ABSTRACT
Impetratory prayer presupposes a God who can act in the world in answer to prayer. Explaining the occurrence of a specific event consists in showing that it could have been expected because it was highly probable that it would happen not because it happened of necessity. The view of the natural order implicit in quantum theory, does not exclude a double agency theory of divine action according to which God could perform contingent acts by means of the natural order and not in violation of it. The theory of double agency raises a further problem since, unlike human agents. God is not an observable agent in the world. Considering an event as an answer to prayer is not a matter of perception, but of interpretation with the eye of faith. This also applies to miraculous acts of God in answer to prayer. Petitioning God entails that the petitioners expect an answer.
