Psalm 136:5-7
For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Teachers all over America, like my wife Vicki, are getting frustrated with the lack of will in their students. No matter how they implore and exhort these kids to study and apply themselves, the call of the video game seizes them and they do what they please. Some people have the same view of prayer to a sovereign God. They ask why they should pray to an all powerful God who is going to do what he wants anyway. The psalmist answers that question right here. It is because he does what he pleases. He created the earth because it pleased him. He rescued his people from slavery because it pleased him.
He also sent his Son to earth to save the lost of this world because it pleased him. Our response is to worship him and pray to the one who has the power to do the same for our lost loved ones. We pray specifically because he does as he pleases and it pleased him to teach us to pray to him. Let us not waste that opportunity by assuming it is a waste of time because he does as he pleases. He will do as he pleases and listen to our pleas.
O Heavenly Father, you have the power to create the universe and to answer the prayer of your lowly people. May it please you to hear our pleas in Jesus’ name. Amen.