10 Questions about Prayer Every Christian Must Answer

Thoughtful Responses about our Communication with God

Elmer L. Towns, Alex McFarland

Is God even listening? If God is sovereign and in control, why should I bother praying? Can my will override His will?

Public interest in spiritual things is at an all-time high, and one of the most often discussed topics is prayer. Yet there are vexing questions related to our communication with God, and much misinformation is circulated about prayer—even among Christians. Many struggle with hard questions. In fact, there seem to be as many negative attitudes and questions about prayer as there are positive things said about it.

10 Questions About Prayer Every Christian Must Answer does what other books do not: explore the link between Christian apologetics and prayer. Elmer Towns and Alex McFarland— each with extensive pastoral and academic experience—respond to common objections and questions about prayer, offering biblically informed, well-reasoned answers.

This resource will encourage Christian readers in their faith and provide them with help when encountering Christianity’s critics. To those who are skeptical about prayer, it offers respectful and carefully reasoned rebuttals to their assumptions.

Chapter 1

Can Prayer Override the Natural Laws of the Universe?

Elmer Towns

How powerful is prayer? James 5:16 teaches that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. What example did James give as evidence for this claim? He cited the prophet Elijah, a man whose prayers held back rain for more than three years in the land of Israel. The same God who created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1) also held the power to control whether rain fell from the sky upon the land.

While the Bible includes many examples of God’s intervention in the laws of nature, there is much debate regarding whether He continues to operate in this way today. Should we pray for God to intervene to change the course of nature in order to answer our prayers? The answer to this question has vast implications, ranging from how we pray regarding natural disasters to how we intercede on behalf of loved ones with sickness or disease. In this chapter we will first look at the argument of those who would answer this question negatively. Second, we will respond with a few Prayer Principles that seek to account for the biblical evidence. Third, we will conclude with several observations applicable to our own lives as we seek to both understand and live a life of prayer that reflects an accurate interpretation of Scripture. As we do, we hope you will find yourself strengthened and encouraged not only by the stories of God at work throughout history but also by how He can change lives—including yours—today.

Counterpoint

Not everyone believes God overrides the natural laws of the universe to answer prayer. Among them are three categories of individuals. First, there are those who deny the existence of God at all. Those who hold to this view are called atheists. While the number of people in our society who hold to atheism is a small minority, it includes a vocal and growing number of Americans. For example, best-selling author and atheist Sam Harris wrote concerning Hurricane Katrina:

What was God doing while Katrina laid waste to their city? Surely He heard the prayers of those elderly men and women who fled the rising waters for the safety of their attics, only to be slowly drowned there. These were people of faith. These were good men and women who had prayed throughout their lives. Do you have the courage to admit the obvious? These poor people died talking to an imaginary friend.1

The outspoken atheist Dr. Richard Dawkins referred to another writer on this issue stating, “He noted that every Sunday, in churches throughout Britain, entire congregations prayed publicly for the health of the royal family. Shouldn’t they, therefore, be unusually fit, compared with the rest of us?”2 Since the royal family is not “unusually fit” compared with the rest of society, Hawkins argues that prayer has no impact on the lives of people.

Another category of individuals are those who remain uncertain of whether God exists. Those who hold to this view are called agnostics. The views of agnostics have some affinities with atheists but are in general much less committed to a particular view of God. A rising group of individuals in this category labeled the “Nones” now comprise approximately 19 percent of all Americans.3 Now more than ever our society faces a time when many people either oppose the idea of God’s intervening within natural laws to answer prayer (atheists) or are uncertain if this is even possible (agnostics).

In addition, historically another category of individuals argues that God does not interfere with natural law. Popular during America’s early history, Deism teaches that a divine Creator God set the universe in motion, yet does not intervene in daily life. Founding fathers such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are often listed among those who held to this view.

There are many other perspectives on divine intervention in addition to the three briefly mentioned above. Islam, for example, argues for a god who intervenes according to the teachings of the Qur’an, while eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism emphasize the view that God is in all things. In what follows, we will seek to determine what the Bible teaches on this important question. In so doing, we will discover that God has not only intervened over natural law in the past; He also declares He can continue to do so today.

