PPPP: The Putative Puzzles of Petitionary Prayer!

Hey Friends,

Welcome to this first edition. I'm using the start of a Sunday Morning study of "Prayer and Providence" to launch a discussion of the sort of issues that arise as we look to follow obediently in our faith in Jesus Christ.

For those of you who are not familiar with the class, we are discussing what we might call "the problem of prayer," but what I'm optimistically calling "the putative puzzles of petitionary prayer;" I'm convinced that the study of prayer, although raising some potential difficulties, provides an avenue by which to come to better understand something of the nature of God, our selves, and this extraordinary relationship we have with our heavenly Father.

Those puzzles include, for instance:

Why pray, if God knows all things (including our needs and desires)?
Why pray, if God is supremely good and must give us the best in any case?
Why pray, since God is in total control of all things according to his good will?
Why pray, since God is not subject to change or alteration?
Why pray, since God knows what the future holds? (It's already a done deal!)

The short answer: because we are privileged to see God's faithfully answer our pleas, daily!

The long answer? For that you'll have to join us on Sunday morning, 9:00, in room 209A.

Can we get the discussion rolling here? What are you're own "putative puzzles about petitionary prayer?"