Does Prayer Really Move the Hand of God?

Last night at our mid-week bible study someone made this statement, 'Prayer moves the hand of God.' The individual was quite confident & comforted in this idea.

Quite frankly, I think if you ask the majority of believers they would think and say the same thing. However, I don't think we:

• cause God to move or work contrary to His eternal purpose

• cause God to change His mind in regards to something He has previously and more than likely eternally purposed

• cause God to respond in the manner of an servant or slave to our desires and/or wishes

Although I should have said something I didn't. After I got home his statement continued to rattle around in my head and I formed a single thought about his statement.

I am not sure that prayer in fact moves the hand of God at all, as much as I am convinced that prayer moves the heart of man to the will and purpose of God. I think prayer is the means by which we, God's children, commend ourselves to the "hands of God" in order to submit and acquiesce to His purposes for our lives.