Apologetics has helped my prayer life. I think it could help yours too. Let me explain. Apologetics helps me understand and have confidence in three things that are critical to my prayer life:
God’s Existence – If I am struggling to believe God exists, it is unlikely that I will pray to Him or that I will have the kind of robust prayer life God encourages us to have. On the other hand, if I have scrutinized and found convincing the many arguments for God’s existence (for example, the kalam cosmological argument, the moral argument, the fine-tuning argument, etc.), I am much more likely to rely upon my Creator for help through prayer.
God’s Power and Goodness – It would be awfully hard to pray to a God that I didn’t think was powerful or good. The problem of evil in this world often convinces people either that God does not exist or that he is not powerful or not good. The study of things like the free-will defense or a soul-making theodicy can help us see that God is both powerful and good. Of course, if God is powerful and good, then why wouldn’t I want his help in my life?!
...if God is powerful and good, then why wouldn’t I want his help in my life?!
God’s Ability to Answer – For some of us, the idea that God can handle all that would be involved in answering prayers (having the requisite knowledge, being available to answer all prayers, having a way to answer that preserves human liberty, etc.) just seems impossible. But, the study of God’s middle knowledge (God’s knowledge of what could be or would be), for example, helps me think through these problems and imagine a plausible explanation for how God could see the future and answer prayer in such a way that His will is accomplished, my request is granted, and man’s free will is honored. With this understanding, I can quit worrying about God’s part in prayer, and just do my part. What a relief!
Think about it, if these three things are true concerning God, and if we have strong confidence in their truth, then we will be more likely to pray in confidence (James 1:5-7). So, if you want to have a stronger prayer life, consider studying apologetics!
