Why Do We Pray?
“If we are on a path that God created for us before we were born, why do we pray for special requests?”
I received this question from a thoughtful new Christian. I answer as a pastor, not a theologian. And I share it here in case you might wonder the same thing.
Here’s my short answer:
We can stray off God’s path by accident, so we pray for guidance.
We can fall off God’s path through weakness, so we pray for strength and resources.
We can be lured off God’s path through deceit, so we pray for knowledge and wisdom.
We can be knocked off God’s path by evil or by life circumstances, so we pray for protection and healing.
We can decide we know a better path, so when we finally realize our way is actually worse, we pray for forgiveness and restoration.
All these things are true of other people as well, so we pray these same things for them.
A deeper issue, and what the questioner may actually have had in mind, is the age-old theological question of predestination versus free will. The school of thought called Calvinism emphasizes the fact that God is ultimately in control, with its implication that our course is predestined for us. Arminianism emphasizes human free will, the fact that in many areas of life, God allows us to choose. As with most things, some hold to extremes of one position or the other, and others seek various kinds of middle ground. Both sides can quote Bible verses and great theologians to support their views. My New Testament professor, Jon Stewart, told us, “Predestination and free will are like the two sides of a roof: they come together somewhere, but it’s over my head!”
The fact is, the Bible clearly tells us in many places that we are to pray. Along with prayers of praise and loveand thanks and confession, we are to include requests for the things we and others need, and even the things we desire (see Philippians 4:6; James 4:2; James 5:13-18; Hebrews 4:16). In fact, many Christians (myself included) interpret Ezekiel 22:30-31 to imply that sometimes God will not do what he would really prefer to do, just because he can find no one to pray for it.
Jesus said God knows what we need before we ask him (Matthew 6:8). Yet in the very next breath he taught his disciples to pray! And he specifically told them to pray, not just for special requests, but also for that most basic of necessities, their daily bread.
So, we pray, not because God doesn’t know what we want, and not as a futile attempt to change an unchangeable destiny, but because God tells us to pray, and we want to make God happy. I don’t really understand it myself, but I’m sure God will explain it all to us when we get to heaven.
David Wentz has pastored for over 40 years. He holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering, two MDiv degrees, and a Doctor of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is married to his college sweetheart, Paula. They have five children who are actively serving God in the US and around the world. He is the author of Pastoring: The Nuts And Bolts. You can connect with David on his twitter, Facebook, and Doing Christianity Nonprofit.
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