Comments on: If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Part 4)

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:36:00 +0000

This has been an excellent series! In trying ot understand Gods sovereignty I don’t think on this side of heaven we will ever fully understand His sovereignty. But I think the sarting point comes from the Psalms where the author writes “He sits in heaven and does what pleases Him” (paraphrased). We as humans tend to elevate ourselves beyond where we are, we can do nothing without Him. This includes coming to HIm for salvation. This is a topic of lifetime study.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:44:26 +0000

This series has really helped me, thank you so much.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:28:36 +0000

I find this last point to be the most convincing of all. I think it’s the sine qua non in this discussion. I feel like I can only echo it.

God ordains not only the ends, but also the means. As Matt said, this has implications for not just prayer, but also for the gospel. People reject the sovereignty of God in salvation because they conclude that we would never share the gospel with anyone. But they forget that there also God ordains the means of the preaching of the gospel to bring those to faith. Seriously… I’m just repeating what was said, but I think it’s worth repeating.

Great truths…. great truths from a glorious God. An elder at my church leading a Sunday School recently said that we don’t pray so that God’s will will be conformed to what we want, we pray so that our will be conformed to God’s will of infinite wisdom.

Praise God!

By: donsands

donsands — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:58:59 +0000

The Open Theist would cry this absurd. It makes us puppets, and God the Puppeteer.

But I say this was an excellent teaching. And to know God is sovereign, even in our prayers, make it no less genuine, but more so. And the bottom line is always what the Bible says, not how we feel about something.

God was going to destroy Israel for their sin, and raise a nation from Moses, but Moses interceced, and God repented, and He answered Moses prayer.

Did God change His mind? Yes and no, I would say. The Open Theist says God didn’t know that they people were going to sin, so He was surprised, and then Moses, actually changed God’s mind.

These are the difficult passages I still am learning about.

Thanks again for this fine teaching.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:49:56 +0000

Either 2 Pe 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” is true or its not.

Either Jas 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” is true or its not.

You can’t have it both ways. The Sovereignty of God is not frustrated or cancelled by the free will of man.