Geoffrey's Notebook

Prayer seems good for me, but why pray if God will do His will anyway? Note: Someone recently asked another person this question via text. They asked me for some help in answering it. But my answer needed to be brief for a text response. This question deserves a lot more fellowship. the mystery of prayer Prayer is a mystery. God can do anything He wants, but He has chosen to limit himself so we can join Him on earth by prayer to accomplish what He wills in heaven. This is why He taught us to pray "Thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth." Though God knows what will happen, that does not mean He has taken away our choice. His will is going to be accomplished, but we have the option to delay it or to pray for it. He especially loves to answer big prayers when we pray together (see Matthew 18:18-20).   Watchman Nee's book Powerful According to God has a nice small chapter on this question . You can read that chapter ( here ) on the free sample for the eBook. 

Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre (1 Samuel 19:9 ESV). What? A harmful spirit....from the Lord? Yes ... well ... It just doesn't seem right, eh? In this setting, the harmful spirit was allowed by the Lord. When it says "from the Lord," it does not mean that the Lord purposely created something harmful to get Saul to be evil. These things are often happening or trying to. When it reaches into the life of someone who "love[s] God and [is] called according to [His] purpose," God will permit it if it will accomplish His purpose of conforming that one into the image of His beloved Son (Romans 8:28). David was hunted by Saul as this jealousy continued on, but in his exile, he trained up mighty men from the outcasts of Israel. He learned to be the humble servant-king that he was anointed to be. This harmful spirit was "from the Lord," allowed by the L...

I was reading through a bible plan with a group and this question came up: And Balaam said to the Angel of Jehovah, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me; and now, if it be evil in thine eyes, I will get me back again (Numbers 22:34). At first, he asked God what to do and God told him not to go and he obeyed. Then they came again asking him to go ... he said not for all the silver and gold. Then God told him to go? He was just obeying right? I was thinking it may have to do with the bigger picture, that God wanted him to go and bless the people instead of cursing, but Jude calls Balaam a fool (but that could be for something that happened later too it seems?). Is it because he had asked God to curse them in the first place? It seems like he was just inquiring of the Lord about it ... but it talks about it in Joshua as though Balaam was asking God to do it (Joshua 24:9-10) ... any thoughts? Geoffrey's notes: It does seem like Balaam is just a h...