Citizen Columns
Citizen Columns >> Answer (September 30, 2009)
Question
Has God already determined our future or is it possible to get what we want through prayer?
Answer
This is a complicated question with several layers. First, a basic Christian claim is that we have a God-given inner freedom that makes us co-creators with God of our future. In God’s plan, the ultimate purpose of our life is to share, starting now, in an everlasting communion of love, joy and peace with him, with each other and with all the rest of creation. This is the “good news” that Jesus spoke about constantly as “the Kingdom of God.” But no one is forced into this, because it is a relationship of love. You and I are free to accept or reject God’s love and his plan. So, although we believe that God has this plan, this does not make its final result “pre-determined,” because that kingdom depends on who decides they want to be part of it. And this is determined not by God, but by how we make choices, especially choices about how we love God and-what can’t be separated from Him-how we love our neighbor. In this sense God is not ALL powerful. He can’t force us to love Him or anyone else.
He waits for our decision, actions and desires. And that brings us to the second part of the question. Of course we can ask for whatever we want, God is our loving Father. People in every generation, culture and religion have had the experience of answered prayer. Turning to God every day, bringing before him our needs, as dependent children, strengthens and deepens our relationship with Him. Every prayer is answered, but it is not always the answer we want, and we don’t always know why. Yet it is the universal experience of prayer that our life with God with God matures-as does our life with other human beings-when we decide to love Him for Himself alone, quite apart from what we can get.
John Jillions
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