What’s the point of prayer?
Our small group is beginning 2012 with a study of prayer. We are using Philip Yancey’s book, Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference? This study has raised an important question for me that I have struggled with for some time. What is the point of prayer? I have heard sermons on prayer, read books on prayer and talked to other believers about prayer. In the main there seems to be a lot of ambiguity about prayer. I wish I had the definitive answer to how prayer works, but I don’t. What I do have are some honest reflections on prayer.
The question that I want to tackle is, “Does prayer really change anything?” Here is my struggle. I find myself caught between believing that God knows everything, past, present and future, and believing that God has invited me into being an active participant in shaping my world.
If I believe in strict predestination then prayer becomes irrelevant. Predestination tells us that God has already determined who will be saved and who will not be saved. The individual has no opportunity to change this. So then it is totally irrelevant for me to pray for the salvation of my lost friend because in the end it doesn’t matter. If my life is a story already written in God’s book then what is the point of praying about decisions that I am going to make. The outcome is already predetermined. If God’s actions are unaffected by my input then why give it in the first place?
On the other side of the equation, if I believe that God is waiting for my input before He acts then doesn’t that diminish God? Can I really tell God what to do and expect him to do it? The “name it and claim it” approach to prayer seems to put me on the throne and makes God my servant.
I am uncomfortable with both ends of this spectrum. I believe there is a middle ground that honors God’s sovereignty and allows for meaningful involvement on our part.
First, we can establish the truth that prayer is meaningful because it is something God commands us to do. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)] If, as Paul states, prayer is part of God’s will for our lives, then it must meaningful. This idea is reinforced by the fact that Jesus regularly spent time alone in prayer.
We can also establish that Jesus and His disciples taught that prayer has the power to affect our world. Jesus taught the disciples to ask for what they needed from God. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” [Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)] What is clearly implied in these verses is that in order to receive a person must first ask. Later Jesus told His disciples that they could ask for whatever they wanted in his name and he would do it. When Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus he asked them to pray for his effectiveness as a preacher. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. [Ephesians 6:19-20 (NIV)] Clearly Paul felt that the prayers of the Ephesians would make a difference in his world. Finally James makes probably the strongest statement about the power of prayer to affect circumstances. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [James 5:16 (NIV)] These passages, and many more, clearly imply that prayer has the power to change things. The question then remains, “In what way does prayer change things?”
One of the answers that I have often heard is that prayer changes us. I agree. Prayer enhances my relationship with God. When I engage in honest prayer I draw closer to God. I experience His presence in a fuller, richer way. When I neglect prayer I pull away from God. Prayer also changes my attitudes toward the world and other people. Jesus commanded us to pray for our enemies. By doing this we begin to see them through God’s eyes. All of us have an imperfect view of our world. Prayer helps refine our view and bring it in line with Christ’s view. Prayer relieves me of guilt, challenges me to change and inspires me to act. Prayer causes significant changes in my life personally.
I also believe that prayer has the power to change the circumstances of our lives. Here is where things get complicated. God is sovereign. That means that God can do whatever He wants to do. He does not have to answer to anyone or get advice from anyone. Yet God invites us to pray about the circumstances of our lives. If every detail of my life is carved in stone in heaven then why would God invite me to pray about decisions and events in my life? Because God is sovereign it means He can control every detail of life, but it doesn’t require that he does. I believe that God, in His sovereignty, has allowed for some wiggle room in our lives. Let me use a couple of illustrations to explain my point.
My wife, Suanne , and I received a GPS system for Christmas. The day after Christmas we made the trip between our home in Mankato and Suanne’s sister’s home in Wisconsin. We decided to use this as a test for the new GPS. We put in our destination and the GPS gave us several options. It gave us the fastest way, the shortest way and the way the best utilized freeways. All three ways would get us to our destination, but each was different. On the way home we again used the GPS. Being very familiar with the trip we deviated from the GPS on several occasions, choosing to take an alternative way. In each case the GPS system recalculated our trip and again gave us directions.
In a similar way I believe that God gives us options in our journey in life. These options do not take away God’s sovereignty. If we think of God’s will as the desired journey, there may be several ways to reach our destination. God gives us some freedom to choose the way we want to go. Each choice opens up new options and eliminates others. I also believe that God allows us the freedom to deviate from his will. He will always provide the way back, but it is up to us to take it. If I set the destination on my GPS for the Twin Cities but ignore the directions and head for Chicago it is not the GPS’ fault. It will faithfully try to get me back on track. It is up to me to respond.
Here is another way to think about it. Every parent desires for their children to grow up strong and to become mature young adults. Early on parents make most of the decisions for their children. The children have very little freedom. But as the children grow their parents gradually give them more and more freedom. Wise parents let their children make choices, take risks and even fail. It is all part of the process of maturing. There is a point beyond which parents will not let their children go. At these points they will step in and take charge of the situation. At a certain point in their lives, children are faced with the choice of submitting to their parents or rebelling against their authority. So it is with God. We are God’s children. He allows us to make choices along the way, even some bad choices, to help us to grow and mature. If we are wise, we learn to listen carefully to God’s direction in life. If we are not wise, we rebel against His authority and face the consequences. We see this over and over again in the experience of the people of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament. At any point God can, and sometimes does, step in and overrules our choices. But God is not diminished by giving us the real opportunity to choose.
So let’s get back to the question of prayer. Prayer has the power to change the circumstances of our lives in dynamic ways. In some ways it is like our spiritual GPS system. We make our requests and God gives us the direction to go. His answers are based on our requests. God is not obligated to give us what we want or to change a certain situation. Yet He often responds to our prayers by doing exactly that. Because God has perfect knowledge and I don’t, He sometimes steps in and adjusts my will. On other occasions, as my Heavenly Father, He is delighted to grant my request. Like a loving parent God allows us to make requests that affect the course of our lives. He wants what is best for us, but He will not force us to accept it.
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