peace to live by

What We Truly Believe About Prayer, Part 3 (TMF:2514)

Thursday, December 26, 2024
Peace to Live By: What We Truly Believe About Prayer, Part 3 (TMF:2514) - Daniel Litton
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       So, under this model, the one who prays does so because he or she is commanded to do so by the Scriptures. The belief is present, however, that the prayer really, at the end of the day, doesn’t produce any effects on the world because, after all, God has already decided all matters. To provide some specific examples, we could say, “Why pray for the salvation of Joe, if God has already determined whether Joe will be saved or not?” That’s a very common one. Or, we could say, “Why pray for success in dating Sarah, if God has already predetermined if the relationship will lead to marriage or not.” And the common response obviously is, “We pray because we are commanded to pray.” For the one who views prayer as effectual, as potentially changing things, the belief (or hope) is real and different. This person prays for the salvation of Joe because he or she believes that the prayers make a real difference on whether or not Joe will end up accepting the Gospel message.