This week a reader asks:
“Why am I supposed to bring my requests to God in prayer if He already knows what is going to happen?”
Answer:
This is a difficult question that deals with issues of fate and free will. Many years ago, I neglected prayer for this simple reason. If God was already going to do his will in whatever situation, if the future was already fixed by God in a certain way, then why should I pray for anything to change? Yet, this answer of mine neglected some fundamental truths of Scripture.
The Lord wants us to pray, regardless of the outcome.
Note what Jesus said in Luke 11:9: “I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Notice: ask, seek, knock. Jesus doesn’t tell us to pray once, but to keep on praying, seeking God for whatever the need may be. He doesn’t guarantee a certain answer, but he does bless those who ask, seek, and knock.
And this is not a fruitless exercise. When we seek God in prayer, he is shaping our will according to his will. Would it surprise you to know that even Jesus went through this process? When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus prayed this prayer three times. He was asking, and seeking, and knocking. Yet the Father’s will did not change, and Jesus’ course was set for the cross. In answer to his prayer, he sent an angel to strengthen him so that he could endure the cross for our sake.
What is God asking you to endure? Isn’t that the crux of our question when we ask why we should pray when God already knows the future? It’s like the person who asks, “Will God forgive me if I ________?” You fill in the blank. Our answer to such a question is, “What are you wanting to get away with?”
In light of this frustration in prayer, we should ask the question: Is the future malleable, or is it fixed? Theologians have different answers to that question. Some regard the future as fixed, pointing to prophecy of the future, noting that if the future were not fixed, then prophecy would not be possible. Others note that God answers prayer and changes things on our behalf. But does the Scripture really say that? Let’s examine David as an example.
In I Samuel 23:1-14, David saved the people of Keilah from the Philistines. When Saul finds out that David is there, David asks the Lord, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him?” The Lord answers, “They will hand you over.” David’s response was to flee, thus changing the future. But did he really? Certainly, God’s knowledge of future events includes all possible outcomes. So, God used David’s prayer as part of fulfilling this will, which was to save David from one possible situation. God’s will prefigures our actions, no matter what they may be. But notice that David’s act of prayer gave him certain knowledge, which he acted upon to save himself and his men. God involved David in the process of prayer in order to accomplish his will. And he does the same with you and me.
What are you praying for? What are you enduring? What is shaking your faith? Don’t give up by being prayerless. Involve yourself in God’s answer. He may change the situation you see, as he did with David, or he may have you endure and strengthen you, as he did for Jesus in the Garden. Either way, your faithfulness in prayer will align your heart with God’s will and let you fulfill his will. Your testimony of faithfulness in prayer will strengthen you, and you will see the fruit of God’s will in your life.