Point

Logically, those who believe in an all-powerful God must at the very least accept that God could intervene in the laws of nature to accomplish His will. As one writer notes,

We can safely conclude that within the Christian perspective of God, he possesses attributes that allow him to access laws of the universe that we do not know about and use them, in combination with his divine power in nature, to bring about the miraculous. There is nothing illogical about this. Therefore, there’s nothing illogical about God performing miracles.4

However, our concern is whether God has intervened in the past as well as whether He can and does continue to intervene today. Since the Scriptures will serve as our primary source of evidence, it is important first to consider how it portrays God’s intervening in the laws of nature in the form of miracles.

In the New Testament the following four Greek words are primarily used to refer to miracles:

1. Semeion—a “sign”, i.e., an evidence of a divine commission; an attestation of a divine message (Matt 12:38–39; 16:1, 4; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16; 23:8; John 2:11, 18, 23; Acts 6:8, etc.); a token of the presence and working of God; the seal of a higher power.
2. Terata—“wonders;” wonder-causing events; portents; producing astonishment in the beholder (Acts 2:19).
3. Dunameis—“might works;” works of superhuman power (Acts 2:22; Rom 15:19; 2 Thess 2:9); of a new and higher power.
4. Erga—“works;” the works of Him who is “wonderful in working” (John 5:20, 36).5

In each case a miracle was a sign or working of power that performed something that defied human explanation. How has God supernaturally intervened? Numerous examples could be provided, but here are seven occasions that clearly reveal God suspended the known laws of the universe to accomplish a miracle:

• Jesus and Peter walking on water
• Jesus raising the dead (Jairus’s daughter, the widow’s son, and Lazarus)
• God sending fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah
• God raining bread daily from heaven (the manna in the wilderness)
• Jesus feeding 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two small fish
• Jesus giving sight to a blind man
• Jesus turning water into wine

None of these seven miracles could be adequately explained apart from an intervention in the normal working laws of the universe. The only other option is to conclude that the miracles have been inaccurately recorded in Scripture, which would call into question the integrity of the Bible. It is beyond the scope of this book to offer a full treatment of the evidence for the Bible’s inspiration and authority. Other scholarly works have shown that Scripture has been faithfully preserved and accepted from the earliest times as being from God, and the Bible itself attests to its own divine origins (2 Tim 3:16–17; 2 Pet 1:20–21). We will, however, offer a few governing Prayer Principles to help explain why God can intervene in the laws of nature and how this truth relates to prayer.

Prayer Principle: God, the Creator of all things, can create a higher law, suspend existing natural laws, or work within existing laws to answer prayers as He chooses.

God can answer a prayer with a higher law than the existing natural law. Notice how the law of gravity is overridden in a human-made, antigravity chamber where people float and turn somersaults in the air. If machines can supersede the law of gravity, so can God.

If we believe there is a God who has created all things, then the largest miracle has already taken place, namely creation. Other miracles or divine interventions in the universe are therefore certainly within His power. According to C. S. Lewis, a miracle is “an interference with Nature by supernatural power.”6 God answers prayer to do the miraculous for His purposes, not ours. So when we pray, we ask according to God’s will (Matt 6:9) and according to His Word (John 15:7). Yet we also desire for God to answer according to His divine purpose.

Prayer Principle: Biblical prayer assumes and expects the miraculous.

I personally believe in miracles because the Bible declares miracles will happen. In addition, I have seen God do the miraculous in answer to prayer, both in my life and in the lives of others. The Christian philosopher argues for God’s existence by stating that if there are laws, there must also be an ultimate Lawmaker. But could we not also suggest that if there is an ultimate Lawmaker, then He could interrupt His laws for His purpose?

