Praying to a Sovereign God

Relationship with AI

In recent times, there has been some big improvements in what we refer to as artificial intelligence (AI). You might question whether it should really be called intelligence, because in reality, it’s just a really really sophisticated algorithm, but one that has the ability to add to itself by allowing past interactions to inform the way it operates in the future, or what is generally referred to as machine learning.

It’s interesting that some reports are coming through of a growing number of people forming strong emotional attachments to AI. It sounds almost made up, but there are people that are falling in love with a bit of computer code, albeit some very sophisticated and complex code.

Now, while this would be a great topic to explore, I actually raise it because depending on your perception of God, we could almost reduce humans to a really sophisticated algorithm that God has designed, and like some sort of robot, we just operate within the confines of the way God has created us.

What if we were just robots put on earth for God to interact with us.

If this was the case, what implications does this have on the way we pray?

Two truths

Well, before we actually ask that question, it’s worth considering how accurate this perception is. So what does the bible have to say regarding our free choice?

Well, I want to argue two separate truths that we learn from the Bible, which on the surface can seem contradictory, but its the way we’re going to understand this idea from the perspective of the bible.

God is sovereign

The first is that God is sovereign over all of his creation.

What does that mean? Well, first it means that God created all things. But more than that, he ordains all things. He works all things out so that there are no surprises.

There are a number of proverbs that support such an idea.

Take Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Earlier in that same chapter, we read Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Now, you might like to keep this verse in mind because because it combine human planning with the sovereignty of God.

But it’s not just Proverbs. Even Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount, when he’s explaining why you shouldn’t worry, he talks about how God feeds the birds and clothes the beautiful flowers. God is in control of even the small details in nature.

It’s also clear in the passage we read earlier, which I’ll come back to in a moment, but just look at Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,”

Now all of this might be easy enough to accept, that is, until we start reading passages where God is said to stand behind people sinning.

Take for example, 2 Samuel 24 where it’s made clear that David is sinning, but the first verse of that chapter says that the Lord incited David to act in the way he did.

Or 1 King 22, where we find King Ahab being enticed to sin by an angel sent by God.

Well, this certainly complicates matters.

I wonder at this point how this idea sits with you… on one hand, it might be very comforting knowing that God is in complete control of everything.

On the other hand, however, it might become a little concerning, particularly when we try to make sense of the bad things in the world - if God is sovereign, then why does he allow bad things.

Human Responsibility

Well, before I think about that, remember I said there were two biblical truths that I wanted to state. The second one is this, humans are responsible for their actions. I would state that this means that human have free will and can make their own choices.

Throughout scripture, there are frequent calls to choose God… to cling to him.

The Joshua who led the Israelites into the Promised Land famously asked the Israelites after they had settled - “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Josh 24:15)

Peter, in his famous speech on the day of Pentecost, the day that is often described as the birth of the church says: “anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”.

It is very clear throughout scripture that people are responsible for their own sin, and they have the ability to call on the name of Jesus.

How it fits

So it’s perhaps worth giving a little consideration about how these two truths fit together.

Now, if you’ve been around enough churches for a while, you’ll likely know that there are different traditions which have a tendency to emphasize one over the other.

One such tradition will emphasize God’s sovereignty, and will understand what is perceived as free will in light of this sovereignty.

Another tradition emphasizes human free will, and will understand God’s sovereignty as working within our choices.

To be honest, I find both traditions being a little unsatisfactory.

The idea that one truth trumps another just doesn’t sit right. I prefer to hold both truths, that is, God is sovereign, and we have free will, together, and just accept that they work together, even if it leaves it hard to explain.

Sometimes, it is just as we sit with truth that seem to be at odds, that we start to gain a better appreciation for how God works.

Implication for prayer

Now, I want to bring this discussion to our series on prayer.

You see, this all has big implications for how we pray.

Quite a while back now, I was involved with a church that belonged to a tradition that emphasized God sovereignty. I’ll never forget a conversation I had with one of the elders. He held to a very high view of God being sovereign, but he admitted to me that he just didn’t understand how prayer fits into that.

You see, if God has ordained everything that is going to happen, then where does prayer fit in. Yes, God asks us to pray, but are we just going through the motions, because at the end of the day, it was God’s sovereign will that we actually were praying at all.

But there is a flip side to this. If we have free will, and God’s will somehow has to fit around ours, is God really in control? And if God isn’t fully in control, then has prayer just lost its power?

Well, this morning, as we continue our series of learning about prayer through the prayers that Paul makes, I want to explore the shape our prayers should take in light of the two truths I’ve been speaking about. You see, we’re praying to a God who has all things in control and ordains exactly what happens, and yet a God who wants us to pray and will answer what we ask for.

Ephesians

So let’s go to Paul letter to the church as Ephesus.

This church was a church that Paul had a strong connection with.

It’s a place he doesn’t get to until late in the second of his missionary journey’s, but once he gets there, it seems it almost becomes like a second base for him.

In Acts 20, as we get to the conclusion of his third missionary journey, there is this long and very emotional farewell that he makes to the Ephesian elders.

Well, as we come to Paul’s letter to this church, as he generally does, it starts with thansgiving.

Chosen

However, there is quite a special feature that we find throughout this particular thanksgiving, and that is, that it strongly emphasizes God’s sovereignty.

Remember how I said some traditions, seem to emphasize God’s sovereignty… well, they tend to love this passage.

You see, throughout these words of Paul, it is all about what God has done for the Ephesians, as opposed to any notion of the Ephesians freely reaching out to God.

Let’s just take a quick look through some of the language.

