PRAYER

1
PRAYER

• Hurtful Theories
• 1. God is Unchangeable no effect
• 2. God knows already
• 3. Miracles have ceased God must use miracles,
  therefore no use

2
What Good does it do to Pray?

• James 516 effective, fervent prayeravails
  much.
• What does this verse TELL US and NOT TELL US
  about prayer?
• Prayer can be very effective
• Does NOT Tell us How

3
What Good does it do to Pray?

• James 516 effective, fervent prayeravails
  much.
• Effective Fervent from One Greek Word
• communicate energy efficiency to be active,
  be in operation, towards a result in action,
  operative.
• Working, effective.. An effective supplication.

4
What Good does it do to Pray?

• James 516 effective, fervent prayeravails
  much.
• Prayer that produces an Effect is sincere,
  earnest, hearty persevering.
• Some Revealed, Some the Bible says Nothing About!
• Be Careful Not To Speculate 1 Corinthians 46

5
The Will of God

• Revealed Will of God Hebrews 107,10
• Providential Will of God James 415
• Acts 1821 if God wills
• 1 Corinthians 419 the Lord wills
• 1 Corinthians 167 if the Lord permit

6
What is God Doing in The World Today?

• Upholding The Universe Hebrews 12,3
• Saving His People From Their Sins- 1 Peter
  122,23 Hebrews 114 Romans 116
• God is working providentially in the World.

7
How Does Providence Work Today?

• divine guidance or care
• preservation, care government which God
  exercises over all things that He has created in
  order they may accomplish the ends for which they
  were created.

8
How Does Providence Work Today?

• we set limits to Gods ability to act without
  doing miracles. God can bring about certain
  things by miracles, it seems but reasonable to
  suppose that He can do some things without a
  miracle. McGarvey

9
Misconceptions

• Pantheism God is matter Prayer to him makes
  no sense.
• Deist Personality of God and Creative Work,
  denies providence prayer meaningless

10
Laws that Govern Spiritual Realm Material Realm

• God established Laws in Both Realms
• Capable of answering prayer in BOTH or He
  cannot answer prayer in either.

11
Natural Law

• One of the ways God expresses His will
• Christ upholds the World Hebrews 13
• Word of His power natural law.
• NOT Result of impersonal force, self-originating
  sustaining.

12
Natural Law

• God is a God of Order
• Sustains Universe in an Orderly Fashion
• Does not mean Physical Laws are Inflexible.
• Man limited in his understanding of Gods
  creation.

13
Natural Law

• Science accepts there is no such thing as
  physical laws being absolute unchangeable
• Physical laws a product of mans observations.
• IF man has not observed it OR if his observation
  is faulty, he cannot make an ABSOLUTE STATEMENT
  concerning such laws.

14
Natural Law

• Many today no longer define a miracle as
  something contrary to the laws of nature.
• Gods providential acts are the ways in which He
  accomplishes His will in the world through these
  chosen channels.
• A Miracle is when God works above beyond
  ordinary ways

15
Natural Law

• We walk by Faith Not by Sight- 1 Corinthians
  57
• Accept what we CAN know leaving the rest up to
  GOD!
• This world of ours is not governed by law it is
  governed by God according to law.

16
Natural Law

• Whenever we pray to God, we are NOT asking Him to
  interrupt the order of the universe, but rather
  to ask Him to manifest His power through the
  operation of natural law.

17
Natural Law

• What about providence suffering?
• Gods intentional will, Circumstantial Will,
  Ultimate Will, Perfect Permissible Will?
• NONE explain the WHY?

18
Other Forces at Work

• Hostile to God His Creatures Ephesians 22
• Evil is evil loss is loss, but God has the
  power, out of, through the evil the loss, to
  bring good gain, just as the farmer can make
  the filth of the midden the source of renewed
  fertility to his land.

19
Thoughts for Consideration

• Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 611
  Luke 1134
• How? Drop from the sky?
• God already knows our needs before we ask
  Matthew 68
• Three verses later, He tells us to pray for it
  anyway.
• WHY?
• Jesus TOLD US TO DO IT!

20
Thoughts for Consideration

• When we receive our daily allotment of bread, is
  it the result of the circumvention of Gods
  natural laws?
• NO!
• It is the result of Divine Providence.

21
Thoughts for Consideration

• Many questions regarding HOW, WHY, and WHEN.
• Many of them come under Deuteronomy 2929 the
  secret things belong to the Lord our God, but
  those things which are revealed belong to us