If God's Going to Do What He Wants Anyway, Why Pray? (A Pastor's Honest Answer with Matt Smallbone)

If God is going to do what He wants anyway, why pray? My guest today, Matt Smallbone, is a pastor in downtown Nashville, and for most of his thirty years as a Christian that question kept him from praying much at all. He'd read every book on prayer. He'd handed the whole thing back to God and called it theology. Then he ran an experiment. The Lord's Prayer, all six parts, every day, for a year. In this conversation we get into what that year taught him about God's sovereignty and unanswered prayer, why he believes most unanswered prayers go unanswered for one reason (and why he also believes God says yes to every prayer we would pray if we knew what He knows), what "give us this day our daily bread" meant when his family lived on $150 a week, why he says forgiveness has actually become easy, and how he and Linda kept praying through the loss of a baby. If prayer has ever felt boring, awkward, or like it just isn't working, this conversation is for you. If you enjoyed this conversation, definitely check out Matt's new book, The Prayer Experiment. The whole year-long experiment is in there: https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Experiment-Realigns-Everything-Thoughts/dp/0310372739 Here's a little of what we cover in this episode: Why Matt believes almost nobody actually feels good at prayer, even pastors The one line in the Lord's Prayer Matt had been praying wrong his whole life Why forgiveness has actually gotten easy for Matt (yes, actually easy) What it was like praying for "daily bread" on $150 a week as a brand new immigrant The day Matt believes God told him to triple what he was giving How Matt and Linda kept praying through the pain of losing a baby Why Matt still struggles to spend money, even after a financial windfall Bible Verses Mentioned: Matthew 6:9-13 Matthew 6:26 Matthew 6:34 Matthew 18:21-22 Luke 12:16-21 Luke 16:10 Resources Mentioned: The Prayer Experiment by Matt Smallbone Disclaimer Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting. Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.