Why We Pray

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men." Psalms 115:16

Why is the world in such a mess, so full of evil people and calamities if God is good?  After all, He's the all-knowing, all powerful, omnipresent One isn't He?  What's going on? 

The answer is in the verse above:  

GOD IS NOT IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE EARTH.

WHAT???  How? Why?  When?  In order to understand the full story, we have to go back to where it all began:  In the garden.

In the beginning God created everything and He said of His creation that it was "good." But of man, whom He created last, He said it was "VERY GOOD."  Even though everything He created was good, He discovered that man had need of something, or rather someone, else.  So He created woman.  

Back then, God was fully in charge.  Everything was perfect.  There was no sickness, no disease, no need of hospitals, weapons or wars.  There was no death.

Then God set the man and woman in the garden and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and SUBDUE IT; HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28 NKJV)

Basically, HE HANDED OVER "THE KEYS" to man.

There was only one law back then:  

Genesis 2:15-17 

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil YOU SHALL NOT EAT, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Everything was going well until one day when the serpent came along.  The woman, influenced by the snake, ate from the forbidden tree.  She influenced the man, Adam, who was standing right there next to her, to eat from the tree, which he did.  As a result man fell.  You see, he knew better.  He was there when God said he could "FREELY EAT" from every tree in the garden.....except this one.  Did
he stop his wife or correct her?  No.  In effect, he bowed His knee to that outlaw spirit--satan--committed high treason and handed over "THE KEYS" to the devil.  Consequently, God had to drive them out of the garden and place His two Cherubim, guardians of God's holiness, at the entrance, guarding the way to the tree of Life. 

Because God had given man dominion over the earth, He couldn't just come in and take over.  Now 

He had to find a way to intervene in the affairs of men LEGALLY.  You see, unlike us, when God 

gives a gift, IT IS GIVEN. He doesn't just come and take it back because you've misused it. 

NOPE.  It is yours.....consequences and all. 

Fortunately for us it was only a temporary lease which will soon be up.  UN-fortunately, that means the earth is still a fallen earth.

6,000 or so years later, the "lease" is still in our name. Because it was a "MAN" who forfeited the keys, it must be another MAN--JESUS--to get them back.  

Until the time that Jesus arrived on the scene, God had to find a man, or men, who would agree or covenant with Him in order for Him to act on that man's behalf.  Though God cannot, because of the terms of the lease, intervene whenever He wants, as much as He might like to, "WHOSOEVER" invites Him to be Sovereign over their affairs has now given Him LEGAL PRECEDENCE to intervene on behalf of those in covenant with Him.

"Is God Sovereign over anything in this world?" you ask.  YES:  He is Sovereign over HIS KINGDOM and the PEOPLE IN HIS KINGDOM.  He has two groups of covenant people in the earth:  Israel and the Church.  We enjoy the full covenant because of Jesus.  Our Jewish brethren have only a partial Covenent because they rejected their Messiah.  But in these last days, more and more are meeting their Redeemer than at any other time in history, praise God!  Their blindness is being lifted!  

HOWEVER.....those IN His kingdom, meaning the Church, who don't want to follow Him ARE STILL ON THEIR OWN, almost as if they had no covenant, though God never leaves us or forsakes us.  The only difference is where they go when they die:  Heaven!  But here on earth these folks will be affected by the curse--like sicknesses, diseases, lack and so on--like those who have NO covenant.

Thank God the second Adam came: JESUS!  He paid for our redemption "having wiped out the handwriting of requirements {The Ten Commandments} that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, HAVING NAILED IT TO THE CROSS." Colossians 2:14

That's right:  JESUS NAILED THE LAW TO THE CROSS.  Now He has the keys!  He crushed satan's head and reversed EVERY CURSE! 

Here's a little something extra.  Remember what happened the morning Jesus rose from the dead?   Mary Magdalene was the first to see the Risen Glorified Jesus.  But earlier, she along with Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, came to the tomb, saw the stone rolled away, the EMPTY TOMB and the angels.  These are the same TWO ANGELS--Cherubim--who guarded the way to the tree of Life and sat atop the mercy seat of the Ark of the covenant.  

Notice, JESUS Himself invited a woman to bring back word to the other disciples of the revelation that the way to God--The Tree of Life--is now OPEN!  

The two angels that Mary saw at the head and the foot of the place where Jesus' body lay are a picture of the Real Mercy Seat in heaven!  Our High Priest is both the Offer-Er and the Offering!

Remember, it was a woman who, influenced by the snake in the garden, who influenced man to sin and, therefore, cause the entire human race to fall.  We are complicit with man, though it is credited to Adam as head of his household.  

But it was also through a woman that The God/Man--Jesus--was born Who could restore us.

It was a woman to whom the truth was first revealed.....and it was a woman who first told men of Jesus' triumph and resurrection!  Appearing to a woman first was God’s way of restoring womankind.  RESTORATION!!!  Jesus honored and elevated women!

Make no mistake, however; the devil still has limited power and lying wonders.  Though he may be bound, he isn't gagged...and he has a BIG mouth.  That's why we still hear those evil little whisperings in our ears at times. 

If you remember nothing else, remember this:  Anyone who has not chosen to come under God's protection is fair game for the devil and his minions, like shooting fish in a barrel! 

I reiterate:  Unless you belong to Christ, YOU ARE SUBJECT TO HIS ATTACK AT HIS WHIM.  He can pick your number ANYTIME.

Why else do you think Christians talk about being under Jesus' protection?  BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO BE UNDER HIS DOMINION.   You shouldn't either.  Humans are NO MATCH for the devil.  That's why we "SAY" of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,  My God.  In Him will I trust."  We SPEAK IT OUT.  WE DECLARE IT.....DAILY.....HOURLY.....minute by minute if necessary. 

In order for God to come into our lives and situations, we must first have a covenant with Him--be born again--and we must "ASK."  THAT'S WHY WE PRAY.  

It isn't simply a futile exercise engaged in by timid, frightened weak-minded people.  NO.  Far from it.  

PRAY IS A COVENANT TRANSACTION BETWEEN US AND OUR COVENANT ABBA!

Covenants, in ancient Israel and in other cultures around the world are "cut" with another person, tribe or nation. Unlike a paper contract which can easily be broken, there is always a SHEDDING OF BLOOD to seal it.  Each person or tribal head made a small incision on their wrist, joined them together and mingled their blood. Now it flows as one.  It is binding, irrevocable and until death.

This is why marriage is a covenant and not merely a contract.

In the process of cutting a covenant, each took off their respective outer garments and exchanged them, indicating a change of positions. Each took off their respective armaments as well and wore the other persons gear. Your enemies have now become their enemies; their enemies, yours. You each now fought mutual battles of your now mutual enemies.  Jonathan and David made such a pact.

One day the lease will revert to God Who gave it.  Jesus will reign over the whole world from Jerusalem, establishing His millennial Kingdom.  The earth.....HALLELUIA.....will be totally under God's control at long last and everything will be PERFECT.  

Until then we want it to be as close as possible to the way it was when He was fully in charge in the garden.

THAT'S WHY WE PRAY.