...As a whole, He does know everything but is there a point because we can't really change our future?
Let's define a few terms first:
(1) Omnipotence comes from the Latin, omni meaning "all" and potens meaning "powerful," so omnipotence is the doctrine that God has the ability and power to do all his holy will.
(2) Predestination is, "The act of foreordaining events; the decree of God by which he has, from eternity, determined whatever comes to pass."
I suppose an example of your question would be the following: Since God is so powerful (omnipotent), he is able to do whatever he has predestined. So if you're about to write a really important exam, for instance, what's the point of praying that God will help you since he already knows whether you're going to do well or fail miserably?
Wayne Grudem, who wrote Systematic Theology, outlines a way to think about the importance of human actions. He states the following:
1. We are still responsible for our actions. God made us responsible for our actions, which has REAL and ETERNALLY SIGNIFICANT RESULTS. Among other things, this means we cannot say that God just made us to do something evil and therefore we are not responsible for our actions. This also means that if we neglect our health, we will likely die sooner.
2. God has made it so that events will come about by our causing them, and events will come about by our lack of action. Just because God knows the future does not mean he cannot allow humans free choice. Matt Slick of www.carm.org writes this:
"God's predestination does not mean that we cannot make free will choices. God predestines in and throughour choices because God is all knowing and all powerful. He knows what we will do because he knows all things. He cannot not know all things. So, whatever you choose to do out of your own free volition is known. But his knowing doesn't mean you don't freely choose.
An illustration would be that I could arrange for my child to choose ice cream over something else and not violate his free will. For instance, I could put a bowl of chocolate ice cream and a bowl of dirt and rocks in front of my child and I know exactly which one the child will choose to eat. But my knowing does not violate my child's free will."
3. Prayer is one specific kind of action that has definite results and does change the course of events. When we genuinely pray for a specific person or circumstance, we will often find that God has ordained that our prayer would be a MEANS he will use to bring about changes in the world. James 4:2 reminds us of this reality, "You do not have because you do not ask." Jesus himself also said, "Ask and you will receive." If the apostles and Jesus (!) believed in prayer, we must do the same.
4. We must act! The fact that God is omnipotent does not mean we should sit back and just wait for things to happen. In all things, we must depend upon God, but we should not just trust God instead of acting responsibly.
Consider this example. You can argue that since God knows the mark on your test, you should not study. Of course, God knows the future, but YOU do not know what your mark will be. What you do know is that if you study and work diligently, you will receive a better grade than if you do not.
Joab, the nephew of King David, is a good example of hard work combined with trust in God. He once said, "Be strong and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of God, and may the Lord do what is good in His Sight." Joab fought and trusted God do what he had already planned and thought was good.
So friend, I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts/applications:
1. Don't be afraid. Trust God. If we believe that all good things are caused by God, then there is nothing to worry about.
2. Make sure you pray sincerely, as it may be a means by which God brings about change. Pray for your family, our nation, the salvation of the lost and for your own spiritual growth!
3. Act in accordance to God's will, as written in Scripture.
[Answered by Pastor HM, who doesn't understand things fully, but is glad that God does]
References: Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Nottingham: IVP, 1994), 315ff.
