What Is the Point of Prayer? Does It Change God’s Mind? (John C. Peckham)

Episode Summary

If God is sovereign, what is the point of prayer? Is it merely a meditative exercise, or do our petitions shape the outcome of history?

Prayer is a ritual and relational device Christians use to communicate with God. God is open to the requests of all people everywhere and actually wants to bring mercy and blessings instead of judgment—but that doesn’t mean that the function of prayer is simple to understand. Prayer is a nuanced activity. In this conversation, Dru Johnson and John C. Peckham answer a variety of questions about the nature and point of prayer. Does God hear the prayers of people outside of the lineage of Israel? Can God act in contradiction to His promises and His Word if we pray for it? Does a person’s character affect how God answers their prayers?

Chapters

    • 0:00 What is the point of prayer?

    • 3:33 What did the biblical authors think of prayer?

    • 9:03 Effective prayers

    • 14:25 Do we get all we pray for?

    • 23:44 What is the role of hope?

Transcripts are AI generated and are not guaranteed to correctly reflect the content of the podcast.
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Dr. John C. Peckham

Dr. John C. Peckham (MDiv, PhD, Andrews University) is Professor of Theology and Christian Philosophy at the Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI. Dr. Peckham joined the Seminary faculty in 2013 and received the Daniel A. Augsburger Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016. Previously, Dr. Peckham pastored in the Indiana Conference and thereafter taught for a number of years at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, TX, where he received the Educator of the Year Award in 2012.Dr. Peckham has written a number of books, most recently Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil (Baker Academic, 2018). Other books he has written include Canonical Theology: The Biblical Canon, Sola Scriptura, and Theological Method (Eerdmans, 2016) and The Love of God: A Canonical Model (IVP Academic, 2015, IVP Readers' Choice Award Winner).He is married to Brenda, a Registered Nurse, and they have one son, Joel, their pride and joy.

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