My prayer journey begins with a wild expectation on false doctrinal input before, thinking that God is like a genie(a slave concept of God) which makes man's will supreme and dethroning God, and that I can change His will for me when I pray really HARD and that prayer would merit me some glory, and that the "claim it, get it" approach of prayer which totally disregard God's will seems to be the teaching of the day, (in which I readily sunk into) only to realized that what I have learned from bad theology before (church teachings previouly attended) has now become my stumbling block in prayers, but all glory and praise to Our Lord God that HE rescued me from such false teachers and afflictions (the health-wealth doctrine teaching). It wasn't so easy to see it, it was more soothing to just believed it,  after all I felt like the master there and the God is now the slave to do all that we want.. That past blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was revealed to my heart and thanking god for delivering me from that theology and granting me repentance and forgiveness. We must be careful with our doctrines learned, for bad doctrine results to bad concept of who God really is and HIS sovereignty and results to bad application to our lives and will ultimately results in joy being rob and lost. We must guard our doctinal truth with all our hearts like what apostle Paul exhorts us all to do. Test all the doctrine if it is of GOD and test the spirits.. we must be wary and very careful for the devil in sheep's clothing is ready to devour.

Here then is what I have learned what prayer is based on sound authors(AW Pink) and preachers:

1. God knows the end from the beginning. To say that God change His purposes when we pray is to impugn His goodness and deny His eternal wisdom.

It is wrong to say that the prayers of the saints convulsed God's throne to carry His works upon earth, and that the earth is changed, revolutionized and angels move on more powerfully and wings faster and God's policy is shaped by more fervent,numerous prayers. These thoughts of prayers are due to low and inadequate concept of God himself.

Eph.3:11 speaks of God's having an eternal purpose. If God's purpose is eternal, then His "policy" is NOT being  "shaped" today.

Eph 1:11 expressly declares that God "worketh ALL things after the counsel of His OWN will", therefore it follows that :God's ploicy" is not being "shaped" by man's prayers. For if our prayers shape God's policy, then is the Most High subordinate to the worms of the earth? The Holy Spirit ask the aposlte"For who has known the mind of the Lord? who has been His conselor? Rom.11:34

It ought to be apparent that there could be little or no comfort in praying to a God who changes everyday it's color like a chameleon, but what encouragement is there to lift up our hearts to One who was is the same yeaterday, today and forever. Is it not the VERY UNCHANGEABLENESS of God which is our greatest encouragement to pray? Because He is without variables or shadow of turning (James 1:17) that we are assured that if we ask anything acording to His will, we are most certain of being hear.

2. So why has God apointed that we should pray?

Many would reply from the human side that it is for us to obtain the things we ned from God, but from the Divine side, there  are many reasons why God has bidden us to pray.

A. Prayer has been appointed that the Lord God Himself should be honoured.

God requires us to recognize that He is, indeed, "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth etrnity" Isaiah 57:17

God requires that we shall own His universal dominion: in petitioning God for rain, Elijah did but confess God's control over the elements: in praying to God to deliver a poor sinner from the wrath to come,we acknowledge that "salvation is of the lord" (Jonah 2:9) , in supplicating His blessing on the Gospel unto the ends of the earth, we declare His rulership over the whole world.

Again, God requires that we shall worship Him and prayer, REAL prayer, is an act of worship, in as much as calling to HIS great and holy name, in as much as prostrating the soul before HIM,in as much as owning HIS goodness, HIS immutability, HIS grace, in as much as recognizing HIS sovereignty, ownd by submission to HIS will.

Again, prayer is for God's glory, for in prayer we do but acknowlegde our dependency upon HIM. When we humbly suplicate the divine Being, we cast cast ourselves upon His power and mercy. In seeking blessings from God, we acknowledge that HE is the Author and Fountain of every good and perfect gift. That prayer brings glory to God is seen more from the fact that prayer call faith into exercise, and nothing from us is so honouring and pleasing to HIM as the confidence of our hearts.

B. Prayer is appointed by God for our spiritual blessing, as  a means to our growth in grace.

Learn the design of prayer before we regard prayer as a means of supplication.

>  Prayer is designed by God for our humbling. Prayer, real prayer, coming to the presence of God, and a sense of is awesome Majesty produces a realizaton of our nothingness and unworthiness.

> Prayer is designed by God for the exercise of our faith. Faith is begotten in the Word. (Rom. 10:17) , but it is exercised in prayer; thus we read "of the prayer of faith"

> Prayer calls love into action. They that love the Lord cannot be long away from Him, for they delight in unburdening themselves to him. Not only thus prayer calls love into action but through the direct answers to our prayers, our love to God is increased- "I love the Lord, because He had heard my voice and my supplications" Ps.116:1

> Prayer is designed by God to teach us the value of the blessings we have sought from Him, and it cuases us to rejoice the more.

C. Prayer is appointed by God for our seeking from Him the things we are in need of.

So, we ask the question now, "If God s so foreordained the world, before the foundation of the world,everyting which happens in time, WHAT IS THE USE OF PRAYER? If it is true that "of HIM and through HIM and to HIM are ALL things (Rom.11:36), then WHY PRAY? What is the use of  my coming to God and telling Him what He already knows? What is the use of praying for anything when everything has been ordained beforehand by God?

Praying is not for the purpose of informing God, as if He were ignorant(the Saviour expressly declared "for your Father knoweth what things you need of before you even ask HIM" Matt. 6:8 but it is to acknowledge He does know what we need. Prayer is not apoointed for the furnishing of God with knowledge of what we need, but it is designed as a confession to Him of our sense of the need. In this, as in everything, God's thoughts are not ours. God requires that His gift should be sought for. He designs to be honoured by our asking, just as He is to be thanked by us after HE has bestowed HIS blessing.

A sufficient answers to the above questions in WHY PRAY when HE regulates all events in our lives is this: HE BIDS US TO PRAY- "Pray without ceasing" 1 Thess. 5:17. And again " men ought always to pray" Luke 18:1. nd again,scripture declares that "the prayer of faith shall save the sick", and "the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" Jas 5:15,16. While the Lord Christ- our perfect Example in all things-was pre eminently a Man or Prayer.

Thus, it is evident that prayer is neither meaningless nor valueless. But still, this does not remove the difficulty not answer the question which we started out.. so we go to the realtionship og God's soverignty and Christian Prayer and it's 4 emphasis of prayers.

FIRST - That prayer is not intended to change God's purposes, nor is it to move Him to forms fresh purposes. God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass, but He aslo decreed that these events shall come to pass through the means He has appointed for their accomplishment. God has elected certain ones to be saved, but He has also decreed that they shall be saved through the preaching of the gospel. The Gospel then, is one of the appointed means for the working out of the eternal counsel of the Lord., andprayer is another. God has decreed the means as well as the end, and  among the means is PRAYER. Even the prayers of His people are included in His eternal decrees.

SECOND - That prayer for the execution of the very things decreed by God are not meaningless, it is clearly taught in Scriptures. Elijah knew that God was about to give rain, but that did not prevent him at once tto praying.(Jas.5:17,18). Daniel understood by the writings of the prophets that the captivity was to last but seventy years, yet when 70 yrs almost ended, we are told that he "set his face unto the Lord God, toseek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and  ashes". (Dan 9:2,3). God told the prophet Jeremiah. "For I know my thoughts for you,thought of peace, nd not of evil, to give you an expected end", but instead of adding that there is no need for you to ask and pray these things, HE said, " Then shall you call upon ME, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hear you" (Jer 29:11-12).

THIRD - Here is the design of prayer is not that God's will may be altered, but htat it may be accomplished in His good time and way. It is because God hsa promised certain things, that we can ask for them with full assurance of faith. It is God's purpose that HIS will shall be brought about by His appointed means. Did not hte Son of God know for certain that after His death and ressurection that He would be exalted by the Fahter? Assuredly H did. Yet we fing Him asking for this very thing:"Now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine Own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was".John 17:11

FOURTH - Finally, it should be said that God's will is immutable, and cannot be altered by our cryings. When the mind of Ggod is not toward a people to do them good, it cannot be turned to them by the most fervent and importunate prayers of those who have the greates interes in Him.-"Then said the Lord unto Me, through Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth" Jer 15:1. Th eprayers of Moses to enter the promise land is a parallel case.

In summary, our view on prayers need to be revised and brought into harmony with the teaching of the Scriptures on the subject. The idea of coming to God and ask what I want, then expect Him to give that which I asked is dishonoring and degrading concept. God is not ou servant doing our bidding, performing for our plesure,granting our desires. NO. He is our Master and Lord, We are the slaves.No prayer is pleasing to God unless the spirit actuating it is" not my will,but thine will be done". When God bestows blessings to His praying people, it is not for the sake of their prayers but it is for HIS Own sake, and of HIS sovereign will and pleasure.

So why pray? This is the way and means God has appointed for the communication of the blessings of His goodness to His people.

Glory Honour and Praise Be to Our God forever!.