Providence & Prayer : How Does God Work in the World?

by Terrance L. Tiessen

Recipient of an Honourable Mention in the 2001 God Uses Ink Contest! "Lord, please give me a parking space!" That prayer sounds right on your third time around the block, frustrated and late for an appointment. But is it consistent with how God works in the world? Does prayer change God's mind or only our feelings? Does God do things because we ask him to? Or do we ask him because he prompts us to do so? How much control does God really have in the world, anyway? If he has given us free will, can he always guarantee that things will happen as he intends or wishes? Is our need for parking spaces important enough to bother God, or is he only concerned about things that advance his program of salvation? If God has already decided how things will turn out, what use is it to pray? On the other hand, if our freedom limits God's ability to achieve his wishes all the time, how much could he do even if we asked for help? How much does God know about the future, and how does this factor into the way our prayers affect the outcome? And how does God's relationship to time enter into the whole equation? With such questions in mind, Terrance Tiessen presents ten views of providence and prayer--and then adds an eleventh, his own. He describes each view objectively and then tackles the question, If this is the way God works in the world, how then should we pray? The result of his investigation is a book that puts us at the intersection between theological reflection and our life and conversation with God. It prods and sharpens our understanding, making us better theologians and better prayers.

Genres: Theology, Prayer, Christian, Reference

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Flyck]

I've attempted to read this book again, being drawn by the idea of seeing how our prayers reflect our understanding of God's nature. I've settled for reading the intro & case study of each chapter as, once again, I seem not to be able to absorb the detail of the chapters. Despite this, I found the skim reading informative for understanding the diversity of theological belief amongst Christians. It served as a good reminder not to hold too tightly my own opinions but instead to trust God's plan - however people think that works out in the world & church. Perhaps I'll attempt a third reading in another 10 years time.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough book to get through, but a good explanation of some different viewpoints on the amount of control God and people have in the world, and of the power of prayer. Helpful and clarifying after having attended several churches with very different theological viewpoints on these matters. Helps me be less judgmental of other Christians' beliefs - when it comes to understanding God, we can only have good educated guesses, never absolute surety.

[Dale Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Providence and Prayer is not an easy read, nor a quick one. Still, I would recommend it to anyone serious about understanding what different people think about how God really works in the world He created.

Professor Tiessen lays out ten models of how different groups of Christians view the balance between people’s free will and God’s sovereignty. He does so respectfully and in the level of detail expected from a seminary-level textbook. At the end of each model, he presents a case study and walks the reader through the attitudes and understanding of those who espouse that model. The reader can compare and contrast the various models to review how the case study plays out when the different models are applied.

Even if you read only the introduction to each model and the case studies, your time will be very well spent, and you will come away with a better understanding of how our God’s providence works and how prayer plays a part in it.

I especially like how Professor Tiessen adds his own model at the end, synthesising ideas from two others. It’s very well done, and although my beliefs have a different flavour than his, the difference amounts to a disagreement over words rather than anything substantive.

My one beef comes not from the author or his ideas but from the Kindle version of the book. It lacks proper chapter breaks (they are in the text), so you cannot jump from chapter to chapter using Kindle navigation as you would expect.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm halfway through seminary and this is the first book that I could literally feel breaking my brain. Granted my interest is more in practical theology than it's more philosophical outworkings, but I think my chief frustration was that as a Wesleyan I just didn't feel like any of the models of God's providence spoke to a distinctly Methodist understanding of God's interventions and interactions in the world. Tiessen alludes to Methodists being 'redemptive interventionists' and while that might be the closest of the models he presents, it felt like a far cry from the 'freed grace' Arminianism that drives the Wesleyan movement.

[Abbie Hoekstra-Nold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This offers:
- an easy to follow yet rich presentation on 10+ models of providence
- a concise summary of each in 1-2 pages
- a case study that traces through the whole book and all of the models

Incredibly helpful for anyone running a diagnostic of where they stand in reconciling prayer & divine providence.

[David Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4 stars.

[Ike Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult book to read. A fantastic overview of the different models. I will definitely revisit this book again, this is a great resource to better understand how different people pray and a great tool with which to review whether ones own theology lines up with how we pray. Four stars because honestly the book is too wordy. Some chapters spent way too much time repeating themselves. Especially the chapter on the Calvinist model. After a few pages, the same theme was repeated over and over. "God is sovereign", therefore...
But overall a great read.

[Bud Hewlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subjects of free will, human responsibility, determinism, foreknowledge, divine sovereignty, election, providence, and prayer are puzzle pieces that are extremely difficult to assemble into a logically consistent theological worldview. Attempts to resolve the difficulties associated with these subjects have led to the variety of positions presented in Part I of Terrance Tiessen’s Providence & Prayer. Oftentimes, for Calvinists (like me), prayer winds up being the neglected stepchild. After all, God is sovereign and knows the future so it’s easy to become resigned to a sort of fatalism. Prayers go unanswered because a sovereign God knows best and is working his plan. Conversely, we receive wonderful and sometimes unexpected blessings which were not prayed for because - a sovereign God knows best and is working his plan. Does prayer make any difference? Can it make any difference? Can we change God’s mind? People who have thought deeply about these issues know the conundrum. Part of Tiessen’s attempt at resolving these questions is something called middle knowledge.

When I first encountered the concept of middle knowledge in Craig & Moreland’s Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview I found it confusing and further research led me to Providence & Prayer. I wish I could give the book more than five stars, not just for the content, but also for the author’s artful and thorough presentation. Tiessen introduces a case study (involving prayers for three kidnapped missionaries) and presents a model prayer representing a different theological view point at the end of each chapter. This format is compelling as it motivates the reader through each chapter to see how the prayer will reflect the doctrine under consideration. Especially helpful was the way Tiessen recapitulated the previously discussed models with each successive installment of the case study. This comparing and contrasting of the different viewpoints at the conclusion of each chapter served to clarify and reinforce the material.

In Part II Tiessen proposes his own view of providence and prayer, which he calls The Middle Knowledge Calvinist Model. This is a position that I have come to accept and really appreciate. My only complaint is that I wish he had gone into more detail about the middle knowledge aspect of his view. Maybe he will author another volume dealing exclusively with his model and how it relates to election and salvation.

Building a Christian worldview will always be a “work in progress”. For me, this book made a valuable contribution to the project and has begun to significantly affect my prayer life. If Prof. Tiessen’s lectures are as clear and well organized as his writing, then his students are very fortunate indeed. (Or should I say providentially blessed?)

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in how prayer figures into God's interaction in/with the world, Tiessen is the place to start. He reviews competing views very objectively (which is a refreshing thing in the Open View debate). I did my master's thesis on petitionary prayer and open theism, and I lived in this book for some time. Loved it.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful collection of differing views on how prayer works.

[Dustin Bagby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough summary of the major systems of God's providence and how that plays out in the way we pray.

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presents 10 historical and contemporary views on providence. And then looks at how they would affect one’s actions and prayers. He sold me on his view, the last one given.