Perhaps one of the most important doctrines that will influence our ability to pray is the understanding of God’s Sovereignty.  The idea of God’s Sovereignty is that God is absolutely powerful and in control and as I live my life here on earth, my circumstances and my life have meaning, purpose, and consequence because God wills it so. 

One of the themes of the book of Jonah is that God works through the messes of our lives.  Even though his mess was a result of his own stubbornness and sin, it was the very thing that God used to draw Jonah back to Himself.  We see Jonah turn back to the Lord during the storm and after being swallowed by a great fish.  “I called out to the Lord out of my distress and He answered me.”  (Jon 2:2)

Our natural condition is to run from God.  We do that because of our sin and shame.  We do it because we are captured by darkness and deception.  Instead turning to God... we are geniuses at getting our own way and ultimately suffer the consequences for it.   That is part of the story of the prophet Jonah.  Jonah 1:1-4 tells us that after the Word of God came to Jonah...  we read that Jonah “fled from the presence of the Lord.”