Scripture is not unclear on the topic. God is Sovereign ... with a capital "S", as it were. Paul calls Him the "only Sovereign" (1 Tim 6:15). Everything that exists was created by Him, through Him and for Him (Col 1:16). He "does whatever pleases Him" (Psa 115:3). Jeremiah said, "Nothing is too hard for You" (Jer 32:17). Solomon wrote, "It is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov 19:21). The Lord reigns (1 Chron 16:31). It isn't even a question; it's an objective fact. God is Sovereign. But ... if He is that Sovereign, why would we need to pray?
God does what He wants and accomplishes everything He wants. He is omniscient and knows what we need and knows what is best. He never fails. Yet, we are commanded to pray (e.g., 1 Thess 5:17; Eph 6:1; Php 4:6). Why? I think the question arises from a false notion of prayer. Jesus said, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (Matt 6:8). God doesn't need you to tell Him what you need or want. He wants you to pray. We seem to think of prayer as our "requisition department" where we "send in orders" for things we want. And, look, what's the point of asking for things that either are already certain to be provided or are certainly not available? Right? That's our false idea of prayer. God wants us to relate to Him. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us, like a loving Father, to come to Him. "Daddy, I need ..." It's not that a loving father doesn't know; he just likes to hear it. He just enjoys the interaction. Further, God wants us to participate in His work, and He uses our prayers to do that.
Sometimes we think that God isn't listening because He doesn't do what we ask. That's not the purpose of prayer. Sometimes we think God can't accomplish what He plans if we don't assist Him, if only in prayer. That's not the purpose of prayer. Instead, God intended prayer as a relationship tool between you and your Father, "so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you" (John 15:16). He wants to give us what's best, so when we ask for that, He wants to give it to us. As friends (John 15:15). He wants to hear our concerns (Php 4:6-7) to give us peace. He wants a relationship with us. That involves communication ... for the sake of communication. We need Him, so we pray. Ultimately, we pray because He said to. It's as simple as that.
6 comments:
Prayer also helps us to orient our thoughts toward God. Just like when we talk to a friend or spouse, our attention is on them, talking to God puts our attention on Him. Look at any of the Christian heroes of the faith and you'll see frequent prayer. Without prayer, we begin to turn our focus on the storming world around us, and then we begin to flounder. Prayer keeps us walking on water in the storm.
I've been reading the memoir of someone who was sold from Africa as a slave, ended up being purchased and freed by an English gentleman, and became a Christian. He attributes his salvation to a Sovereign God who used the evil of slavery as the means to bring about his salvation. It's a pretty radical notion. That God could use the evil of the slave trade as a means of spreading the Gospel, yet I believe that God can and does use evil for His purposes.
I've been focusing on what God wants to do and where I can gain knowledge about Him in my prayer life recently. Trying to be thankful even when things don't go the way I think they should.
God will use some amazing things, won't He? I read of a guy who was a homeless drunk, dug a piece of paper out of a trashcan to roll a cigarette, discovered it was a page out of the Gospel of John, and came to Christ. By any means, dear Lord.
I think that there is a struggle with the concept that YHWH can and does use evil for His good. Further, slavery is such a hot button issue now that even suggesting that good things came out of slavery makes people's heads explode.
I know there are as many good reasons to pray as there are moments in each day that need God's superintendence. Mainly, prayer connects my heart with God’s heart, aided by the Holy Spirit’s intercession (Rom. 8:26-27)--fostering that constant, intimate relationship you mention. One of the motivations to pray that has come to stand out for me over the years is the sense of expectation--i.e. waiting and watching for God to work. When I pray to God about specific things and ask Him to work in that area, according to His good purposes, my “spiritual eyes” are attuned to what then develops--I am on heightened alert for His Hand in my life’s events and circumstances; this keeps me hopeful and builds my faith in Him as I look back and see His provision--usually in ways I could/would not have anticipated. The more this happens, the greater my delight.
I believe what Craig mentioned is part of the “problem of evil” dilemma--the question of why an almighty and loving God allows evil, disease, devastation, and other “bad things” to continue in our world, rather than eliminate them. Believers in the Bible know the answer is found in part in Rom. 8:28--God uses all things for His glory and our good. When God brings good things out of evils such as slavery, etc., it amazes us observers, confounds the nonbelieving world, and infuriates the devil--all to God’s glory.
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