Thus says the Lord: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

 

3 November, 2005   comments: (0) Sound Doctrine   Why Pray If Things Are Predestined? Although it's an almost abandoned doctrine in the modern church, predestination is inescapable in the pages of the bible. So the question is often asked, if God has already decided the outcome of things, what difference does "prayer" make? The answer may not be as complicated as you think. The word "predestine" is mentioned numerous times in the bible, and the concept is also found in passages like these: Lamentations 3:37 says that God commands every word that is spoken, and Proverbs 16:33 says that God even influences the outcome of the shake of dice (lots). In Ephesians 1:11 we see that God works all things (that's everything) according to the counsel of his will. What about prayer then? The following is one of the most simple explanations of why prayer is meaningful, even though things have been predetermined. This role-play between "prayerful" and "prayerless" is an example from John Piper's website: Prayerless: I understand that you believe in the providence of God. Is that right? Prayerful: Yes. Prayerless: Does that mean you believe, like the Heidelberg Catechism says, that nothing comes about by chance but only by God's design and plan? Prayerful: Yes, I believe that's what the Bible teaches. Prayerless: Then why do you pray? Prayerful: I don't see the problem. Why shouldn't we pray? Prayerless: Well, if God ordains and controls everything, then what he plans from of old will come to pass, right? Prayerful: Yes. Prayerless: So it's going to come to pass whether you pray or not, right. Prayerful: That depends on whether God ordained for it to come to pass in answer to prayer. If God predestined that something happen in answer to prayer, it won't happen without prayer. Prayerless: Wait a minute, this is confusing. Are you saying that every answer to prayer is predestined or not? Prayerful: Yes, it is. It's predestined as an answer to prayer. Prayerless: So if the prayer doesn't happen, the answer doesn't happen? Prayerful: That's right. Prayerless: So the event is contingent on our praying for it to happen? Prayerful: Yes. I take it that by contingent you mean prayer is a real reason that the event happens, and without the prayer the event would not happen. Prayerless: Yes that's what I mean. But how can an event be contingent on my prayer and still be eternally fixed and predestined by God? Prayerful: Because your prayer is as fixed as the predestined answer. Prayerless: Explain. Prayerful: It's not complicated. God providentially ordains all events. God never ordains an event without a cause. The cause is also an event. Therefore, the cause is also foreordained. So you cannot say that the event will happen if the cause doesn't because God has ordained otherwise. The event will happen if the cause happens. Prayerless: So what you are saying is that answers to prayer are always ordained as effects of prayer which is one of the causes, and that God predestined the answer only as an effect of the cause. Prayerful: That's right. And since both the cause and the effect are ordained together you can't say that the effect will happen even if the cause doesn't because God doesn't ordain effects without causes. Prayerless: Can you give some illustrations? Prayerful: Sure. If God predestines that I die of a bullet wound, then I will not die if no bullet is fired. If God predestines that I be healed by surgery, then if there is no surgery, I will not be healed. If God predestines heat to fill my home by fire in the furnace, then if there is no fire, there will be no heat. Would you say, "Since God predestines that the sun be bright, it will be bright whether there is fire in the sun or not"? Prayerless: No. Prayerful: I agree. Why not? Prayerless: Because the brightness of the sun comes from the fire. Prayerful: Right. That's the way I think about the answers to prayer. They are the brightness, and prayer is the fire. God has established the universe so that in larger measure it runs by prayer, the same way he has established brightness so that in larger measure it happens by fire. Doesn't that make sense? Prayerless: I think it does. Prayerful: Then let's stop thinking up problems and go with what the Scriptures say. Ask and you will receive. You have not because you ask not. By John Piper. Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 888.346.4700 Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.98   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism