Thanks, Rachel. Here’s what I got . . .

After learning about the attributes of God, I felt confused about the purpose of prayer, or whether it is ok to pray for things (like for someone who is sick, or for help with finances, etc). To clarify, what I mean: Is the purpose of prayer to help open our eyes to the path God has laid out for us and open our hearts to align to His will as opposed for asking for things to change? I know it is always good to praise/thank God, and I often pray that He would guide my steps & show me what is true because I want to do what is right. Or if I am angry I tell God about it and ask for help to process it correctly, or if I really want something (want not need), I might mention it in prayer and then pray that God would show me what He wants in that area and change my heart to match His.This is all correct. We do not provide a need that He knows not (Matt. 6:8), nor a perspective that is above His (Romans 11:34). It is always good to keep in mind what is commonly called the “Lord’s Prayer”, but maybe should be called the “Model Prayer.” I will add some emphasis and notes here:

Matt 6:9-13

9 “Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father (to God) who is in heaven (Designation, and then followed by qualification), Hallowed be Your name (Acknowledge His great Holiness).

10 “Your kingdom come. (Kingdom-minded before earth minded – namely that God’s rule and reign would prevail, longing more and more for His coming) Your will be done, (Obedience) On earth as it is in heaven.

11 “Give us this day our daily bread. (Acknowledgement of the source of provision, even about the things that [possibly] we can seemingly get for ourselves – and if He is the Provider of the mundane, how much more do we rely on Him for the special needs)

12 “And forgive us our debts, (asking for reconciliation in the same was as and unto our forgiving others unto reconciliation) as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 “And do not lead us into temptation, (We follow You, oh God and acknowledge that temptation is after us)but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

(NAU)

I do not think that the teaching is to just repeat this prayer, but to make sure that our prayers are modeled after this one. You might look at some of the prayers of Paul and compare them to this.

But for example this week, [my daughter] is sick for the first time (horrible!!!) & I have been praying for peaceful sleep for her & quick healing. I don’t know how to explain my question about this type of prayer, but basically I’m wondering if this is the right way to pray about the situation and if not, what is? God loves that you love your child. He is the only one who can do anything about her need. Independence is at the heart of all sin and absolute dependence is the way back to God. Utilize what you said earlier about seeking God’s wisdom and to be conformed to His perfect will in this. It is, “give me the strength and the wisdom (James 1:5) to do what you want me to and the contentment in what You are accomplishing.” Is it ever ok to ask specifically for something that is wanted (like her getting well or for us to be able to afford for me to continue to stay home)? Yes, “but Thy will be done.” And if not, how do we pray about these kinds of things? Likewise, I am not even sure about praying for someone’s salvation in light of election. Paul certainly prayed for the salvation of others. Remember, that God is the source and He has called us unto Himself to obtain. Our requests do not change God by asking Him to make a house call, but rather us by drawing us into His perspective.Which leads to my next question.

(2) I’ve always avoided any conversations about election or predestination because they often become divisive. But what I’ve always wondered is if election matches the definition I found in the NET bible notes (http://net.bible.org/strong.php?id=1589) (This is a generic definition from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament and is accurate.) then why do we (a) pray for other’s salvation or (b) how does missionary work fit in with this? I just feel very confused about this topic in general. Both of these come down to an obedience issue first. We must remember that before a person is born again (also understood as born from above) [John 3], they are dead, blind, enemies of God. [Romans 3, Eph. 2 and 2 Cor. 4] The Scriptures are clear that we are completely unable to know God on our own. [Romans 8 and 1 Cor. 2] So, all we can do is, well – nothing. (John 15:5) This places all men completely at the mercy of God. [Romans 9] Truly, no one comes to the Father, unless He draw them [John 6:44], and it seems that He is not drawing everyone [John 6:65]. These points build a foundation for us. For my entire childhood we prayed for my Jewish grandmother to accept Christ as her Savior [This we should do, because only God can save here. It might be a bit of semantics, but what we are really praying is less that she would accept and more that He would have mercy] and she finally did a month before she died; as a child I saw this as an answer to prayer. But is she was always “chosen” were our prayers necessary? By God’s divine plan, He has chosen to make everything from salvation history to the salvation and sanctification of a single person a process. He could just stop all of this. He could translate the new believer straight to heaven. But He has chosen to make it a process. In this process He has chosen to include us, I think that He might further reveal His rich mercies to us and draw us ever closer to Himself, remembering that the shock is not first that God would not have mercy on someone, because frankly this is what we all have earned – namely death and wrath. Rather the shock is that while we were sinners, He gave His Son, Who laid down His own Life to save. Our prayers do not accomplish the saving of anyone, but they please the Father and accomplish great things in us, in our effect on others and serve as a true dependent humility before the Father. Pragmatism would tell us that it is all in vain in light of election, but we walk by faith – which is: we hear God and do what we are told. Or when I was able to go on various mission trips and share the gospel, those were some of the best times of my life; it felt completely right to go out & share the gospel with others. But if some are already chosen, then technically does it matter? Or is it just an issue of obedience? Remember that everything is an issue of obedience. (1 Sam. 15:22 and John 14:15)

