

God speaks, And It Will Be Done (Gen 15:13-14)

God uses Christians to engage fully and remind His creation how faithful God is to them. By engaging His creation in this way, He gives manifold opportunities for them to understand their creator rightly and how He works in human history. Our confidence in sharing with humankind (creation) comes from God announcing in Scripture what He will do. He will deliver His people from slavery.

Back in Genesis fifteen, Israel was heading for dark times, and there were going to be generations of Jews who would be living in slavery.

Can you imagine being born and then, during the entire span of your life, all you knew was slavery?

This happened over three generations. I can only guess it was tough to keep hoping in God. However, we must remember that God does not work on our timetable; He works on His. He can be trusted with the future because He has been faithful previously.

We are such temporal creatures when it comes to understanding how God works. We think that we are the center of all human history, and we are not. What a blessing we have to be alive and to receive God’s grace given by Jesus Christ.

As time keeps grinding, we see one theme rising in the Biblical narratives. God is faithful. In this next section, we will see how.    

Years later, God did what he said He would do. (Ex11:7)

When a person begins to see that God is faithful to His word and has the power to carry out what He stated He would do, it allows us to grow in our trust of who He is in our life. Things may seem crazy and out of control; however, God is leading human history where he wants it to go.

But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 11:7)

Here is the one true living God bringing His people out of Egypt just like He said He would in Genesis fifteen. Look at what God is doing. He is distinguishing between His people and those who worship false gods. This is a theme for the entire Bible.

God is calling a distinct people he wants to lead and guide. But, the people (Israel) don’t like to be distinct. They want to be like the other nations that are surrounding them.

Examples:

·        Instead of going into the land of Canaan and taking possession, they grumble and want to go back into their slave nation of Egypt. (Exodus 16:3)

·        Instead of letting God be their King, they want an earthly king like the other nations. (1 Sam 8:20)

·        Instead of worshipping god alone, they worship the false gods that the nations around them worship.   (Hosea 8:4)

Nevertheless, even though God has proven faithful to do what He says he will do, mankind still has a problem with seeing God's faithfulness in scripture as played out in human history.

Mans's dilemma has been the sin of desiring lesser gods that will never be completely satisfying.

God, knowing this, sent us a Savior. Jesus came to obey the external law so that those who place saving faith in Him would be changed internally, and in return, it would affect what we strive after externally.

It is by changing the heart that God changes the actions. We are indeed a distinct people. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who prosecute us. If someone makes you go a mile, go two with him. By doing this, you are showing the love of God.

This leads me to my last point, the importance of prayer.

Man's Prayer Plays A Part

“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Exodus 2:24

They began to engage God in prayer and groan. Not just one person but multiple people. This is another way we are called to engage God: to pray together.

Four hundred years is what God decreed, but prayer is what man was called to do. When people get unified and groan in prayer, things happen. When we plead with God to move and work, it is in our prayer that we remind ourselves of who God is and remind God of His promise.

In the middle of this, the mystery of prayer moves God to action. In remembering what God says and what He has done in the past and rehearsing God’s truth back to him, God, like a good father, remembers what He promised to do. Not that He ever forgot, but scripture gives this language so that we see God as a caring father who hears His children.

As a good Father moving in His perfect timeline, He puts into action what will bring Him the most glory at any appointed time.

In close, God decrees things to be, whether it be His commands or human responsibility. In the first cause, He speaks through his words before something happens to show that He knows everything and has the power to carry it out. In the second cause, humans have the obligation to responsibly obey. God does not weaken man's will but uses it to carry out His decreed purpose. Man is responsible for His disobedience to God’s word.   

History proves this accurate, and we are humbly called to worship such a great God. We are called to be a distinct people. Instead of looking like the world, we are called to trust in faith, obey, and groan in prayer until he moves.

Even if we don’t see it happen in our lifetime, God wants us to engage in life with zeal and confidence, trusting in Him. We are trusting His decreed will, but at the same time, doing what we are commanded to do in scripture: obedience, prayer, and trusting in faith.

Until next month, go out and trust God by sharing or proclaiming His Gospel because the truth that transforms is the truth that is worth sharing or proclaiming.