If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray, Vote, or Share the Gospel?

Have you ever heard this question: If God is sovereign, why pray, vote, or share the gospel?

Maybe you’ve asked this question yourself. I have. Our human minds will never be able to fully understand these two complicated and inseparable truths: 

1. God is sovereign over all things, including human choices. 
2. Man is responsible for his choices.

These two truths seem to oppose each other, yet God’s Word—which is perfect and true in everything it teaches—declares both. So, while we may not be able to fully understand how these truths work together, we can take great comfort in God’s sovereignty, and we can fully trust that our prayers, our votes, and our evangelism matter. They make a difference. 

Before we look at why this is true, let’s first understand what we mean by God’s sovereignty.

What Is God’s Sovereignty?

Pastor and theologian J. I. Packer referred to God’s sovereignty as a “vast subject.” He explained that divine sovereignty “embraces everything that comes into the biblical picture of God as Lord and King in his world, the One who ‘works all things according to the counsel of his will,’ (Eph 1:11), directing every process and ordering every event for the fulfilling of his own eternal plan.”¹

In other words, God is fully in control of all things. Nothing can stop Him. Unlike God, however, no human being has absolute control over what happens.

The Limits of Human Power

Throughout history, nations have referred to their rulers as “sovereigns” to indicate that their authority superseded everyone else’s. When they gave the word, it was done. The subsequent overthrow of their rule, however, proves their sovereignty was only in name. They held no true sovereign power. 

The same is true in our own lives. I can decide to walk across a room, but I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed. Countless scenarios could stop me.

1. I could trip and knock myself out.
2. I could get distracted by a slice of blueberry lemon cake and a cup of coffee. (The coffee alone could stop me.)
3. A tornado could rip through my house and send me into my neighbor’s kitchen.

I may be capable of walking across a room unimpeded, but I can’t guarantee I’ll accomplish my plan every time—because I’m not sovereign. God alone is. 

He is in control of my ability to walk across a room and of the outcome of my prayers, my vote, and my evangelism. If God weren’t sovereign over all things, He couldn’t be sovereign at all. But we know He is. His perfect Word declares this truth, and Christ proved it. 

Our God is in heaven
and does whatever he pleases. (Psalm 115:3)

Why His Power Is Nothing to Fear

If one individual has all the power in heaven and earth, how does this not terrify us? 

Because God’s sovereignty is inseparable from His perfect character. This is the source of perfect peace and the primary reason His sovereignty gives us such comfort. 

God’s sovereignty isn’t something He does. It’s who He is. Likewise, God doesn’t choose to be holy, loving, and good. He is holy, loving, and good, and He cannot be untrue to His nature. Thus, God’s power, rule, and works are all holy, loving, and good—even if they don’t always appear to be. 

Jesus’ crucifixion is a prime example. God didn’t just allow evil men crucify His innocent Son; it was part of His sovereign plan.

For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. (Acts 4:27–28 ESV)

The crucifixion wasn’t a tragic interruption of God’s good purposes. It was the very means God used to redeem sinners.

The Shocking Goodness of the Cross

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
but he was with a rich man at his death,
because he had done no violence
and had not spoken deceitfully.

Yet the LORD was pleased to crush him severely.
When you make him a guilt offering,
he will see his seed, he will prolong his days,
and by his hand, the LORD’s pleasure will be accomplished. (Isaiah 53:9­–10, emphasis added)

Jesus’ disciples and His mother, Mary, were not pleased when Jesus was “crushed.” His crucifixion pierced their souls. Imagine what they must have prayed when Jesus was arrested, flogged, and nailed to the cross. 

Was God cruel, unholy, or weak when He seemingly didn’t answer their prayers? Not at all. God didn’t spare Jesus from the cross because He is holy, loving, wise, and good. He did it for you and me. “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

God Works Through His People

God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and belong to Him in Christ (Rom. 8:28). He doesn’t need our help to accomplish His good purposes. He isn’t dependent on us to be “the one vote” that will sway the election or “the one voice” or “the one prayer” that will bring salvation to a lost soul. Yet God has called us to pray, vote, and share the gospel. 

God has chosen to accomplish His will through His people. 

He works through the prayers, votes, and evangelism of His children, but He doesn’t change His divine purposes simply to appease even our most heartfelt prayers. Instead, He “works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:11). 

We pray with limited understanding and zero ability to see into the future. But we pray to an unchanging, all-loving, and all-wise God who sees the end from the beginning. No matter how fervently we pray, God’s character requires that He remain faithful to His promises. He will not answer prayers that would thwart His purposes. Rather, His love, grace, mercy, and all His holy attributes work together to accomplish all He has determined to do in and for us and in our world.

If we ignore God’s commands we’ll feel the consequences, but He will ultimately still accomplish His will. Our rebellion won’t thwart His plans, but we’ll feel the heat of His discipline. I’d rather not suffer the consequences of disobeying Him. I’ve personally experienced that the cost of rebellion is never worth the promises sin makes. 

Besides, the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing is too great to waste. For those who are eager to do His will, hold on, because “what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived—God has prepared these things for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

Our prayers matter. 

God moves in and through our prayers (Acts 12:1–19; James 5:16;1 John 5:14–15). Jesus placed great value on prayer (Matt. 6:5–15; John 14:13–14). He rose while it was still dark to pray, and He spent many hours in prayer (Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:28; John 17). The Bible is full of calls for God’s people to pray, and it’s full of prayers God answered (2 Kings 20:5;Psalm 102:17; Isa. 64:12; Mark 9:29; Luke 1:13). Pray with all your heart.

Our votes matter. 

God uses our votes to shift the scales from one candidate to another. If we refuse to vote because there’s no perfect candidate, we’re not fulfilling our civic duty as God has called us to do (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–14). Remember, we’re not voting for a pastor or a Savior. The government is a human institution ordained by God to protect its citizens and deter evil. It’s not a church. We’re voting for the individual and political party we believe are less likely to move our nation into greater evil. Pray for our leaders, and vote every chance you’re given. 

Our sharing the gospel matters. 

How can people believe the gospel they’ve never heard? How can we claim to follow Christ yet fail to obey His commands to share the good news about Him (Matt. 28:19–20; Mark 16:15; Rom. 10:14­–15)? By God’s almighty power and grace, He uses our feeble words to spur the growth of gospel seeds cast and watered onto the soil of human hearts (1 Cor. 3:6–9). We share the truth. God gives the faith to believe. He brings the lost out of death and condemnation and into life and salvation as we share the gospel, whether we see results or not. Pray and share the gospel whenever you can.

The next time someone asks you, “If God is sovereign, why pray, vote, or share the gospel?” tell them the simple truth. Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases. And three things He delights to do are to answer the prayers of His children, to bless those who submit to His command to obey their governing authorities, and to seek and save the lost. Our prayers, our vote, and our sharing the gospel matter.

¹ J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 14.