Why Pray when God is Sovereign?

Dr. Couch, why pray if God is sovereign? ANSWER: Don't you imagine that this same question was asked a thousand times by the prophets and apostles of old! We forget that God "ordains both the ends and the means" to accomplish His purposes. And He uses human agents, though He is actually working within us, as His agents, to fulfill His plans. Paul writes "For it is God who is working in you, both to the willing and the doing for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). "Working" is a Present Participle with the idea: "He is continually and progressively working (producing energy) in us" for His purposes. "To be willing" and "To be working" are both Present Infinitives. "God" is emphatic in the verse. "IT IS GOD who is doing these things ..." We can never reconcile God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, but the Bible speaks of both. God is 100% sovereign and we are 100% responsible. I can't understand this! Yet, one does not cancel out the other. Both are true and are operative in life. We must take the Word of God at face value. It is consistent in what it teaches even though we may not be able to reconcile it all. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch (Jan., 10)