Why Pray if God Plans What Will Happen?

If God knows everything that's going to happen, and even orders all things that happen in creation, what is the point of prayer? This is a question many of us have. If God already knows what I think, feel, and my desires, why do I pray? And maybe to make the question a little more complicated: if God plans out what will happen in the future, are my prayers really doing anything? Do they have any effect on God at all? This is a question that really gets to the heart of this issue of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. But I think we can help ourselves as Christians to think through this more critically and understand why it's important and why it actually does matter. So let me give you a few reasons why we should pray, and why, despite God already knowing the future, prayer is still important and necessary.

First and foremost, God commands us to pray. We see this imperative throughout the New Testament. It is directly stated and implied by example. Christian’s ought to be a praying people and our greatest example and model of this is in Jesus Christ. Even as God’s son in the flesh, Jesus prayed. And as our model, he teaches us how to pray. God commands it, Jesus exemplifies it, and therefore it is incumbent upon us to do it.

It is also important for us to consider that prayer is the primary way that we communicate with God. God speaks through creation and conscience, but God most clearly speaks in his word. God has given us prayer as a means of direct communication, an exchange between us and him, for the benefit of our souls. Prayer is a way to intentionally aim our thoughts and words towards God as an act of faith, believing that he is there and that he is listening.

And in this act, prayer has a unique capacity to help us grow in faith and confidence in God. As we cultivate this means of grace, it keeps our reliance on him at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Our faith increases when God uses prayer to mold our desires and will to his and when we see God working through them.

But while we may see the clear command and God-intended benefits, of which we only named a few, the question of why prayer to an omniscient and sovereign God is still often raised. If God knows everything and plans everything, do our prayers really matter?

It is important to point out that just because God knows everything that is going to happen, this does not mean that our human wills are not involved in carrying out his plan. While God knows what will happen, our prayers and our actions do matter. Scripture seems to make clear that prayer is a means that God uses to bring about his purposes. And so, in the sovereignty of God, in his providence and in his plans, he uses the prayers and the actions of his people to bring forth his purposes. In a very real sense, if we don't pray, certain things may not happen. And if we do pray, God may bring about certain things.

God is sovereign, in control, and he orchestrates everything according to his purpose. But within that, what happens is contingent on what we do. God has said in his word that he will work through the prayers of righteous people. Prayer is something that can shape lives and change the course of events because God has chosen it as a means to do so.

There are many good reasons to pray. God works through prayer. God commands us to pray. It grows our faith in Jesus. Jesus Christ, our model, prayed himself. Though this question is a difficult one, it should not be a discouraging one. It is a question worth wrestling through, as prayer should be an integral part in the life of every Christian.