This week the blog is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. This is an excerpt from Understanding Prayer: Biblical Foundations and Practical Guidance for Seeking God. Written by author, pastor, and scholar Sam Storms, Understanding Prayer unpacks the meaning and power of prayer through a close reading of Scripture with special focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, the apostle Paul, and James.
The best way to answer the question, “Does prayer change things?” is to determine what we mean by things. If the things in view are the course and circumstances of life as eternally decreed by God in his secret and sovereign counsel, the answer is “No, prayer does not change those things.” Prayer cannot change these things if by that one means that prayer can cause God to rescind a decree or force him to take back what he has planned. But we must not forget that prayer is one element in all God has decreed. And we must always be careful never to base or suspend our prayers on what we speculate may or may not be God’s sovereign and secret purpose. Our prayer lives are to be governed by God’s
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
