When Prayer Might Not Be Enough
Prayer doesn't always change things. Take Zedekiah as a prime example. The King of Judah contacts Jeremiah and makes a logical request: " Please pray to the Lord our God for us " –Jeremiah 37:3, NIV. Great tactic particularly when threatened by enemies about to destroy your city and take you into captivity in a foreign country. Small problem. Just prior to noting the request, the Scripture says of Zedekiah: " Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet " –Jeremiah 37:2, NIV. I was instantly reminded of a man in Venezuela who asked us to pray for him. He was going through a difficult time financially and, as we discovered later, involved in a complicated interpersonal relationship challenge (i.e. cheating on his wife). I confess I hesitated to pray for him because I doubted that my prayers would get much farther than the ceiling. Like Zedekiah, he wasn't ...