should be studied in this connection. Did God answer their prayer? Yes, indeed He did,

but with dreadful consequences as the context indicates.

The Psalmist's comment is:--

Here was a terrible answer, consequent upon their determination to get something that

was outside the will of God. Let us ever remember that He is always more ready to

answer than we are to pray, and that persevering prayer is necessary, not because He is

aloof and unwilling, needing constant worrying that the answer may be wrung out of

Him, but rather that the waiting time is for our spiritual growth, discipline and

appreciation of His goodness.  Let us not interpret beseeching as though it were

besieging. Just as a wise and loving parent makes every provision for the needs of his

child, yet he trains that child, to ask for these things and say "please" and "thank you"

when they are granted.  Likewise our Heavenly Father deals in His grace and

lovingkindness with us and teaches the true reason for prayer, to realize our utter

dependence upon Him for all things necessary to Christian life and service and a desire

to be filled with a knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding

(Col. 1: 9).

This lesson is not peculiar to the dispensation of the Mystery. Through the prophet

Ezekiel God had made known His will to Israel and showed what He was willing to do

for them in restoration and blessing (Ezek. 36: 24-36). But, although this was true, the

earthly people had to learn the lesson of prayer:

There are two opposing schools of thought among believers regarding prayer. One

stresses the fact that God is sovereign and is working all things after the counsel of His

own will (Eph. 1: 11) and that nothing can hinder the fulfillment of His plans. To such,

prayer cannot forward or retard His purposes.  The other lays stress upon the

responsibility of the believer and the fact that unbelief limits the Holy One of Israel

(Matt. 13: 58). Such will talk of God being unable to work because of prayerlessness

and of true prayer "moving the Hand that moves the world". It is very much like the

arguments for free will set up against election. The truth lies, as it so often does, midway

between these two extremes. It is important to realize that God has a glorious plan for

both the heavens and the earth, and that, finally, this plan cannot possibly miscarry. Not

to realize this would cause utter despair and make mockery of all Christian effort.

At the same time, if redemption means anything at all, it signifies that the believer is

not only alive spiritually, but free;  free to choose the way of the flesh and self

gratification as well as the will of the Lord. And it is here that the supreme importance of

prayer becomes manifest. If God is working to a plan and chooses to use redeemed

human lives to carry it out, then the question arises as to what part each one of us is going

to play in its unfolding. The importance of this can hardly be over emphasized. Does it