Paradox of Prayer

$$\begin{aligned} \centering \emph{2019-02-25} \end{aligned}$$

There is a bit of a paradox when it comes to prayer: if God is fully in control, then why should we pray. Yet God commands us in the Bible to pray, knowing He is in control.

Paradox of Command

2 Timothy 2:7

“Think over what I [Paul] say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Here Timothy is to think because God will give understanding. This is apparently a paradox.

Philippians 2:12

“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to act for His good pleasure.”

Here the Philippians are to work out their salvation because God is working in them. Again an apparent paradox.

Matthew 6:8-9

“Do not be like them [who think they will be heard because of their many words], for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This, then, is how you should pray:…”

Here we are commanded not to try and manipulate God using fancy prayers, because God knows what we need. Therefore we should pray, and pray as Jesus famously explains. This, perhaps, most clearly highlights the paradox. Why should we pray if God already knows? Yet here that truth does not stop us praying, but informs how we pray.

What then shall we say? This is marvellous! We are not spectators, we are actors in God’s world. Yet our actions are underwritten by the actions of God. This is marvellous and terrible, woe to use if we act against Him, but what glory and power when we act with Him.

Promise of Prayer

Matthew 7:9-11

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

Here we see the great promise of prayer. Not so much that God will give us what we ask for, as that God is much more good than we are, and so we can trust Him when we pray.

Response to Prayer

Prayer in the presence of “Our Father” who is good, then results in peace.

Philippians 4:6

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“

In 1 Samuel 30 we have a practical example of this.

This is not quite the same as requesting God to act and waiting for His work. For a model of that see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39)

Hebrews 5:7

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.”

Here we see Jesus imploring God to act, and then trusting God. God did act, but Jesus had to go through death. It was better for us all this way, yet painful for Jesus.

Two additional notes. First it is the experience of many that God has begun answering their prayers before they prayed them. See for instance , , and David from 1 Samuel 30. Second, however, it is also the experience of many of a slow repose. See for instance Luke 18:1-8, Jesus - who had to go through death - and .

Notes for extension

defines prayer as “continuing the conversation God has started.” Combining this definition with the comment above that our works are “underwritten” by God and the discussion in we can come to a full exploration of the apparent paradox of God’s work and our own. The discussion of work is usually framed in terms of achieving, especially achieving independence, and this is why the paradox arises. However when we meditate on the apparent paradox and see the commands of God and meditate on the indwelling of the Spirit and Paul’s commend “which God so powerfully works in me” I think we come closer to a beautiful understanding of how this works out.

I will need to do some more work to flesh this out.

A key question that needs to be answered is: “God saved us, but leaves us on earth, why?”