A READER WRITES, “I have just completed your book Beyond the Sacred Page and enjoyed it very much. I found especially meaningful your sharing of Psalm 115:3 regarding God doing as he pleases. In light of that, 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 and would greatly appreciate your comments.”
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 fill us with terror and send us scurrying for cover; however, as the same Psalm notes, “the LORD has been mindful of us; he will bless us” (115:12). Those who reverence God may put their trust in him, for “he is their help and their shield” and “he will bless” them abundantly (115:11, 13).
The God who is sovereign ruler of heaven and earth is mighty
“for” us (see 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 service—some-times we participate in God’s
answer to our own prayers! Certainly we do not “suggest what he should do” in
any presumptuous way. God does not need anyone’s counsel (see Isaiah 40:13-14
and Romans
We pray because this 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. In short, he
invites us to come with all our requests great and small. So “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
God might say “No” to some of our requests, sometimes because our motives are selfish (see James 4:3). But let it never be said that we lack any gift from the Father simply because we have failed to ask (see James 4:2).