Prayer changes us, not God. He knows what we are going to say. We need to hear it, dwell on it, hear others, listen to Him…

God knows what you are going to say. He knows the situation, whatever it might bet, better than you. He knows how you feel about it. You bring nothing new to Him as far as information goes. What you bring is yourself. You get on your knees and spend time with Him. That is what He wants. He does not want to be convinced.

I think one of the main issues that the Open Theists are trying to address is the power of prayer. They want to be able to change God’s mind. They want their prayers to change the world. The problem is, they have aimed in the wrong direction. Prayer is aimed at the individual, not God.

You may have seen it written on a billboard or bumper sticker: Prayer changes things. It does, it changes you. Guess who needs changing? It is not God.

James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Prayer avails much. I think people misunderstand who it “avails” on. It is not God, it is us.

Let us look at a small example. I pray for the christians in Vietnam. They are being heavily persecuted. God knows this, I am not bringing Him any new information about their situation. So what is the impact of my prayer? I am not likely to ever talk to anyone there to let them know that I am praying. So that nullifies any form of encouragement that they might receive. Even if God is waiting for my prayer to act, there is no way for them to know, and therefore the only person affected by this prayer is me (or those with whom I am praying).

Prayer is talking to God. Like any relationship, my relationship with God requires communication. How can I say I love my wife if I never talk to her?

Prayer changes the people who pray. If you no longer require changing, stop praying.