My answer, based on the Bible, is an emphatic No.
I am going to pick my Bible up and flip from page 1 to ask questions that prove that God does not need human permission to walk or work on earth. Flip with me.
- When the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters, there was even no human. So let’s skip that. (Genesis 1:2)
- When God wanted to create Eve, He didn’t get Adam’s permission. He simply put the first man to sleep. He didn’t ask the man’s permission to cut into his side. He did as He pleased and made Eve, without seeking Adam’s permission. All of this happened on earth while Adam existed. Adam gave God no permission. (Genesis 2:18-23)
- When God visited Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, we do not read that He received their permission. In fact, His visit seemed to be an invasion, because they were hiding from Him. (Genesis 3:8)
- The LORD our God did not ask the permission of Adam and Eve before stripping their fig leaves and clothing them with animal skin. (Genesis 3:21)
- When God put a mark on Cain so that no one would kill him, the LORD didn’t ask the permission of Cain or the rest of mankind. (Genesis 4:13-15)
- God didn’t seek our permission to impose mortality on us and reduce how much we can age, or to destroy the world with flood, saving Noah and his family. (Genesis 6:3, 7:23)
- God didn’t seek human permission to stop the flood. (Genesis 7)
- God didn’t seek human permission to bind Himself not to destroy the world with water again. He decided to destroy it with water when He wanted to. And then decided not to do it again, by Himself. Humans were still alive. He didn’t take permission to act or not act in one way or the other on earth. (Genesis 9:12-17)
- God didn’t seek human permission to confuse the language of those who were building the tower of Babel. In fact, He “came down to see the city and the tower”. He didn’t seek permission to come down nor to confound their languages and produce multiple languages for humanity. (Genesis 11:1-9)
- God didn’t receive permission to speak to Abram and activate His long salvation plan with Abram’s journey to Egypt. (Genesis 12)
- God didn’t receive permission from any human before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He was already here before Abraham’s attempted intercession. (Genesis 18:17-19:1-29)
- Who did God ask before providing the ram that replaced Isaac on the mountain? Abraham permitted God? Or did God not provide that ram on earth for His own purpose? Who signed for that procurement? (Genesis 22:10-13)
- When Jacob saw angels ascending and descending in His dream, who had permitted the angels to visit earth? Who gave God a land to build the Bethel? (Genesis 28:10-22)
What is happening here?
Someone tried to emphasize the role of human responsibility, be it by prayer or diligence, in the dealings of God on earth. Good intention! But in doing that, they tripped. We must all be careful of the limitations we put on God, since He’s omnipotent. Unless His Word reveals such a limitation, it is dangerous to infer into what He cannot do just by looking at what He often does.
As should be clear by now, prayer is important, but cannot be seen as the only thing that gives God business or access here on earth. If you have to blaspheme for people to take prayer seriously, then allow them to remain prayerless.