{"id":9067,"date":"2026-04-18T19:52:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T17:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/answers\/boh-vsemohushch-vseshchnaiushch-dlia-neho-net-nycheho-nevozmozhnoho-boh-nash-tvo\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T23:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T21:45:07","slug":"esly-boh-znaet-budushchee-zachem-molytsia-za-druhoho-cheloveka","status":"publish","type":"answers","link":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/answers\/esly-boh-znaet-budushchee-zachem-molytsia-za-druhoho-cheloveka\/","title":{"rendered":"If God knows the future, why pray for another person?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf God already knows everything in advance, why do I pray? Isn\u2019t everything already decided?\u201d\u2014this is a question that arises at least once for everyone who seriously thinks about prayer.<\/b> It opens a profound theological question: how can God\u2019s omniscience and the real significance of human actions and prayers be reconciled?<\/p>\n

God knows\u2014but knowledge is not the same as causation<\/h2>\n

\u201cDeclaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.\u201d Isa. 46:10<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God knows the future\u2014including the prayer you will utter tomorrow and the decision the person you are praying for will make. But God\u2019s knowledge is not the cause<\/b> of what happens. It is important to distinguish the two.<\/p>\n

Example: a father knows that his child will stumble and cry. But that knowledge does not mean that the father made the child stumble. Knowledge and causation are different things. God knows our choices, but He does not make those choices instead of us.<\/p>\n

Prayer is part of the way God works<\/h2>\n

God has chosen to work in the world through relationships, not apart from them.<\/b> He could change people\u2019s hearts without any participation from us\u2014but He chooses to act in response to prayer, through praying people, through the community of those who carry one another before Him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.\u201d James 5:16<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

James says something straightforward: prayer \u201cavails much.\u201d This is not a conditional phrase. Prayer for another person is real participation in God\u2019s work in that person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Prayer also changes the one who prays<\/h2>\n

Even if we imagine that the outcome is already \u201cknown\u201d in advance\u2014prayer for another person changes me<\/b>. It forms in me love for that person, seeing them through God\u2019s eyes, responsibility, and compassion. Through prayer, God produces not only outward results\u2014He creates a new character in the one who prays.<\/p>\n

Practical meaning<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Prayer for another person is not an attempt to change God\u2019s decision. It is entering into God\u2019s heart for that person.<\/li>\n
  • God\u2019s omniscience does not make prayer unnecessary\u2014it guarantees that prayer is heard and real.<\/li>\n
  • To pray for one\u2019s neighbor is the deepest expression of love: to carry a person before the One who truly can help them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    God does not need our prayers in order to know the need. But He wants us to pray\u2014because through prayer we become participants in His work in the world and people whose hearts become like His.<\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"faq_question":"\u0415\u0441\u043b\u0438 \u0411\u043e\u0433 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u0431\u0443\u0434\u0443\u0449\u0435\u0435, \u0437\u0430\u0447\u0435\u043c \u043c\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0437\u0430 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a\u0430?","bible_refs":"\u0418\u0441\u0430\u0438\u044f 46:10, \u0412\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0438\u0435 30:19, \u0418\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430 5:16, \u0418\u043e\u043d\u0430 3:10, \u0418\u0441\u0445\u043e\u0434 32:11\u201314, 1 \u041a\u043e\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0444\u044f\u043d\u0430\u043c 3:9","answer_lang":"ru","source_question":"\u0411\u043e\u0433 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0433\u0443\u0449, \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0449\u043d\u0430\u044e\u0449, \u0434\u043b\u044f \u043d\u0435\u0433\u043e \u043d\u0435\u0442 \u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u043d\u0435\u0432\u043e\u0437\u043c\u043e\u0436\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e. \u0411\u043e\u0433 \u043d\u0430\u0448 \u0442\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0435\u0446. \u041d\u043e \u043e\u043d \u0434\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u0432\u044b\u0431\u043e\u0440 \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a\u0443 \u0438 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0434\u0443. \u0411\u043e\u0433 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u0432\u0441\u0451, \u0432\u0435\u0434\u044c \u0442\u0430\u043a? \u0418 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u0432\u0441\u0451 \u043d\u0430\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0434. \u041f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0411\u043e\u0433 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0432\u044b\u0431\u043e\u0440 \u0441\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u043e\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0451\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a \u0432 \u043a\u0430\u0436\u0434\u043e\u0439 \u0441\u0438\u0442\u0443\u0430\u0446\u0438\u0438. \u0422\u043e\u0433\u0434\u0430 \u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0441\u043c\u044b\u0441\u043b \u043f\u044b\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0447\u0442\u043e-\u0442\u043e \u0434\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0434\u043b\u044f \u044d\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a\u0430, \u043c\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0437\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0433\u043e, \u0435\u0441\u043b\u0438 \u0432\u0441\u0451 \u0443\u0436\u0435 \u0438\u0437\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043d\u043e \u0438 \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043e\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u043e?"},"answer_topic":[150],"class_list":["post-9067","answers","type-answers","status-publish","hentry","answer_topic-prayer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answers\/9067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answers"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/answers"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"answer_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answer_topic?post=9067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}