If God's Going to Do What God's Going to Do Anyway, Why Pray?

This is the second of 3 Things Your Pastor Might Not Have Told You About Prayer. And this isn’t as much related to what your pastor hasn’t told you as it is something your pastor probably doesn’t want you to ask him. AND it’s a problem with prayer that most people have…Here’s the question…

If God’s going to do what God’s going to do, what’s the point of praying?

Have you ever wondered this?

Does prayer really make any difference? This is a wrestling with the sovereignty of God and the partnership He shares with us.

So, let’s first address the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God simply means that God is God and His plans will not be thwarted.

This is what Job said to God in chapter 42:2 AND I love that word thwarted!!

“The plans of the LORD will not be thwarted.”

For those of us who know God personally, there is comfort in knowing that no matter how many schemes the devil brings against us—or how hard he tries to get us to doubt God;

GOD WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!

He will not be undone by anyone—not any spiritual or physical being.

God never sits on his throne wringing his hands together and wondering what he’s going to do next.

He is never surprised or confused.

God’s not making things up as He goes along.

God knows all things—the end from the beginning and His power is unsurpassed, so at any point in time, God can interrupt nature; usurp earthly powers; even bring the spinning of the earth to a stop.

GOD RULES!

Why, on earth, would the God who rules bend down to pay heed to what’s on my little mind and heart?!

And, yet He does!

He sent His own Son to die for us—how much more, will He enjoy the relationship Jesus’ suffering purchased for us?!!

Think about that.

God went to the extreme to make it possible for us to have a personal relationship with Him.

And, in that relationship, He encourages us to pray. Consider these verses, 

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1

"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Luke 11:9

And one of my favorites, 

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

God invites us to pray because He wants to us to be intimately acquainted with one another. He wants to be our most trusted companion, confidante, and friend.

IF we are going to be friends with God, then God is going to do several things…

1. He’s going to “stoop down” to our level. Psalm 18:35 says this, 

“Then you give me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me, and you stoop down to lift me up.” EHV (English Heritage Version) 

 –if God didn’t come to us, we could never share companionship with Him—for we will never be able to reach up to where He is!

2. He’s going to “let” us participate in some of His work. Just like my husband used to “let” my daughter Kaleigh “help” him load the dishwasher…her with her bottle gripped between her teeth, and him slowing down his task, to let her feel important. Psalm 37:23 says this,

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 NLT

3. He’s going to share His thoughts and His feelings with us and invite us to share ours with Him. He does this by inviting us to read His journal!

The Bible is God's personal journal. This incredible ancient book written by 40 people over the course of 1500 years tells one cohesive story because it's divinely inspired and empowered by God Himself.

We have it, He wants us to read it. And unlike the journal your teenaged daughter keeps hidden, God wants us to know what’s going on in His head and His heart!!! 

The more we get to know God’s thoughts and His feelings, the more we will discover that the God who knows everything knows a whole lot better than we do—what is best, what is good, what is right, and what we really want Him to do.

So, realize this.

God is sovereign and PRAYER matters.

By praying we get to know God.

By getting to know God, we gain understanding and insight.

When we gain understanding and insight, we agree with God about how He wants to do things,

and when we agree with God—God answers our prayers! 

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

I John 5:14-15