If God Is Sovereign, Why Should We Pray?
Every now and then, people ask me the same question about God. I don’t mind answering it because it’s a very important question! Probably one of the most important questions that anyone could ask!
If God is sovereign then why pray for anything at all?
It’s true that God is sovereign! I don’t think anyone could miss the biblical verses that talk about His sovereignty. Here are a few examples:
God is sovereign
God said in Isaiah, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God… I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7)
Paul said, “In [God] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11)
Proverbs 21:1 “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
Alongside these kinds of verses, there are others that show that we have freedom. More specifically: given our freedoms, we are commanded to pray.
We must pray
Paul said in 1 Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
God said to Solomon, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
James said, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” (James 5:13)
There are two biblical concepts here that are indisputable: God is sovereign and we should pray. So then that makes some of us ask: what’s the point of praying?
Prayer Isn’t About Requests of God
There are two big ways that this question misses the mark in terms of the Bible’s view of prayer. First, the question misses one of the components of the Gospel message: Human beings were made to be in relationship with God. Prayer is one of the fundamental ways that we develop that relationship. To pray is to seek God through communication that is solely focused on and submitted to Him. So, to ask whether God’s sovereignty means we don’t need to pray, what we’re really suggesting is: relationship with God is unnecessary. And that’s just not true!
The whole point of our existence is to be in relationship with God. Jesus said that eternal life is to know God (John 17:3). When that sinks in for us, then the biblical injunctions and the encouragement to pray to God makes all the more sense. Because He is a person who wants relationship with us. That’s why His salvation is so precious and why His grace is so beautiful! He desires relationship with us, not because we have something He needs (because God has no needs). It’s just because He wants us!
Prayer Is About Relationship with God
Second, this question shrinks prayer down to an unrecognizable form. I defined prayer a moment ago. But this question turns prayer into a mere request to get something or make something happen. Lord, can you get me this job? Lord, can you change this person’s heart? Lord, would you heal this disease?
I have an eight year-old who has moments where the only thing he’s concerned about is himself. We’ll go the store and he’ll say, “Dad can you get me a granola bar? Dad, can you get me chips? Dad, can you get me my favorite cereal?” As a father, I love my son and I want to give him the things he enjoys. But, if our entire relationship consists of me fulfilling my son’s requests, then I’m not a Dad at that point. I’m an ATM.
Prayer isn’t about requests of God, it’s about relationship with God. Tim Keller explains that prayer is not, “merely a way to get things from God… [It’s actually] a way to get more of God himself. Prayer is a striving to ‘take hold of God’ (Is 64:7) the way in ancient times people took hold of the cloak of a great man as they appealed to him, or the way in modern times we embrace someone to show love.”
Once we really appreciate that fact, then it doesn’t matter whether God says “yes” to our prayers or whether He says “no” because the fundamental thing we need is not answered prayer -- it’s just God!
Don’t get me wrong! The Bible invites us to make our requests known to God (Philippians 4:6). And it’s a noble desire to see others healed and the people we love saved. I’m certainly not criticizing those kinds of requests to God. But, again, prayer isn’t about requests of God, it’s about relationship with God.
The Christian who can appreciate this fact can also begin to understand how we can pray to a sovereign God who is in control and who knows much better than we do what should and should not happen in the future.
