摘要：This paper seeks to reconcile the concept of an immutable God, as formulated by Thomas Aquinas, with the practice of intercessory prayer. It argues that though God is indeed immutable, and prayer cannot in any sense “change God’s mind,” intercession does accomplish God’s work in the world. Prayer is a secondary cause like any other, and Christians have a duty to pray for others in the same way they have a duty to feed the hungry and spread the Gospel. They key is to change the way in which we intercede—we ought not to demand specific results, but rather, lift up our petitions to the care of a loving, acting God.
