You might be aware of the popular doctrine that is widely prevalent in Christian circles today. This novel doctrine teaches that we can “command” God in prayer. The argument is from Isaiah 45:11, “Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker, ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; and concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.” If you would refer to more modern translations you would find that there is actually a translation error. It’s not God telling the people to command Him but it’s He challenging His people, “Will you command Me?” The KJV says, “Command ye Me,” but the NIV renders it as, “Do you give Me orders about the work of My hands?” Also if you look at the verse in
its context, it brings out the sense of this passage. Verse 9, “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, What are you making? Or shall your handiwork say, He has no hands?” One more illustration is served in verse 10:
“Woe to him who says to his father, What are you begetting? Or to the woman, What have you brought forth?” Verse 12 follows: “I have made the earth and created man on it. It was I—My hands that stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have comman-ded.” The clay cannot question or command the
potter, nor the son his parent, nor the creature the Creater. Contextually interpreting this passage, it is not, “You do command Me!” but, “Do you command Me?” It’s a question and not a prescription.
Look at the prayer life of the Lord Jesus Christ. He mastered the art of prayer. Never once He commanded His Father. The first Messianic Psalm is Psalm 2. What did the Father tell the Son? “You are My Son; Today I have begotten You; Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance”
(Psa 2:8). It is, “Ask of Me,” not “Command Me.”
We find another classic passage in the Book of Hebrews about the prayer life of Jesus. “In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear. Though He was a Son,
yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:7,8). He “cried” unto His Father with tears. He never “comman-ded” Him. At the Garden of Gethsemane the Lord Jesus was going through the agony of death. Leaving the three disciples at a distance He went further on and fell prostrate
before His Father, and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup be removed from Me.” Later He prayed, “If it cannot be removed from Me, let Your will be done” (Mt 26:39,42). Beloved, when there’s such a clearcut teaching, especially from the life of the Lord Jesus, we must not entertain the novel doctrine that we can command God in prayer.
In this context I also want to make a reference to God’s perfect will vs. His permissive will. Christian maturity demands that we walk in obedience to God’s perfect will and not pester God to move into His permissive will. How do the perfect will and the permissive will of God differ from each other? Visualise
a dad taking a child for a stroll. The child asks if she could cross over to the other side. Knowing the danger of crossing the road at that time, the father says, No. But the child keeps pestering. At one point of time the dad says, OK. This is not his perfect will, just permissive will.
An illustration from the Old Testament serves us a warning. God was taking His people from the Egyptian bondage, through the wilderness, to the Promised Land. On the way they began to murmur against God about what they could not have and what they were missing. They wanted meat right in the
desert. God made a wind to blow from the seaside and it brought lot of quails. But the Bible says, “While the meat was still between the teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was stirred against them” (Num 11:33). Later we read about this incident in Psalms, “God gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul” (Psa 106:15). Friends, be reverential when you approach God in prayer.
Yet another illustration: God was ruling over His people. They had no human King. God was leading them through His prophetic voice. But the people came to Prophet Samuel and said, “Make for us a King to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam 8:5). That request very much displeased the Prophet. He
went to God in prayer. God told him, “Don’t feel bad, they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me. I will grant them their request. Tell them they would get a King. But also warn them of the behaviour 2that King would manifest in course of time.” We know how King Saul made a mess. In other words, the
grant of a King was not according to God’s perfect will. It was just His permissive will. Friends, keep yourselves within the confines and boundaries of God’s perfect will and not move into the circle of His permissive will.
Does that mean that we cannot expect God to answer all our prayers? No, God does answer our prayers. But the answers may be different. Sometimes the answer will be, “Yes.” Many times the answer will be, “No.” Oftentimes the answer will be, “Wait.” And more often than we think the answer will be just
silence! Mature Christians will know the difference between these answers. Any parent knows when to give, what to give and to which child. Prayer is not to change God’s mind, but it is to change us to fit into His plan and purposes.
At this juncture, a question about the Parable of the Unrighteous Judge might he posed! (Lk 18:1-8). That woman kept on pestering the Judge and finally she was answered. This Parable was just to teach us the lesson that we must not lose heart in prayer (v1). That unrighteous Judge did not answer that woman out of delight. He simply wanted to avoid further disturbance from her. That’s all!
Paul had a thorn in his flesh. He did not “command” the thorn to get out of his body! On the other hand the Bible says that he “pleaded” with the Lord. God gave a different answer than what he expected: “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength will be made perfect in your weakness.” Paul accepted God’s perfect will “gladly!” (2 Cor 12:8,9). That was victory and deliverance in the true sense.
God is our Father. We are His children. But because He is God, we are to approach Him with reverential fear. Ask Him. Plead before Him. Cry unto Him. Yield to Him. Wait before Him. Never ever attempt to command Him. God keeps asking, “If I’m your Father, where is My honour? And if I am a Master, where
is My reverence?” (Mal 1:6). We are God’s “sons” and “servants” at the same time! Privileges must not overstep reverence.
