Expert: Elder Greg Madden - 6/20/2006

Question
Thank you! The scriptures were helpful. Any other ideas you may have on free will or God's role in our free will will be helpful.
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Followup To

Question -
I recently read Rabbi Kushner's book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. I understand his logic on free will and how prayer shouldn't be about asking for things like God is Santa. He mentions that he prays for patience, wisdom, and
understanding before he counsels his patients. My question is how can you distinguish from the two types of prayers? Aren't you still asking for something whether it is pious or selfish? If Kushner is not "asking" but praying that he
will be patient and understanding then doesn't prayer become meditation? In a practical application of this philosophy I cannot pray for God to heal my father if he is sick but pray for him and others to find strength, faith, etc during this time of need. But again...we are still asking for something that may not be given to us under his idea of God's role in our free will.


Answer -
Nicholas,

Thanks for your question. I am sorry, but I have not read this book. I will try to answer you with what the Bible says. If I understand your question, you are asking "...how can you distinguish from the two types of prayers? Aren't you still asking for something whether it is pious or selfish?" In other words you could ask, is it ever wrong to ask God for anything? If I am misunderstanding you, please feel free to write back.

First, God is not santa! The Lord Jesus is real, and santa is a fantasy. Though God is like santa, in that He wants to give good things to His children.
Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Mt 7:11 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
John 16:23 "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you."

Second, there is a right and wrong way to pray.
James 4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
In other words, selfish, self-motivated prayers are wrong. Asking for something (whatever that might be) is not wrong. God what's us to believe Him in prayer for all things. Praying for healing for sick loved ones is not selfish. Healing is a good gift that He wants to give His children.
When we pray, we must believe that God will answer.
Mt 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Mk 11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
 

Thirdly, there are many different types of prayers.
A. Prayer of praise/worship.
1Tim 2:8 "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."
B. Prayer for the sick.
James 5:14,16 "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
C. Prayer of intercession.
Eph 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints"
These are just a few of the types of prayer recorded in Scripture.

To sum my answer up, prayer is communion with the Heavenly Father in all things. Prayer is fellowshipping with Him. Spending time with Him every day. Yes, there are time we purposely set aside time to communicate with the Lord, but we should always strive to fellowship with Him.
1Thes 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

Nicholas, please let me know if this was helpful.
Elder Greg


Answer
Nicholas,

I too have often wondered about the free will of man, and the sovereignty of God. It would seem to be a dichotomy. I have wondered how we can have the free will to choose and at the same time God reign over all things. Let me try to give you my thoughts on this issue. First let me establish a few things.

1. God is reigns.
Ps 146:10 "The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD."
Like a king reigns over his kingdom, God reigns forever.

2. Man has free will (choice).
Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
God gives each of us the ability to make up our own minds and choose. We are not mindless automatons.

3. God reigns, but His will can be limited by our choice.
Ps 78:41 "Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel."
Here we see our unlimited God limited only by our choice.
Mark 6:5,6 "And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching."
Jesus could not do a mighty work there, why? Because of their unbelief, or choice.
2Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
It is God's will for all people everywhere to be saved and come to repentance. Are all saved? Do all repent? Sadly no. God gives use the responsibility of choice.

Nicholas, God has given mankind choice, and with that choice there are consequence’s. God deals with us through His Spirit, His Word, and circumstance’s to help us make right choice’s. The ultimate responsibility lays upon each of us. We will all give an account before God for ourselves.

Rom. 14:10 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
2Cor. 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

Nicholas, when God placed man on this earth, He gave man dominion (rulership) over this earth. Man was to be God's representative on this planet. When Adam fell in sin he handed over rulership to satan, who now has the legal right to rule this planet. The Bible calls him the "god of this world". Therefore, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, and follow Him, we now have the legal right (because Jesus came to Earth as a man, never sinned, and died for our sin's, rose again the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of God making intersetion for us) to take back that dominion. Though the devil does not willing give back anything, we must be willing to take it back. We must do our part and God will do His.
1Cor. 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
Mt 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence , and the violent take it by force."

Let me know if this was helpful,
Elder Greg