A READER WRITES, “Would you please comment on the purpose of prayer? If God is in control, as I believe he is, should we make specific requests of him? Is it arrogant of us to suggest to the Creator what he should do? I have struggled with this for a very long time.”
Indeed, “Our God is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). If God were a self-serving despot, that announcement should instill terror and send us scurrying for cover.
As the same Psalm notes, however, “the LORD has been mindful
of us; he will bless us” (verse 12). Those who reverence God may put their
trust in him, for “he is their help and their shield” and “he will bless” them
abundantly (verses 11 & 13). This God who is sovereign ruler of heaven and
earth is mighty “for” us (Isaiah 40). He works everything together for good for
those who love him, who are called according to his purpose (see Romans
When we bring our requests to God, we express our dependence on him, our need of him, our gratitude to him, and our love for him. Hopefully, we also present ourselves to him for his service. (Sometimes we participate in God’s answer to our own prayers!)
Certainly we do not “suggest what God should do” in any
presumptuous way. God does not need anyone’s counsel (see Isaiah 40:13-14 and
Romans
We pray because God invites us to pray. If he did not invite us, we should not dare to do it. But he takes note of us, and he invites us to come to him, bringing our praise and thanksgiving, our confession of sins, our supplications for others, our own perceived needs—all things great and small.
Because God has invited us to pray, “Let us therefore draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may
find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews