I want to read for you these words straight from the mouth of Jesus.

This is found in Mark chapter 11.

And Jesus answered them, have faith in God.

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be taken up and thrown into the sea

and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will

be done

for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received

it, and it will be yours."

First John, chapter 5, verses 14, and 15 says something similar. And this is the confidence

that we have toward him that if we ask anything according to his will,

he hears us.

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests

that we have asked of him.

So Paul, in light of these verses and many others on prayer, today's question comes from

a parent who asks, we've been praying for our kid to get into a school

that he has applied for, but if God is sovereign and this choice has already been made, what's the

point of prayer? If we don't pray, does it impact the decision? Would God punish us for not

praying by not giving us the result that we are hoping and praying for? I feel kind of silly

praying for something that

has already been determined before time began. Or at least, I want to believe that my prayer is making

a difference and is worth it in whatever way that could be. I want to say that I just love these

questions. I don't think that we've ever entertained a bad question.

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