A Philosophical Analysis of Petitionary Prayer

In this paper, I present a philosophical analysis of petitionary prayer, from the perspective of one who engages in petitionary prayer on a regular basis. This paper looks at the basis for petitionary prayer from the Bible and some traditional thoughts and practices associated with it from the church. Primarily, this paper addresses those concerns that are raised against the practice of petitionary prayer. I call these “philosophical problems” with petitionary prayer. I address these three, the problem of free will/divine providence, the problem of hiddenness, and the problem of God’s goodness, all in relation to this practice of petitionary prayer. Through this paper, I hope to show that none of these are problems when addressed from the right context, through the grace of Jesus Christ. It is only by his grace that we can see the perfect light that is revealed in petitionary prayer.