Tough questions for a big God: Does prayer really work?

By Rev Dr Rick Dacey

The Rev Dr Rick Dacey begins a new series on the tough questions we have about God with a reminder about the crucial nature of questions to the human language. Questions lead us to answers, but also enable us to share with and care for others. Questions can also make us feel vulnerable and inadequate, so we hesitate to share them with each other, and with God. Yet the Bible includes many questions because it’s about a personal relationship with God, and an important part of this relationship is prayer. In the Lord’s Prayer, and in his example, Jesus has given us a model for a life of prayer. We learn that prayer is personal and relational, honest words spoken to a Father. Prayer works not by giving us clear-cut answers, but by drawing us into a deeper relationship with God and his work in this world. In this way, prayer is not our instrument so much as it enables us to be God’s instrument.