Prayer Is an Act of Submission to God’s Will, Not a Means to Change His Mind - by Publisher

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The author wrestles with the issue of God answering prayer, which we think is a good thing. It is certainly right for us to wrestle with the nature of God. He is infinitely complex, completely other, and unlike anything we can conceive of. His eternal nature, great love, and limitless power cannot be described, yet He has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. Everything we know about God is a result of His revelation, for He could certainly have hidden Himself and no one would know of Him.

So what happens when we find tension between two concepts or attributes regarding what He has revealed about Himself, like what the author wants to explain? Can we accurately ascertain the interplay of God's unchanging nature vs. the clear statements that God chose to do something different because certain circumstances changed?

The problem is, we want to try to bring God into the framework of our understanding in terms of human behaviors and actions. We think changing one's mind is a particular manifestation of thought in a manner like humans think. Because of this we create a logical tension, because we cannot conceive of a manner of thought unlike our own. God isn't logical, He isn't subject to our systems or intellect: 

Is. 40:13-14 Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? 14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

The author will spend a good deal of time discussing ancillary issues, and he does so with biblical documentation. But regarding the key question, does God change His mind, he skips the Bible. 

He doesn't believe God changes His mind, yet he will twice concede that God may be moved by our prayers. But he doesn't explain this. If God is moved, has He then changed His mind? 

So we find the author's explanation to be inadequate for so rich a topic. He doesn't discuss any Scripture that deals with the specific issue. He could have discussed any one of the following Scriptures as a jump-off point for a substantive discussion:

Ex. 32:14 Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Lk. 11:11-13 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Ac. 11:17 who was I to think that I could oppose God?

Other Scriptures, like Ps. 106:45, Am. 7:3, Ge. 18:26, and Lk. 24:29, are also worthy of consideration.

In addition, the author makes a questionable claim: What was Jesus doing? He was submitting Himself to the sovereign will of the Father in an act of worship. We would contest the idea that the Bible teaches that Jesus essentially worshiped Himself.

Last point. The author will refer to God's "decretive" will, writing

God does not delight in the death of unrepentant sinners (Ezekiel 33:11) but he has decreed that the death of some will come to pass. The former is God’s revealed will and the latter is His hidden, or decretive will.

This is incorrect:

The Decretive Will of God is that which is God's sovereign will that we may or may not know, depending on whether or not God reveals it to us. The decretive will is God's direct will where he causes something to be, he decrees it.

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Mostly prominent in charismatic circles, people will often claim that prayer moves God, and the more we pray—the more “prayer warriors” we invoke—the more we can move Him.

But does prayer actually move God? In one sense, it does. First off, we have to understand that God’s plan is never thwarted, God is never caught off guard, and God is never out of the loop when it comes to His foreknowledge. But there are passages in Scripture that suggest prayer changes things. We often see what appears to be God changing our circumstances in situations when we submit to Him in prayer.

So what do we make of this? Well, God has actually ordained the act of prayer as a means to carry out his prescribed will. He tells us this 1 John 5:14-15:

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.

The key phrase in this passage is according to his will. God has decreed that certain things will come to pass from all eternity and God has also decreed the means by which they will come to pass. So when we pray “according to His will,” we’re aligning our will with what He has decreed to come to pass therefore submitting ourselves to His will. It is an act of worship to God.

Does this mean that we shouldn’t pray for things unless we know that they are His will? What about praying for God to heal someone of cancer? What if it isn’t His will to heal them and He has a greater purpose in allowing them to succumb to sickness?

No, this does not mean that we should not pray for these things. The Scriptures tell us that we do not always know what God’s will is but that we have an intercessor who knows far better. Romans 8:26 says that this intercessor is the Holy Spirit:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Is it wrong to desire that God heal our mother if it isn’t His will? Of course not. God has not revealed all of His hidden will to us. The Scriptures tell us that we are to love people, even our enemies, and want the best for them. The greatest thing we should want for people is for them to trust in Christ—God’s desire is that all should come to Him (2 Peter 3:9). But we know that not all do.

So is this a contradiction between God’s will? Of course not! God does not delight in the death of unrepentant sinners (Ezekiel 33:11) but he has decreed that the death of some will come to pass. The former is God’s revealed will and the latter is His hidden, or decretive will.

Similarly, we pray in accordance with God’s revealed will as an act of worship. Again, God does not delight in the suffering of the cancer patient, those with financial struggles, or the lost person—but that does not mean our prayers in accordance with His revealed will will result in healing. Jesus even prayed to the Father, “if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” What was Jesus doing? He was submitting Himself to the sovereign will of the Father in an act of worship.

God may be moved by our prayers, but we must understand that our prayers do not have power over God’s purpose or plan. Our prayers are God’s design for us to commune with Him, worship Him, and submit ourselves to Him in faith.