In verse 4… “he chose us...”

In verse 5.... “he predestined us...”

In verse 6.... “he has freely given...”

In verse 8… “that he has lavished on us...”

In verse 9… “he made known to us...”

Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,”

We could explore each one in detail, but hopefully you’re getting the picture. All these blessings that these Ephesians are receiving, are all at the initiative of God.

But this being the case, you could think, well, what’s left to pray for?

God has already called and blessed them. God is already moving them into his ordained will.

But it doesn’t stop him from praying - far from it in fact.

Knowing God is sovereign is actually leading Paul to pray.

Paul’s Prayer

So go to verse 15 and we start to see how Paul prays as a result.

You see, it starts with “for this reason...”, in other words, all this talk of how God has been the initiator of these blessings is the reason for the following prayer.

However, that being said, while Paul is really emphasizing in these words God’s initiation in all of this, verse 15 actually recalls that it is the faith of these people and the love they choose to show which is the demonstration of God’s sovereign work.

You see, you can’t actually separate God’s sovereign work with the free choice that we have.

Thankfulness

Nevertheless, I think it is fair to say the prayer is in response to God’s sovereign work.

And the first thing that Paul describes about his prayer is that he has not stopped giving thanks.

And as obvious as it might sound, knowing that we have a sovereign God, we should be brought to our knees in thanks.

I know I said that God’s sovereignty can be a little unsettling when we think of all of the bad things in this world, however, the more we look at the way God operates, the more we realise how absolutely amazing it is that God is in full control.

I know personally, there are many times that God has answered prayers that I didn’t really know how to pray, and to be truthful, really stumbled my way through… but with God’s sovereign ways, he worked it all out.

Even in this church, I can think of some tricky times we’ve gone through… times where I’ve wondered: ‘well, is this it’. My prayers were articulated really poorly, mostly because I didn’t know what was to happen. But God did. And God has brought us as a church through many difficult times, and while we’ve still got further to go, I know God will continue to take us there.

And all we can do is just stop and thank God for everything he has done for us.

Thank him that he knows best and that his sovereign ways will happen.

Prayer for wisdom

So thankfulness certainly makes sense when praying to a sovereign God, however, if we follow Paul’s prayer, it moves beyond this and he makes a request in verse 17 and 18.

Let me read those verses for you again:

Ephesians 1:17–18 NIV

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

It’s a beautiful prayer. It’s a prayer that lifts others up into God’s sovereign actions.

It asks that these blessed people that have been chosen by God may grow in wisdom… that they may have revelation… all for the purpose of knowing God better.

He prays that the eyes of their heart may be enlightened - and here is where we see a direct intersection with the request and God’s sovereignty in that this prayer for enlightenment is directed at knowing the hope to which they have been called - because they have the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

Now this does all beg a question… if we recognise the sovereignty of God, do all of our prayers have to be so explicitly connected with God’s will?

In one regard, it’s a slightly tricky question to answer, in that I don’t think we should start getting legalistic about the way we have to pray. Prayer is not about strict rules that we have to follow. Remember, when it gets down to its basic function, prayer is just as communicating with God, and he just wants to know our hearts.

However, as we grow in the maturity of our Christian walk, as we see with Paul, we’ll find ourselves more and more praying into the will of God.

I know that many of you, just like myself have struggled to know how to pray, particularly as people face the prospect of death. On one hand, we can pray for complete healing. On the other hand, we can recognise that this might be the time that God has chosen to take them, in which case we could pray that they may glorify God even in death.

In this sort of case, don’t agonize over which way to pray. Pray as you feel led in your heart - but in the process also take the time to listen to God - ask that he may allow you to accept which ever way things might go. Quite often, we find that we just naturally start to pray the way God wants.

His sovereign will is still done, however, in a strange and almost paradoxical way, he listens to those prayers of our heart .

Review of God’s work

Now, it’s interesting as we look at how Paul’s prayer then concludes in the final few verses of the chapter.

From 19b and onwards, Paul starts recounting the most powerful deeds of God.

He recounts how Christ was raised from the dead and seated in the heavenly realms.

He recounts absolute power and dominion Christ has over everything, including for all of the future.

He recounts how everything is now under his feet, indicating the control he has, and how this relates to the church, which is his body.

Now you might ask, why does Paul need to say this in his prayer? He’s not telling God anything that he doesn’t know already.

And that is true - but it’s part of the process of worship which is right and proper for us to do for a sovereign God.

It is a beautiful thing when you start to combine your prayer time with your bible reading.

As we read scripture, we see how God interacts with his world, and by recounting this in our prayer, we can actually start to see how God interacts in his world today.

Conclusion

Like I’ve said in previous weeks, my intention is not to over-complicate praying.

This is not about creating rules. But what we do learn, is that the more we start to understand God and the way he works, the shape of our prayers will start to change.

And as we’ve seen with Paul, one of the things we learn about God is that he is entirely sovereign over his creation. We also learn that he has given us free will and we are responsible for our actions.

These two truths that both come from scripture can and should shape the way we pray.

We pray, not because God needs our help to get things done, he certainly doesn’t, but rather we pray because this is the way we join in on his sovereignty, albeit in some mysterious way.

Prayer is such a precious thing. Paul understood this. He recognised the absolute privilege it was in joining in with God.

And you have this same privilege.

When we actually realise this, rather than prayer being some chore that we need to do, we instead want to do it. We want to join in the process of God moving in this world. It is such an amazing thing.

God is sovereign. You have free will. And prayer can help us join those two things together.

Let me pray...