Why do we pray?

Prayer is to the Christian what breath is to life.-RC Sproul

I received this question from a friend of mine a few days ago and, with his permission, I am answering it here:

I'm really digging into prayer for the salvation of others, and am interested in any insight you may have. I realize this is a big question for a little Facebook message though...


Really I'm wondering God's role, perhaps in prayer in general. Like...it appears as though, for whatever reason, he has limited some of what he does on earth and will respond only when we come to Him in prayer. Kind of a "receive not because you ask not" thing. I get especially confused when trying to pray for the specific lost people in my life because I haven't really untangled the Calvinist/Arminian thing and I feel like that affects what I would pray.


"God I pray that you would elect this person. That you would choose that person. God I know that it is only by grace that people believe, so please give that grace to this person. Give faith to that person". I don't even know, Jason. I'm a little befuddled.


We know that it's God's will that none should perish...he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked...he wishes for all to come to repentance. So why do some people not believe. Has he chosen to not give then the grace and faith. Has he chosen to not open their hearts like he did to Lydia in acts. Is he just waiting for a praying people to ask him!? to stand in the gap? to intercede? Or is there an aspect of free will that I'm not grasping?-Jerry


These are great questions; some of the same ones I struggle with.

First, I do not believe that God chooses to limit himself or his knowledge in any way. Open theism, a theory popularized by men like Clark Pinnock and Greg Boyd, supports the notion that God chooses to limit His own power, thus making the future unknowable. I don't believe that is at all true. Orthodox, or classical, Christianity has rejected open theism outright.

So, if we assume God does not limit himself, where does that leave us? Let us start with the notion of God's foreknowledge. In Ephesians 1:4-5, Paul writes "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will." As I read this, I am pretty well convinced that God chose, or predestined, us (Christians) long before we ever even existed according to his own will--not because of our own good works or righteousness (Eph 2:8; see also John 15:16). This gift is not because we worked harder or did anything--it is because of his "glorious grace which he lavished upon us" (Ephesians 1:7-8).

Parenthetically, many people struggle with this notion of predestination; however, I do not think we should be surprised by it. There is ample evidence in the New Testament that we are predestined by God, not only in Ephesians, but certainly in Romans (particularly chapter 9 and even more specifically verse 11). I am frequently struck that people who really struggle with predestination never seem to have a problem with the fact that God had a "chosen" people.

So, if God chose us before the foundation of the world, why then do we pray? I heard John Piper once say, "we pray because God tells us to" (I Timothy 2) or something along those lines and for me, it is really that simple. Christ frequently went away to pray and he taught his disciples to pray. Prayer is communication with the father. Prayer is an essential part of the believer's life.

In God's sovereignty, it may be that he is allowing our prayers, evangelism, preaching, and so forth to be the conduit he is using to bring others to salvation. But, I think a simpler answer is, if we are to follow the full counsel of scripture, we pray for the lost, trusting that God is working all things out according to the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:5). For me, this more reformed view of God's electing love also removes some anxiety because I cannot thwart his will (Job 42:2) if I "mess up" in evangelism or prayer. I pray because God tells me to, but he works it out for his glory.

The next question you asked was about 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." The "you" in this verse refers to the elect--not all people (see I Peter 1:1). Basically, the Lord is patient toward the elect, not wishing that they should perish but rather, reach repentance.

Ezekiel 33:11 reads, "As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways." I believe that God's having "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" is not contradictory to God's election of believers. For example, I take no pleasure in punishing my children, but I do. Judges who enforce the death penalty (typically) take no pleasure in meting out justice to deserving offenders, but they do. All humans deserve God's justice; it is because of his mercy that He elects to open the eyes of some, but he does not open the eyes or hearts of all--like Lydia.

So, briefly, I believe God chose us before the foundation of the world (predestination), that he opens the eyes of some (election), and that we are called to pray and evangelize in working out his sovereign plan. And, as I said earlier, I think the brief prayer you wrote in the middle of an email is an excellent one!

See this post as well for more information.