Have your ever asked yourself that? If we firmly believe that God is in complete control over everything and that whatever He has chosen to do, He does, what difference does it make if we pray or not? How do we reconcile God’s sovereignty with our need to pray? Isaiah chapter 62 gives us an interesting look at this question. In this chapter, God is addressing His people who are in captivity in Babylon. He says to them that He is going to give them a “bright future” (vv 2-5 and vv 8-12). How sure can God’s people be that God will do what He has promised? God swears by His mighty right hand that He will do it (v 8). And He also proclaims to the whole earth that He will do it (v 11). So God’s people can be pretty confident that God will do what He says. But what is Isaiah’s response? Look at v 1 and vv 6-7. Isaiah’s response is to pray! And to get others to pray. In fact he orders them to “give God no rest” with their prayers until God does what He has promised! God has sovereignly chosen to act in response to our prayers. Would God have done what he promised in Isaiah 62 if Isaiah had not prayed? I believe that God would have raised up someone else to pray if Isaiah didn’t. Why would God choose to act in response to our prayers? I think that there are at least three reasons:
Next
Our God Is King