Given God’s Sovereignty, Why Pray?

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Wrangler

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I was witnessing to a young man who gave this rationale for him not praying. Although I know what the Bible says and I quoted various passages, I was disappointed in my overall response.

So, how do you answer this question?
 

An Apologetic Sheepdog

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I was witnessing to a young man who gave this rationale for him not praying.

And thats fine because there's no "mandate" to pray- however there is strong "encouragement" to do so.

You need to explain that "prayer" is a medium of communication that while unnecessary as a matter of fact (God is Sovereign and already does know- thats a fact) it is encouraged and desired as a communication ( casting a personal petition and waiting for the answer) and relationship building.

So he wont be "punished" per se for not praying but he will most likely be largely "ignored" ( which may be worse)
 

amadeus

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I was witnessing to a young man who gave this rationale for him not praying. Although I know what the Bible says and I quoted various passages, I was disappointed in my overall response.

So, how do you answer this question?
Did you quote these verses from James to him?

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."James 4:2-3


See also this words from Oswald Chambers:

What’s the good of prayer?

Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 16: 1.

It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above [born again], the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

“Ask and ye shall receive.” We grouse before God, we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! Our Lord says –“Except ye become as little children.” Ask, and God will do. Give Jesus a chance, give Him elbow room, and no man will ever do this unless he is at his wits’ end. When a man is at his wits’ end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get in touch with Reality. Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits’ end over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.

It is not true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition.

[by Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest” p.241 for August 28th]





 

Truman

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Did you quote these verses from James to him?

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."James 4:2-3


See also this words from Oswald Chambers:

What’s the good of prayer?

Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 16: 1.

It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above [born again], the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

“Ask and ye shall receive.” We grouse before God, we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! Our Lord says –“Except ye become as little children.” Ask, and God will do. Give Jesus a chance, give Him elbow room, and no man will ever do this unless he is at his wits’ end. When a man is at his wits’ end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get in touch with Reality. Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits’ end over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.

It is not true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition.

[by Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest” p.241 for August 28th]




Amen!
 
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Angelina

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James 5:16 AMP
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].
 
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Curtis

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Why pray?

Because Jesus said to, “ and when you stand praying..,”

Because Jesus said ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full.

Because Jesus taught we should pray always and persevere in prayer until we get the answer.

Because Jesus said whatever you ask the father in my name, I will do it.

because Jesus said whenever you pray and believe that you have whatever you say, you will get it.

Because God told Hezekiah he was a dead man, and after prayer God gave him 15 more years of life.

Because prayer changes things. Elijah prayed for a dead boy to come back to life, and the child did.

Shalom Aleichem
 
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