Does Prayer Really Change Anything With God? | Chasing Assurance Ep. 67

If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and sovereign over everything, does our prayer actually make a difference? Or is everything already determined?
That’s the listener-submitted question at the heart of this episode of the Chasing Assurance Podcast. Terry Peer and Dr. Terry Peer takes us into Exodus 32, where Moses discovers Israel worshiping the golden calf. God declares judgment against the people, but Moses intercedes on their behalf—and Scripture tells us that the Lord relented concerning the judgment He had threatened.
Study Guide Link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p0xa6b5n7dif9nau3xz08/Study-Guide-Chasing-Assurance-67.pdf?rlkey=jj43w132al5wwemqqgx0pcz6h&dl=0
So what does that mean for us today?
Can prayer actually affect what God does? How can God remain completely sovereign while also hearing and responding to our prayers? And perhaps the hardest question of all: What happens when we pray faithfully and God's answer is no—or His answer looks completely different from what we wanted?
This conversation explores the relationship between prayer, God's sovereignty, His timing, and our trust. We look at Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, Jesus' teaching on persistent prayer, and the biblical call to pray according to God's will.
One of the central ideas of the episode is that prayer isn't about convincing God that our plan is better. It's about participating in what God is doing while trusting that He can see circumstances, consequences, and eternity in ways we simply cannot.
As Dr. Peer explains, sometimes God's answer may be yes. Sometimes it may be no. Sometimes it may be not now. Our challenge is learning to trust God even when His answer isn't the one we expected.
This week's Lester's Feet segment also includes prayers for the Razor family following the passing of Charles Razor and introduces Shepherd, a young boy whose family is preparing for three to five months of treatment in Boston. Lester's Feet is working to help provide temporary housing so his family can remain together throughout his treatment.
Scripture of the Week
Psalm 37:3–5 (LSB)
“Trust in YAHWEH and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in YAHWEH; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to YAHWEH and, Trust in Him and He will do it.”
Have a tough question about faith, Scripture, prayer, or something you've struggled to understand?
Submit your question to Chasing Assurance. It may become the subject of a future episode.
Thank you to the sponsors who make Chasing Assurance possible:
Heartwood Planning Group
WiseEye Technologies
Coonless Feeders
Green Prairie Seed Company
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