A men’s Bible study recently asked me to speak to them on the subject, “If God is sovereign, why bother to pray?” It’s a legitimate question. If God’s plan ultimately prevails, what’s the value of prayer? If our Creator already knows what He’s going to do, what benefit is there in bringing our individual requests to Him? What use is prayer if what’s going to happen will happen regardless?
Jesus instructed His disciples that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1) because:
Prayer is innate
In every heart there is an inborn desire for fellowship with the Creator. That desire was inherent from the beginning. Genesis 4:26 relates “At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” The Bible begins with prayer, is saturated with prayer, and ends with the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Evolutionists are hard-pressed to explain man’s inclination to worship and pray to God. If an appendage is unnecessary, it’s assumed it will disappear with the passing of time. Why do human beings still cry out to God in prayer? It’s because, as Solomon said, “God has set eternity in the heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Prayer is fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
Prayer is commanded by God, regardless of how it’s answered
The Scripture instructs us to “humble ourselves and pray” (2 Chronicles 7:14), to “go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:5-7), to “pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (1 Timothy 2:8), and “…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). We’re also commanded to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and “…pray in the Spirit on all occasions” (Ephesians 6:18).
Even if prayer didn’t accomplish a thing, we should pray because our Heavenly Father commands us to do so.
Prayer prepares us to receive God’s will
King David fasted and prayed for a week that his infant son would live. When he learned his child didn’t make it, he washed, changed his clothes, went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house and ate. David concluded there was nothing more he could do and graciously accepted his son’s death as God’s will. David’s intense prayer prepared him to receive God’s will.
Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh would be removed, but God explained his handicap was a permanent gift to keep him from becoming conceited. Paul concluded that God’s grace was sufficient to sustain him through trials.
When we, like Jesus, pray, “Not my will but yours be done,” our surrendered spirit helps prepare us to receive a disappointing “no” in answer to our prayers. But even when God answers exactly as requested, prayer helps us receive His blessings with a sense of gratitude, not a spirit of entitlement.
Our church once had a goal of raising 26 million dollars over a three-year period. That required more than doubling our budget! We prayed for weeks. An astute businessman took me aside and showed me the numbers — he didn’t think it was humanly possible.
We prayed harder. When the total pledge was announced at more than 31 million, our first reaction was not, “We ran a flawless campaign!” No, our first reaction was to fall on our knees and thank God that He did immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. Prayer prepares us to receive God’s will with humility and gratitude.
Prayer changes things
Prayer is effective because God often answers prayer affirmatively.
God is certainly Ruler over all, but that does not mean that every detail of life is pre-programmed. English minister Leslie Weatherhead once pointed out there were three areas to God’s will: His intended will (at creation), His permissive will (after Adam’s fall), and God’s ultimate will (when perfection is restored in heaven). God’s ultimate will is always accomplished, but in this present era the Lord grants us considerable freedom. Our choices have consequences, and our prayers can temporarily alter the course of our lives.
The Lord informed King Hezekiah he was going to die. God said, “Set your house in order because you will not recover.” Hezekiah wept, turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord for mercy. After his prayer, the word of the Lord came to Hezekiah: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you…I will add fifteen years to your life.” Hezekiah’s prayer didn’t just prepare him to receive what God was going to do anyway. His prayer dramatically altered his future!
Prayer changes things! Why else would Jesus say, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7)?
Over twenty years ago, distraught parents brought their five-year-old son to the elders of our church. They explained their child was having multiple, terrifying seizures every day and physicians could not determine the source. The parents asked the church elders to anoint with oil and pray for the boy because James 5:14-15 promises, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.”
We each prayed for the child, and his seizures stopped immediately. He has not had another to this day. Admittedly, there were other times we followed that procedure and did not experience such positive results. But on that occasion, we witnessed God answer prayer immediately and dramatically.
Five years ago, my grandson Charlie was deathly ill with COVID. He was in I.C.U. in a Nashville hospital and intubated for 77 days. For over two months, Charlie was on a ventilator, an ECMO machine, and a dialysis machine. One doctor told me, “We are down to divine intervention.” Our family prayed. Thousands of Christian people across the country heard about Charlie and prayed. A.J. Lall, an Asian minister, told me, “We were fasting and praying for Charlie in India.”
God heard our cry and graciously answered our prayer. Charlie recovered and today is 100% well and serving on staff at New Day Church in Port Charlotte, Florida. We know that wasn’t a coincidence — it was providence. God answered prayer dramatically, and we are all eternally grateful, especially his wife and now three children.
Why pray? Because prayer changes things. Sometimes it changes our hearts to receive what God already plans to do. Sometimes God grants our plea as requested and circumstances are changed.
There is a well-known poem that expresses my sentiments well:
I’ve dreamed many dreams
that never came true.
I’ve seen them vanish at dawn.
But I’ve realized enough of my dreams
to make me want to dream on.I’ve prayed many prayers
and no answer came,
though I waited patient and long.
But God has answered enough of my prayers
to keep me praying on.I’ve drained the cup of disappointment and pain.
I’ve gone many a day without a song.
But I have sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
to make me want to live on.
— author unknown
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