While it is one thing to conclude from the biblical evidence that God has intervened in the past, it is quite another to say that He still intervenes in the present. There are those who maintain that the time of miracles has passed. Is this true? While we might not experience the same types of miracles seen by the prophets or apostles of Scripture, there is no biblical reason to conclude that God does not continue to work in miraculous ways to accomplish His purposes today. We will look at the various types of miracles noted in Scripture to better understand how God has worked throughout history and can work today in response to our prayers.

First, there are one-time miracles. In creation God brought together matter, energy, time, space, laws, and life. This miracle of creation was a one-time event that will not be repeated today. There are also other miracles listed in the Bible that were one-time events such as the virgin birth of Jesus, His resurrection, and His ascension to heaven.

Second, there are sign miracles. These sign miracles serve as powerful demonstrations of God’s power recorded in Scripture. The purpose of sign miracles is to show God’s power and glory. These involved Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee and the many miracles Jesus did in healing the sick of various diseases and infirmities.

When you think of a sign miracle, think of the signs you see in your travels. Signs are constructed to give you direction, information, or to confirm what you know. In the same way, God gave a sign of direction to Moses through a burning bush (Exod 3:1–9). There were also some signs warning of danger, such as the ten plagues in Egypt where miracles were used to warn Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Some signs make announcements. For example, the angels appeared to the shepherds in the field in order to announce the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 2:8–20). Other signs give confirmation of a divine call or commissioning. Gideon prayed for the wool of a lamb to be wet and the ground dry. God confirmed His call to Gideon through this sign miracle (Judg 6:36–40).

Third, there are power-demonstrating miracles. People expected the Messiah to have great power. When Jesus Christ stopped the winds and waves, people observed that “even the winds and the sea obey him” (Matt 8:27). In that miracle He demonstrated He could do what only God does. He demonstrated that He was God. According to the Gospels, Jesus performed at least thirty-seven specific miracles. John 21:25 further adds, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.”

In the Old Testament, God used certain people to perform power-demonstrating miracles as well. The Lord provided two such miracles during the time He spoke to Moses at the burning bush. Moses was to use these miracles in the presence of Pharaoh. (Exodus 4). The parting of the Red Sea offered yet another powerful sign that God was at work in Moses and had provided an escape or “exodus” for His people out of Egypt. Further signs were provided through Moses during the forty years in the wilderness to reveal God at work in his life and in the life of the community of the Israelites.

The ministry of Elijah provides another biblical example of God’s using a power-demonstrating miracle to reveal His work through His servants and to draw people closer to Him. The most significant of the sign miracles performed in the life of Elijah involved his calling down fire from the sky to prove that the Lord was the one true God (1 Kgs 18:38–39). In response the people turned from worship of Baal and honored the Lord.

Fourth, there are providential miracles. The word providence comes from the Latin providere, which means, “to foresee.” In His foreknowledge God sees what is going to happen, then brings all things together to occur according to His will. I like to explain providence similar to the role of the director of a film. First, the director must see the end product in his or her mind. Then the he or she must direct the scenes of the film to accomplish this vision. This includes the instruct...

Table of contents

• Preface
• Chapter 1—Can Prayer Override the Natural Laws of the Universe? (Elmer Towns)
• Chapter 2—Can Prayer Change God’s Will? (Elmer Towns)
• Chapter 3—Is God Fair to Answer the Prayers of Some People and Not Others? (Elmer Towns)
• Chapter 4—Does God Still Answer Prayers for Supernatural Healing? (Elmer Towns)
• Chapter 5—Does God Answer Our Prayers Because We Are Persistent? (Elmer Towns)
• Chapter 6—Can You Pray to a God You Think May Not Be There? (Alex McFarland)
• Chapter 7—Can Prayer Do Anything Because God Can Do Anything? (Alex McFarland)
• Chapter 8—What Happens When Prayers Collide? (Alex McFarland)
• Chapter 9—Can Prayer Do Any Good in a World That Has Gone Bad? (Alex McFarland)
• Chapter 10—Can Prayer Connect with a God Who Seems Hidden? (Alex McFarland)
• Conclusion