(3) This last questions is one of those that a lot of non-Christians use argumentatively, but I really do wonder about it (and I may have mis-understood you when you went over this briefly). What happens to people who have never heard the gospel? All men are held accountable to their status of righteousness. Only those who do not present their (lack of) righteousness, but rather are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, will stand before God accepted. It is a sad, but obvious reality that one must know Jesus in the Gospel way to have His righteousness imputed to them (applied to their account) and those who have never heard of Him do not know Him. It is true that God can miraculously come to someone in a dream and they can know the truth by special revelation, but this does not seem to be God’s normative way. This is why the teachings are so important in Deut. 6:1-9 as a theme of our responsibility to teach our children about God as the Israelites were told to teach theirs. We can truly say that at least once and possibly 2 other implicatory times, the whole world knew about God. After the flood, those eight knew the true God. At some point, they stopped teaching their children and grandchildren and they forgot about God. Also with Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon and Constantine in Rome, a “world-wide” command was sent out for all to worship the True God. It cannot be said that they (whoever they are), as a people, have never heard. I often wondered this as a child, and was always told (mostly in Southern Baptist churches) that if people sought God [Romans 3 quotes from the Old Testament to show that no one, in fact , seeks after God on their own] or Truth, then God would bring the gospel to them. There are no guarantees here. This was reinforced by various stories of missionaries coming across jungle tribes that already knew about Jesus through a vision or something like that. Or individual stories about someone in a foreign country being brought up under a false religion seeking truth and being brought into contact with a Christian who share the gospel with them. I believe that God has worked some miracles like this, but this is not the norm, or in fact the logic would tell us to stop trying to reach them with the true Gospel, because we are making them more accountable. Truly, God is showing mercy on many, like you and me and many from the nations, who are unworthy sinners. So now I guess I’m wondering if this was just wishful thinking, but if it was, that confuses me because I was always taught everyone would at least get a chance to say yes or no to Jesus. Here the Bible teaches in many places that if God were not to irresistibly call us, every offer would be returned with a “no”. I’m realizing now that maybe that was human teaching & not biblical teaching, but if this is so, I think I feel bummed out about it. And in relation to this question what about babies that die? I was always taught they went to heaven because they had not reached the age of accountability. I am actually really hoping this is true, but if it is, what is this “age of accountability” and where are its biblical references? I do not think the concept of the “age of accountability” is a biblical one. It is most likely (psycho)logical in nature. However, I think the Bible teaches thematically and in a couple of places implicitly that children (and I think the mentally handicapped) go to heaven, by the imputed righteousness of Christ, just like us. Only I think that it is more comprehensive, meaning all of those in that utterly infantile, childish dependant state will be brought to heaven. There is a common theme in the Scriptures that God lifts up the weak and helpless. This crosses into another point in James when he says that “pure and undefiled religion is to visit widows and orphans…” [James 1:27] Jesus calls, “all the little children unto Him” [Matt.19:14]. There is also a passage in 2 Samuel 12:23, where David, having repented from his sin with Bathsheba, and then lost his son states with assurance that he will see him again, presumably in the next life. David, as God’s King, now walking with God and in the inspired Text, I think this to be a possible doctrinal description. All of these make me think that God brings all of these to heaven at death, namely those who have no ability to fend for themselves, or stand on their own. Remember, that according to what I said before, everyone was dead and lost and had to be awakened by God for them to “accept” (more like acknowledge) Jesus as their Savior. We must have it applied to us by God’s work alone, the atonement of Christ. So do the children.