Our prayer vs. God’s Sovereignty?

Our prayer vs.
God’s Sovereignty?

If God is Sovereign over everything, how can we
justify our responsibility to pray for things to change? Is He Sovereign or
not?  If He is, then why do we have to
pray?  If He is not, are we changing His
mind?

Why are we even here?

Actually, our praying to God is exactly what He has
planned.  The outcome, whether change in
us or in the arena we are praying for, is exactly what He wants.  First, we need to recognize the foundation of
what we were made for.

We have been made for the glory of God, to have
dominion over Creation, and to be stewards of it and it’s
responsibilities.  In this way, we are
made in the Image of God, Who has Dominion over all, and in Stewardship of His endless resources, chose to
introduce Creation.  He has an overall
corporate ‘plan’, knowing what is to be achieved – from before until after all
of Creation.  He has chosen to place us
in the middle of it all.  We glorify Him
by participating in His Creation and His plan. 
He is being, and will be, glorified as this plan unfolds – and we have
been made to be a part of it.

God wants us to pray for change

The conflict of ‘why pray if God is in control?’,
and ‘does prayer change His Mind?’, are both problems only if we look at it
from man’s standpoint.  From man’s point
of view in our sinful, self-centered minds, none of this can hope to be
understood.  But from a God point of
view, everything really does fit together.

Consider this – does God want us to pray for
change?  Of course, because through it many
things happen:

• We must humble ourselves
  before Him – and He is Glorified in His supremacy
• We must turn to Him as the
  Sole and Primary Provider – and He is Glorified for His provision
• The sinful issue at hand
  stands out against His Holy standard, His Will, and how it should be – and He
  is Glorified in His perfection
• We must recognize our sin,
  repent of it, confess it, and ask forgiveness – and He is Glorified in Saving
  and forgiving us
• We must approach the Throne,
  Sanctified again by the Blood of the Lamb if we hope to be heard – and He is
  Glorified in His Son
• We can call on His promises,
  expecting Him to answer our request – and He is Glorified for being faithful
  and trustworthy
• Being a prayer in faith,
  that it is in His Will because we are familiar with His Character and His Word,
  we can observe Him answering that prayer – and He is Glorified in His teaching
  us to know Him
• And in an answered
  prayer, the believer is edified while the pagan is convicted – and so and He is
  Glorified as He blesses those who obey and grieve those who do not. (2 Sam
  22:41-2?)

Did God know these things would happen?  Did He know we would pray (or not)?  Do all things work together for good to those
who love Him?  Has He made it clear we
have been placed as stewards in His Creation? 
Has He made it clear we are to pray? 
Does He answer prayer?  To all of
these, of course!

Is God not Sovereign?  Is He not in control?  Is He unaware of what lies ahead or why all
issues occur?  Can anyone change His Mind
from what He has already intended?  Was
the Fall a big mistake He didn’t expect, that He is now scrambling to
‘fix’?  To all of these, of course not!

We have been made for an incredible task

We have been enlisted in an incredible task – to
participate in the Work and Will of God over Creation.  It is all His Will being done, often carried
out through us as His servants.  We have
the means and His command to be conduits, or priests, of His Work.  But, we must recognize His Sovereign
Provision, which makes everything possible.

He is like the Master Craftsman,
allowing his child to participate in his work in a real, meaningful way.  The Master wants to have an end product, the
one he envisions.  He also wants to
involve his young child, one that he loves. 
Under his exceeding expertise, he sets aside parts of his work for his
child to do, under his watch and always under his careful eye.  The child is trusted with as much as the
Master sees appropriate, and gradually, the child learns lessons of the
craft.  The child learns, and becomes
more like the Master.  The Master’s
vision of the end product moves closer towards completion.  And now, and in the end, the Master is
satisfied in his stewardship over what he possesses in himself – to see his
work played out in the end product and to see the child fulfill his potential
in the work the Master alone is praised for.