If God is in control of everything, knows everything, and has everything planned out, why should we pray? Let’s find out the answer as we look at the relationship between God’s plans and our prayers.

The Bible teaches that God has a plan for this world, one that He has promised to fulfill and one that He is working providentially to fulfill. But it also repeatedly demonstrates that prayer matters. That things happen because of the prayers of God’s people. 

So what’s the deal? How can God be committed to accomplishing His plans if human beings can change things through our prayers?

This can be a bit of a head scratcher for us, especially if we tend to think in very clear either/or terms. And very often we set prayer and God’s providence in opposition to one another. 

But the Bible doesn’t do this. Instead, it shows them as working together; that God plans both the end result, as well as the means of bringing about that end. And prayer is often His chosen means. 

From this perspective, prayer absolutely matters. It is not meaningless or hollow. It changes things. God invites us to be a part of His mission and work to redeem people through Christ, and God also uses prayer to change us. To change our hearts so that our will and desires are conformed to His.