Since God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? - Part 1 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, the worries of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.

This is Lisea Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. Subject today, Since God is Sovereign, Why Pray? We put a lot of emphasis on the truth of God's sovereignty. So some conclude that if God is working his will according to his own pleasure, and that none can stand in the way of him executing that which is his everlasting counsel, what's the purpose of prayer?

Is there any need to pray? So we're going to look at that subject in detail beginning today. I hope that you will write and let us know that you've listened to the program. We depend on our listeners for support.

If you want us to remain on this station, we certainly would appreciate hearing from you. Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. They brought a message a couple of weeks ago based on the text where the Apostle John says, I have no greater joy than that my children walk in the truth.

It is indeed a blessing to any gospel minister to see those to whom he ministers embracing the truth, walking in the truth. But we pointed out how people can easily be led astray when they interject human reasoning into their thought processes rather than to rely totally on the Word of God. Something that may appear to be logical may not be truthful because it's founded on the wrong premise.

The logic is flawed. So we want to know what God's Word says and receive it. Now thinking along those lines, I want to deal with a question that often is raised. Since God is sovereign, why pray? Luke chapter 11, we read the first four verses. And it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Here the disciples make a request of Jesus, teach us to pray.

Has that not often been the burden of your heart? Do you not frequently feel that your prayers are extremely weak? That you don't pray enough, or when you do pray, you may not be praying them right? Lord, teach us to pray.

And then Jesus gives them this instruction. Now some would argue that since the purposes of God are settled, that it seems useless to pray. It's argued that since God is omniscient, He knows all things, then things cannot possibly be different than what He already knows, so why pray?

And indeed that can be a struggle. It's approaching the subject of God's sovereignty and human responsibility. And this is a controversial issue that's been argued by theologians for centuries. But obviously prayer is a vital part of the Christian's life.

It was important enough that when the disciples expressed the desire to be taught how to pray, Jesus responded and gave them the instruction. So as we ponder the question, since God is sovereign, why pray? I would first emphasize the point, God is sovereign.

Of course if you don't believe that, then that puts everything in a totally different perspective. But without question, the Bible teaches God is sovereign. Psalm 103 verse 19, The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all. There's nothing outside His sovereign control.

He rules over all. And then turn to the book of Daniel chapter 4. There's so many rich expressions in the book of Daniel about the sovereignty of God.

Verse 35 sums it up so well, And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? Oh, King Nebuchadnezzar was proud, this is my kingdom that I've gotten by my might for my glory. But while the words were yet in his mouth, the Lord said, Thy kingdom is taken from thee.

And He humbled him and put him down on his all fours to eat grass like the beast of the field. But when his reason was restored, he came up with a whole different attitude and outlook. He is now declaring God His sovereign, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as, considered as nothing, and God does according to His will, both among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. And then we come to a New Testament passage, Ephesians chapter 1, informing us that He works all things to His glory. And we'll look at another that says He works them not only for His glory, but for the good of His people. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11, In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. Now you couldn't read that text and come to some other conclusion that God is trying, but can't put some things together that He might desire.

Seems preposterous, but that point of view has actually been set forth in some writings. That there are times God would like to give you a better situation, but He just can't do it. How frightening it would be to think that the God of heaven is limited.

That there are things He would like to accomplish in your life, but His hands are tied. He's obstructed either by fierce enemies, by opposition from Satan, or by that obstacle of free will that some like to espouse. But when you take just exactly what the Bible says, what the apostle Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he says that He works all things after the counsel of His own will.

And what's the purpose of it? That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. And then Romans 8 28 confirms that not only is He working things together for His glory, but for the good of His people. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to His purpose. Now, so often somebody will object, point to a given situation and say, You just tell me what good can come out of that terrible adversity, that dark scene.

I can't see any good in it at all. There's not a promise made that you're going to see the good, that you're going to understand the good. The promise is that God is working all things together for good to those that love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose. The evidence that you're called according to His purpose is that you love Him. Now, establishing then the fact that God is sovereign, the next thing we consider, we are to pray.

No question about that. We ought to pray first of all because we're commanded to. Luke chapter 18 verse 1, And He speak a parable unto them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And then He talks about the widow that comes to the unjust judge and said, Sir, avenge me mine adversaries. And He's a man that doesn't fear God or regard human beings, cares nothing about this woman or her situation.

