Why We Pray: Understanding Prayer in the Context of Cosmic Conflict

Christianity Today 2025 Book Award Finalist (Academic Theology)

If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and entirely good, why do we need to ask God to do good things? Won't God act for the best regardless? Do our prayers even make a difference? Why do some go unanswered?

This brief, accessible book provides a fresh angle on our questions to help us think differently about why we pray and what happens when we pray.

John Peckham applies the insights from his successful book Theodicy of Love to the perennial problem of petitionary prayer, offering practical implications for how we might pray and live in ways that advance God's kingdom of unselfish love. Since our understanding of petitionary prayer is inseparable from our understanding of God, Peckham sheds significant light on the nature and character of God and the often-mysterious workings of divine providence. He does so by bringing theological and philosophical nuance to readings of key biblical texts on prayer, weaving in other scriptural clues to articulate an understanding of prayer that highlights not only its necessity but also its urgency.

This book will appeal to students, pastors, church leaders, and thoughtful laypeople.