1. The document discusses the relationship between God's sovereignty and the role of prayer. 2. It acknowledges that while God is omniscient and has planned all things, Scripture still commands us to pray and teaches that God delights to hear and answer prayers. 3. Even though we don't fully understand how it works, we should worship God through prayer because it maximizes His glory and our joy.

1. Session Four
DEPENDENT
IN PRAYER
RELYING ON A SOVEREIGN
GOD IN SUPPLICATION

2. Session Four OBJECTIVES
! Answer questions about the place of prayer in
God’s purposes.
! If God knows everything, and has planned
everything, then why should we pray?
! If God is sovereign, is He to blame for my lack of
prayer?

3. Two GROUND RULES
We want to be careful and accurate.
We must trust and obey clear things, even if we
do not have complete understanding.

4. Two WRONG Approaches
We are NOT Hyper-Calvinists.
We are NOT Arminians.

5. The Sovereign PROCESS
The MEANS of sovereign salvation is the
gospel.
The AGENT of sovereign salvation is the
Holy Spirit.
The INSTRUMENTS of sovereign
salvation are us!

6. Two PERSPECTIVES
The HUMAN perspective.
The DIVINE perspective.

7. Jesus uses sovereignty
to urge supplication.
Matthew 6:8-9
Everyone prays
like God is sovereign.

8. “You pray for the conversion of others. In what
terms, now, do you intercede for them? Do you limit
yourself to asking that God will bring them to a point
where they can save themselves, independently of
Him? I do not think you do. I think that what you do
is pray in categorical terms that God will, quite
simply and decisively, save them: that He will open
the eyes of their understanding, soften their hard
hearts, renew their natures, and move their wills to
receive the Savior.”
~ J.I. Packer

9. “In prayer, then (and the Christian is at his
sanest and wisest when he prays),
you know that it is God who saves men; you
know that what makes men turn to God is
God's own gracious work of drawing them
to Himself; and the content of your prayers
is determined by this knowledge.”
~ J.I. Packer

10. What about THOSE passages?
Exodus 32:14 ; Jeremiah 26:19, etc.
• God uses means, and planed the means of the Moses
and Hezekiah’s prayers.
• From the human perspective, it may seem as if God
changes, but there’s no reason to question other clear
passages. (cf. Numbers 23:19)
• Each of these examples should spur us to pray more!

11. A SUMMARY
1. According to Scripture, God is omniscient,
sovereign, and loves His glory.
2. According to Scripture, God commands us to
pray.
3. According to Scripture, God delights to hear
and answer our prayers.
4. Even if we don’t fully understand how it works,
we are to worship God by praying because it
maximizes His glory and our joy.

12. TAKE-AWAYS
Grunts Warriors
• Study to know God more. • Don’t dull the sword of
God’s sovereignty because
• Pray according to His it cuts.
revealed will. Give thanks
to Him for whatever • Don’t dishonor God with
happens as His sovereign weak praying. In other
will. words, don’t allow theology
to make you smarter than
the Bible.