Just because God has already witnessed the Ultimate reality doesn't mean His creatures are similarly situated. They are very separate beings from Him. Omnipotence is not moved by a victory gained or a calamity avoided or a rescue affected. Quote\
If God knows the ultimate fate of each human, why did God bother to give them free will ?
Pre determination of the humans life takes away any hope or reason to pray. Brings in the idea that no matter what one does be they very bad or very good---this was how God had decided they had to live and die.
Miracles do or appear to happen to humans every day, so many close calls we all have, who would know that by walking too close to a building a planter will fall on ones head, or a toddler will fall out a window and one just happens to be standing in the right spot at the right time to catch and save the baby.
Then the fact that God has been surprised a time or two when in the Old Testament one of his people went against His wishes and HE cast down his fury on the disobedient. Was this because the disobedient was using free will, the very attribute HE gave them ????
They say God helps those who help themselves, this is much different from the fatalistic thought some have they can do nothing for themselves or others, they just depend on God to save them.
God was not surprised that people disobeyed...and still do. He does know everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen...forever. God exists outside time, therefore lives in
all our times constantly. However, His foreknowledge of our choices in no way changes the fact that we are free to choose. Even humans, with our very limited capabilities, can glimpse the future but still allow free choice. For example, we know that our 2 year old will take the candy cane on the Christmas tree that he/she can see, but the fact we put it there does not force the 2 year old to take it, the taking is still the child's choice. If we can allow our children to make choices, how much more can the infinite Being allow His children to make choices?
In the Bible, prayer sometimes seems to change God's mind, at least as far as the authors could tell. Other times, it seems that God waited for the prayer to deliver, or that He's decided the answer to a prayer will either be "No," or "Wait."
In all cases, the most clearly seen result from prayer (and from many other things God commands), is the changing of the people that follow those commands. As we change and grow in the Spirit, we become more like Christ, more of a light, and more pleasing to our Father. God does much of what we see Him do in order to help His Children become the best they can be on this earth.
As for the saying "God helps those that help themselves," that is not in the Bible. I think the Biblical idea is more like "All things work together for the good of those that love God..." which
is in the Bible. God does expect us to do our part, we all have work to do, but that work is often to help others, not ourselves.