But she continues to come and finally He grants the request, not because He cared about her, but to get rid of her. Because of her opportunity, she just wouldn't give up. Now, as strange as that lesson may seem, Jesus is teaching us that we are to be persistent in prayer. Not only are we to pray, we're to keep on praying.

He spoke this parable for this end, this is the purpose of it, that men ought always to pray, not to faint, not to give up. And then Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17, Pray without ceasing. Now, if there was no other reason to pray, that one reason would be enough. Why should we pray? Because we're commanded to pray. Because Jesus taught us to pray. Because the scriptures are explicit throughout, we are to pray. Secondly, we are to pray because it expresses our dependence on the Lord. See, if you're failing to pray, you may say, I believe in prayer, but if you're not praying, you indicate by your action, I think I can handle things on my own.

Give me enough time, give me enough time, I can deal with my challenges, I can figure out the solution. But when you pray, you're coming before God saying, Lord, I can't do it. I need thy help, I need thy direction, I need thy wisdom, I need thy grace.

You are revealing your dependence on Him. Psalm 141 verse 8, But mine eyes are upon thee, O God the Lord. In thee is my trust, leave me not destitute. I'm trusting in you, Lord. That's where I look.

Not looking anywhere else. Mine eyes are unto thee, in thee is my trust. And then in the book of Acts chapter 4, we read about the apostles having to call upon the Lord, certainly indicating their complete dependence upon Him in a time of persecution. Acts chapter 4, 24th verse, As they had been threatened and told to preach no more in Jesus' name, and when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God which has made heaven and earth and sea and all that in them is. One thing that you will notice repeatedly in the scripture as you read the prayers that are recorded there, that there were not just requests being made, there was worship. They recognized God's greatness. Their faith was strengthened because they reviewed what God had done in the past and who God is.

So they're acknowledging. Thou has made heaven and earth and the sea. Verse 25, Who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, Why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontus Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together. And notice, notice what it says, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. Now here's a place that God's absolute sovereignty and man's total responsibility is brought together.

And there's none of us that can fully grasp that or explain it in the terms of human reasoning. But it's what the Word of God teaches and we must embrace it by faith. Jesus Christ was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. He was considered the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God had determined the very place where He would die. The method by which He would die, being crucifixion.

The very hour, which Jesus said several times when they tried to take Him, mine hour has not yet come, but His hour did come. It was by the determinate counsel of God. But He said concerning those individuals that hated Him, that cried crucify Him, that nailed Him to the cross, you by wicked hands have crucified and slain the Lord of glory.

You're fully accountable for your action. This is what God's Word teaches. And now Lord behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word. Here's an acknowledgement, Lord we need Thee, we're dependent upon Thee.

We can't successfully stand against Thee who oppose us. Lord we're calling on Thy name and God heard their prayer. When you're praying, then you're revealing your dependence upon the Lord. You're acknowledging that the good gifts that you desire, the things that you know you do need have to come from Him. James chapter 1 verse 17 says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning. So when you need good gifts, you need spiritual blessings, you need material things, where are you going to go? You're dependent upon the Lord, so you go to Him in prayer.

Furthermore, we're to pray not only because we're commanded to pray, not only because we express thereby our dependence upon God, but we're to pray because the examples of Scripture confirm it. Let's look at the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 20. Here the enemies of God's people are approaching. King Jehoshaphat is concerned and so he does the right thing.

He turns to God. 2 Chronicles chapter 20 reading in the 5th verse. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and in Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven, and ruleth not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?

See here's another example of what we're talking about. That the prayers recorded in Scripture reveal that there was an acknowledgement of God's greatness, a review of His sovereignty, worshipping Him, praising Him because of who He is, and in thine hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand Thee? In other words, our enemy is great, but God you're greater and nobody can withstand you.

We're turning to you. Art not thou our God who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gave us it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever? Verse 10, And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom thou wouldst not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and destroyed them not.

Verse 12, O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company. I'm afraid too many times we fail in our prayers because we just say, Lord, I'm coming up a little bit short at the moment.

I've been doing the best I can and I'll keep doing the best I can, but if you'll just kind of supply a little extra boost here, they didn't come saying, Lord, we just need a little bit of help. Lord, we're in trouble. We've got a big enemy and we have no might. The Lord fills up empty vessels. We need to come before Him with this acknowledgement. We have no might, no ability to stand against the foe.

How wonderful though to realize that the God that we worship is able to supply exactly what we need. We have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do. We don't have a plan. We're not saying, Lord, we've been working on this for a long time and we're presenting this plan and will you bless it? Lord, we don't have any might.