May be there’s a prayer that’s unanswered for long in your life. Say, “Lord, let Your will be done!” This kind of prayer does not indicate lack of faith. It’s actually an expression of trust and confidence. God knows what’s best for us!
its context, it brings out the sense of this passage. Verse 9, “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, What are you making? Or shall your handiwork say, He has no hands?” One more illustration is served in verse 10:
“Woe to him who says to his father, What are you begetting? Or to the woman, What have you brought forth?” Verse 12 follows: “I have made the earth and created man on it. It was I—My hands that stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have comman-ded.” The clay cannot question or command the
potter, nor the son his parent, nor the creature the Creater. Contextually interpreting this passage, it is not, “You do command Me!” but, “Do you command Me?” It’s a question and not a prescription.
Look at the prayer life of the Lord Jesus Christ. He mastered the art of prayer. Never once He commanded His Father. The first Messianic Psalm is Psalm 2. What did the Father tell the Son? “You are My Son; Today I have begotten You; Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance”
(Psa 2:8). It is, “Ask of Me,” not “Command Me.”
We find another classic passage in the Book of Hebrews about the prayer life of Jesus. “In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear. Though He was a Son,
yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:7,8). He “cried” unto His Father with tears. He never “comman-ded” Him. At the Garden of Gethsemane the Lord Jesus was going through the agony of death. Leaving the three disciples at a distance He went further on and fell prostrate
before His Father, and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup be removed from Me.” Later He prayed, “If it cannot be removed from Me, let Your will be done” (Mt 26:39,42). Beloved, when there’s such a clearcut teaching, especially from the life of the Lord Jesus, we must not entertain the novel doctrine that we can command God in prayer.
In this context I also want to make a reference to God’s perfect will vs. His permissive will. Christian maturity demands that we walk in obedience to God’s perfect will and not pester God to move into His permissive will. How do the perfect will and the permissive will of God differ from each other? Visualise
a dad taking a child for a stroll. The child asks if she could cross over to the other side. Knowing the danger of crossing the road at that time, the father says, No. But the child keeps pestering. At one point of time the dad says, OK. This is not his perfect will, just permissive will.
An illustration from the Old Testament serves us a warning. God was taking His people from the Egyptian bondage, through the wilderness, to the Promised Land. On the way they began to murmur against God about what they could not have and what they were missing. They wanted meat right in the
desert. God made a wind to blow from the seaside and it brought lot of quails. But the Bible says, “While the meat was still between the teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was stirred against them” (Num 11:33). Later we read about this incident in Psalms, “God gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul” (Psa 106:15). Friends, be reverential when you approach God in prayer.
Yet another illustration: God was ruling over His people. They had no human King. God was leading them through His prophetic voice. But the people came to Prophet Samuel and said, “Make for us a King to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam 8:5). That request very much displeased the Prophet. He
went to God in prayer. God told him, “Don’t feel bad, they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me. I will grant them their request. Tell them they would get a King. But also warn them of the behaviour 2that King would manifest in course of time.” We know how King Saul made a mess. In other words, the
grant of a King was not according to God’s perfect will. It was just His permissive will. Friends, keep yourselves within the confines and boundaries of God’s perfect will and not move into the circle of His permissive will.
Does that mean that we cannot expect God to answer all our prayers? No, God does answer our prayers. But the answers may be different. Sometimes the answer will be, “Yes.” Many times the answer will be, “No.” Oftentimes the answer will be, “Wait.” And more often than we think the answer will be just
silence! Mature Christians will know the difference between these answers. Any parent knows when to give, what to give and to which child. Prayer is not to change God’s mind, but it is to change us to fit into His plan and purposes.
At this juncture, a question about the Parable of the Unrighteous Judge might he posed! (Lk 18:1-8). That woman kept on pestering the Judge and finally she was answered. This Parable was just to teach us the lesson that we must not lose heart in prayer (v1). That unrighteous Judge did not answer that woman out of delight. He simply wanted to avoid further disturbance from her. That’s all!
Paul had a thorn in his flesh. He did not “command” the thorn to get out of his body! On the other hand the Bible says that he “pleaded” with the Lord. God gave a different answer than what he expected: “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength will be made perfect in your weakness.” Paul accepted God’s perfect will “gladly!” (2 Cor 12:8,9). That was victory and deliverance in the true sense.
God is our Father. We are His children. But because He is God, we are to approach Him with reverential fear. Ask Him. Plead before Him. Cry unto Him. Yield to Him. Wait before Him. Never ever attempt to command Him. God keeps asking, “If I’m your Father, where is My honour? And if I am a Master, where
is My reverence?” (Mal 1:6). We are God’s “sons” and “servants” at the same time! Privileges must not overstep reverence.
May be there’s a prayer that’s unanswered for long in your life. Say, “Lord, let Your will be done!” This kind of prayer does not indicate lack of faith. It’s actually an expression of trust and confidence. God knows what’s best for us!
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