Knowing God: Experience & Love Him
Series Introduction| Knowing God | The Revelatory God | Goodness of God | Holiness of God | Power of God | Omnipresent God | Exalted God | Faithfuness of God | Wisdom of God | Mercy of God | Wrath of God | Love of God | Sovereignty of God | Providence of God
Prayer and the Sovereignty of God
– The Sovereignty of God –
Paul J. Bucknell
Introduction: There is nothing like a misunderstanding of God's sovereignty to counter any motivation to pray. God really wants us to pray and says it is very important. Who do we believe?
Prayer & the Sovereignty of God
If God is fully in control, then there is no such thing as free will, right? Wrong and right. It gets a bit difficult trying to define and defend the term, ‘free will,’ that is not used in the Bible.
It would be much more helpful to allow the scripture to frame our discussion such as this one on prayer. Do our prayers really make a difference in God’s sovereign court?
God controls all things
- God has declared what will happen.
“Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:10).
God wants us to pray
“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24).
Everywhere in the scriptures we are told that our prayers are significant to Him and affect what happens. We should accept it, though we have difficulty reconciling it with God’s sovereignty.
God acts upon our prayers (as believers)
- He waits for us to pray for His will then He will act.
You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).
Conclusion: God embeds our prayers as part of His ordained works.
It is time we took up our privilege and duty to pray. If the world steps toward further corruption, it is because the church has not lifted up her arms in many sincere prayers.
Our prayers do make a great difference. Instead of blaming God for the lost, we should humbly realize that God has provided all for the gospel to powerfully go forth and if it does not, it is not because of His insufficient grace but the absence of our persistent and effective prayers. => Place of prayer in a believer’s life
=> next: Evil & Sovereignty of God