If God is Omniscient, why pray?
God is omniscient, omnipotent, and righteous. So why pray if God already has a plan, already knows what you want and wants good to happen to you?
God is beyond the universe. He is all the rules of physics and math, the alpha and omega of all of it, and more. The universe is subsidiary to God. Much of the universe is governed by eternal laws that we humans have named physics, math, and other science categories. Recently, we humans have proven that randomness does exist in the universe; meaning that not all things are predetermined and predictable according to scientific, measurable laws.
Human beings have free will. That is randomness in the universe. Our consciousness and will is not necessarily governed by predetermined physical laws simply playing out according to the rules of the physical, measurable world. God knows all of the possibilities of how the future may unfold, but giving humans free will is a reflection of randomness, unpredictability in the universe; they are characteristics within God who we are created in the image of. As God created us in his image. We have the ability to create, we contain randomness.
When we pray we are exercising our free will. We are asking God to let the future unfold in a way that we think is best. Not everything is predetermined; we have the ability to choose one of the many potential futures by exercising our free will. Praying is often asking God to lean in your favor. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
Romans 8:20-27 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Revelation 22:10-15 New International Version (NIV)
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outsideare the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
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