Praying Christians and God's Sovereignty

Any good Christian may be a good statesman in one good sense. He who can prevail with God to prevail with the leaders of the earth, surely such a man is a profitable man in the state. We know that God can alter all matters and mould all things. What God can do, prayer can do. Christians can prevail with God for a blessing upon a state. 'The innocent man delivers the land' (Job 22:30). And the 'poor wise man delivers the city' (Eccles. 9:15). A few holy, gracious men, that have grace and credit in heaven may move God to set all things in a blessed frame below. If this holy means were used, things would be better than they are; and until this be used, we can never look for the good that we hope for.
Consider whether God foresees and determines things below based upon his foresight of the way they go; or whether he foreordains how things will go. It is the latter because God is God indeed. He determines how things will be. He determines the series and order of causes, to bring things to pass, and to guide rulers his way. If God has set all men at liberty, in matters of grace especially, to determine this or that for themselves. This is to make every man's will a god, and to divest God of his honour, as if God could only foresee the inclination of the creature and was unable to incline it in any way. This is to make him no God. But in truth, we see that God has everything and particularly the hearts of rulers in his power, and that is our grounds for praying for them. Except we hold this we will never pray heartily or give thanks. But if we do pray and give thanks, he will put thoughts into public servants' minds, strange thoughts and resolutions for the good of all and especially for the church, that we could never have thought of, nor could come otherwise, but from the great God of heaven and earth. We will see a strange providence occur for the good of all.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
At the Throne of Grace, Works, vol. 6, pp. 106-08
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