Nope, he’s not, yet Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Philippians 4:13 13 i can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

John 15:4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Prayer purposes; ——————————-

confession, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. Use The Prayer Hand resource to walk through each of these five purposes. Remember that the purpose is ultimately about aligning our own hearts with God’s, and just as the fifth aspect explains below (illustrated by the thumb), praises to God should permeate every part of our prayer.

The little finger represents confession—I agree with God about my sin. 1 John 1:9—“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

The ring finger represents petition—I ask God to provide for my needs. 1 Samuel 1:27—“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.”

The middle finger represents intercession—I ask God to provide for the needs of others. Ephesians 6:18-19—“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel…”

The index finger represents thanksgiving—I thank God for what He has done in, through, and for me. I also thank Him for His answers to prayers in the lives of those around me and for His ongoing work across the nation and the world. Ephesians 5:20—“…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The thumb represents praise—I let my enjoyment and adoration of God overflow into words. As the thumb is able to touch all four other fingers, so praise should permeate every part of my prayer life. Psalm 146:1-2—“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Genesis 6:6 God says He regrets creating man because of their sinful ways. The Hebrew word for regret used in this context is nacham. While this word can be translated as regret, it also means to feel sorry, to have compassion, or to be comforted. God does not regret creating humankind, but rather feels sorry that they have fallen into sin. Likewise, God sends Jonah to Nineveh to tell the people to repent or He will destroy their city. They repent and God "relents" and does not destroy them. Scripture uses the word nacham here again. This is not to say that God regretted His decision to destroy them or that He changed His mind, but rather that He was comforted by their repentance and had compassion on them. First Samuel 15:29 says, "And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man, that He should have regret."

So if God has already made up His mind, why should we pray? The Bible instructs us to pray without ceasing, in faith in Jesus' name (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 21:22; John 16:24). We should pray with the right motives, depending on God alone, and choosing to obey Him (James 4:3; Matthew 7:8; 1 John 3:22). Ultimately, Scripture instructs us to pray in God's will. "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (1 John 5:14–15).

Prayer may not change God's mind, but it does change our hearts. Prayer is how we communicate with God. Through prayer God reveals His character to us. We learn that He loves us and wants what is best for us. He knows our needs and our wants and already has a plan to fulfill them. He imparts wisdom to us and speaks truth to us. Little by little He transforms our hearts so that our will becomes His will.

Prayer does change things. God is omniscient and sovereign. His mind does not change. But God does use prayer as part of carrying out His will. He uses it to change us, and He uses it to draw our attention to His participation in circumstances. Prayer is mysterious in many ways, but it is a privilege gifted to us by God, through the Person and work of Jesus Christ, so that we can communicate with Him and participate in His work in the world.