We don't have any plan. We don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee. We're trusting God.

Now look down at the 21st verse. And when He had consulted with the people, He appointed singers unto the Lord that they should praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army and to say, Praise the Lord for His mercy endureth forever. Now, the battle hadn't started, but they're praising God already. They have confidence that the God that they're trusting is going to see them through.

And when they began to sing and to praise the Lord, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah and they were smitten. I love that passage. I'm thinking this over again, thinking about including this in the sermon. Maybe I'll just preach that Sunday afternoon.

I just love that. Come before the Lord. Empty, Lord. We have no plan.

We have no might. And all they had to do was show up. They didn't even have to draw a sword. They didn't have to fight.

Just show up. And the Lord calls the enemy to hear a great noise and flee before them. Now, you see, as you study the scripture, God doesn't always use the same method. Sometimes He requires His people to march.

They had to march around the walls of Jericho. Sometimes He required them to fight. Sometimes just show up and see what God's going to do.

But in every case, there was dependence upon Him. So, there's so many marvelous examples in scripture of events like this, where there was trust in the living God, prayer to Him, and God answered. And then we see numerous examples of prayer in the Psalms. David prayed so often, so beautifully, expressing some of the deep emotions of our own heart. Some of the struggles and conflicts that give us difficulty along the way.

And how refreshing it is to find out that those words are already pinned for us. Giving vent to some of our own struggles and feelings that we could never so explicitly express. Think about Asaph's prayer. Psalm 77, verse 1 and part of verse 2. I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and He gave ear unto me in the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord.

What did he do? Sit down in despair? Began to complain and murmur about how tough life was? No, I sought the Lord. And then we think about Elijah.

We find reference to his experience, even in the New Testament, so it was obviously a significant event. James, chapter 5, verse 6 describes the prayer of this prophet. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Now if there wasn't anything else said in the Bible about prayer, that would be enough to convince us, would it not, that we ought to pray. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias or Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Now that was enough to bring about a significant famine. This prophet of God, praise the Lord, set up the heavens, may it not rain, and it did not rain for three years and six months and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit. We see by example we are to pray. So we not only view it as we read the Old Testament, we have the confirmation in the New Testament that these are examples for us and just as Elijah prayed, we are to pray. And then the greatest of all examples when it comes to prayer is Jesus himself. Matthew chapter 14 of the 23rd verse, And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray.

Jesus sent the multitudes away, but he withdraws into the mountain to pray. Now as you read through the gospel account of his life, you can see over and over again that Jesus was a man of prayer. He prayed consistently to the Father, prayed throughout his ministry. And then you come to John 17, that special prayer to the Father and you see that Jesus prayed.

Well, the Apostle Paul is an example of it as well. Marvelous prayers recorded in his epistles as he prayed for those churches, as he prayed for the people to whom he ministered. As we sometimes struggle saying, well I wish I could pray more effectively, I wish I could be sure I was praying for the right things. Go to scripture, see what the prayers are like.

Pray scripture. Nothing wrong with taking the very words and the language of the text and saying, Lord as Paul expressed this under the leading of the Holy Spirit, long ago it's my burden and I pray that now. Colossians chapter 1 verse 9, He says, For this cause also since the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Now Paul had a concern about people's physical problems. We find expressions to that and the scripture is confirmed, we ought to pray for one another. And if you happen to be the one that's sick, you're glad to know that if you send a request to church somebody is going to be praying for you. But you know if that's all we ever pray about, we're not praying like we should. That's a part of our prayer life, but look at the constant focus of the apostle Paul. What's he praying about? I desire that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, the will of God.

In all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you might walk worthy Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. How often do you pray that prayer for yourself? How often do you pray that prayer for your family?

You have a lot of things to pray about. You're praying, Lord, bless my children, help me to give them the right guidance, the right education, protect them from danger, keep them from evil. Are you praying, Lord, bless them to be fruitful in every good work.

Bless them to be increasing in the knowledge of God. Examples in the scripture that we are to pray. It's a great comfort to know that God is absolutely sovereign. We can trust him and depend on him in every situation in life. And on that basis, we are encouraged to pray. We're praying to one who can resolve whatever the challenge that we are facing. Again, encourage you to write and let us know that you have listened. Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Till we greet you next time, this is LeSara Bradley, Jr., bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. You're unhappy and blessed, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with this goodness lost in His love. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior, praising my Savior, praising my Savior all the day long.