God’s Sovereignty Should Provoke Us to Thanksgiving

“There is a certain sense in which God’s sovereignty should influence our attitude toward prayer, at least with respect to adoration. If anything, our understanding of God’s sovereignty should provoke us to an intense prayer life of thanksgiving. Because of such knowledge, we should see that every benefit, every good and perfect gift, is an expression of the abundance of His grace. The more we understand God’s sovereignty, the more our prayers will be filled with thanksgiving.”

– R.C. Sproul, Does Prayer Change Things?, p.12

His Knowledge Enhances the Beauty of My Praise

“There is something erroneous in the question, ‘If God knows everything, why pray?’ The questions assumes that prayer is one-dimensional and is defined simply as supplication or intercession. On the contrary, prayer is multi-dimensional. God’s sovereignty casts no shadow over the prayer of adoration. God’s foreknowledge or determinate counsel does not negate the prayer of praise. The only thing it should do is give us greater reason for expressing our adoration for God who is. If God knows what I’m going to say before I say it, His knowledge, rather than limiting my prayer, enhances the beauty of my praise.”

– R.C. Sproul, Does Prayer Change Things?, p.11