Why do Christians pray?

[Wiccan_Child]

I pray because I want to immerse myself in God, to seek God, and to be conformed to His will and His purposes.

I pray not to turn God toward me, but that God might turn me toward Himself.

-CryptoLutheran

Do you ever tell someone, "I'll pray for you", or, "I'll pray for that"? If so, what did you mean? If not, what do you think Christians who do say that mean?

 

[ViaCrucis]

Do you ever tell someone, "I'll pray for you", or, "I'll pray for that"? If so, what did you mean? If not, what do you think Christians who do say that mean?

I present that person or that situation before God, submitting myself to Him for that person or that situation. Ideally, when I do this, I am compelled to also do whatever I can for that person or dealing with that situation.

When I pray that a sick person be made well, I really am asking that that person be made well; but underlying that is that I am presenting this person and their situation to God; however He works in that situation is up to Him. That He calls me to pray and pray for others is, generally sufficient, and I leave the rest to mystery.

In any event, I do not believe that my prayers hold any sort of power, and by them I can invoke the power of God to change the world around me. Which too often I think some Christians have reduced prayer to. I see prayer as an act of love and submission, of entrusting myself, and all that I love, to the care of my Heavenly Father.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Wiccan_Child]

I present that person or that situation before God, submitting myself to Him for that person or that situation. Ideally, when I do this, I am compelled to also do whatever I can for that person or dealing with that situation.

When I pray that a sick person be made well, I really am asking that that person be made well; but underlying that is that I am presenting this person and their situation to God; however He works in that situation is up to Him. That He calls me to pray and pray for others is, generally sufficient, and I leave the rest to mystery.

OK. Why do you submit the situation or person to God? Is he otherwise unaware of their plight? If he's going to intervene in the world, wouldn't he do it with or without your prayers?

 

[ViaCrucis]

OK. Why do you submit the situation or person to God? Is he otherwise unaware of their plight? If he's going to intervene in the world, wouldn't he do it with or without your prayers?

For one, He instructs me to do so. That alone ought be reason enough.

Secondly I believe He calls us to pray and pray for others because of His commandment that we love one another even as He has loved us. When I pray for my neighbor I am immediately compelled to see my neighbor as beloved of God, seeing God's divine image in the other, and realize that I am intricately bound to those around me. To pray for another is to be immediately confronted with their humanity, and to value it for all that it is worth.

It is entirely too easy to become callous toward others, to see their problems as their own and not mine to be concerned over. To become absorbed in myself, in my thoughts, in my wants, in what it means to be me. Prayer breaks down the ego. I am confronted with the God who humbles me, and who exalts my neighbor who I am called to love and to serve.

One of the best words I've ever learned is a Bantu word, ubuntu, which roughly translates to, "I am because you are". Ubuntu means that I can only understand my humanity in the humanity of others, and that my humanity is constituted by others. This notion helps tear down the yoke of western hyper-individualism.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Jonathan95]

Or, is there no intention of an actual change?

Yes ofcourse it's an intention of an actual change, that's faith in prayer.

Does the phrase, "I prayed for you", not refer to a request to God for real-world change?

Yes it does.

Prayer also releases angelic activity in the spiritual realm.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Wiccan Child. When we converse with our Heavenly Father, we generally tell Him of our Love for Him, or give Him our thanks and praise,and also ask Him to remember certain people, to whom we have promised, that we would. A Christian`s prayer is to show our Love and Allegiance to God. I say this with love, Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[kimmyh51]

It's not a trap - I'm genuinely curious if Christians who say "I'll pray for you" are simply talking to God with no expectation of change, or are petitioning him to enact a real change in the world that might otherwise not happen.

personally I am "petitioning him to enact a real change in the world that might otherwise not happen"

every single time

 

[kimmyh51]

Do you ever tell someone, "I'll pray for you", or, "I'll pray for that"? If so, what did you mean? If not, what do you think Christians who do say that mean?

for me it would mean "I will pray that god will sort out whatever your current situation is" ie if you were ill and i said i would pray i would pray for god to heal you (in my church it is taught that a christian can also cast out illness as the disciples did, in jesus name, so if i were confident enough (as in knew the person needing prayer well enough) I would also ask if I could pray for healing right there and then + command the illness to leave (I am a new christian but there are people at my church who have done this often and there have been some amazing healing as a result)

So basically to me it means I will put my 5 cents in with god and ask him to fix whatever is wrong for you.

 

[kimmyh51]

OK. Why do you submit the situation or person to God? Is he otherwise unaware of their plight? If he's going to intervene in the world, wouldn't he do it with or without your prayers?

I think he often may well do that.

I guess if he just sorted out everything without any input from anyone - then there would be no need for us to care for others, pray for them, think of them, or feel empathy for them or their situation.
Every time someone we knew was being hurt (or hurting someone else) we would just ignore it and think to ourselves -hello...God... Im tired of looking at this - sort it out already! and because we knew God would do it all we wouldnt even bother to care

Again, if you were a parent, as an example - you could do everything for your child. You could also give them every material thing they might want the moment they asked for it
But is this really the way to be a loving parent? Denying your child the chance to learn to care for others, to learn to work for something, to problem solve, make moral decisions or analysis, figure out what is wrong or right, or even just the anticipation that comes from spending time saving for something you cant just buy outright?
Most parents I know would agree that along with giving their children love and food, shelter, etc and material gifts, they also as loving parents - sometimes let their children be exposed to painful things - to help them understand and emphasize with other peoples situations

I am thinking that if it were me asking your question i would go - well thats all very well but if my kid were about to fall off a cliff, or get raped or murdered by terrorists, get into a car and drive drunk or die in a famine in africa while the western world wastes untold amounts of food daily- then I would NOT just stand by and let them learn from that - Id act! And therefore why does God let horrible things happen to innocent people?

I could theorize that its because of free will - the people who make the decisions to do things which result in the rape, murder, terrorist attack, famine, etc

Or I could theorise that maybe in Gods eyes as our time on earth is so miniscule compared to eternity in heaven that he thinks
"so what if that happens - hello? 30-70 years of crap compared to more than 28347832749832749832794732984732988579328579328475893475934875983475893475938475983475983479++++ years of happy joy and plenty...... who is winning long term heh?


And various other theorys

Or I could be honest and say though I may sometimes have my own theorys or ideas that I think God gave me the truth is I dont for sure, know.

Can only suggest you put that question to God directly yourself and challenge him to show you the reason... (maybe throw in a teaser and offer to consider letting God save you if he can enlighten you on some of this stuff)

 

[an oddity]

Why submit someone to God in prayer?
This parable is one example
Luke 18

1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?


I like to talk with God and thank Him for many things. Then I like to intercede on behalf of those who need something from HIm, and I also like to pray for me and my family and ask for those things we need from Him.
I was once asked aren't you embarrassed that God knows everything about you, including your sins? I said no, it is a relief to be able to unload them on Him in honesty, thereby cleansing my soul of that which stands between He and me.
For me, carrying confessed sins around is like trying to walk while carrying an elephant. Those sins just weigh me down. Confessing them means I am cleansed of them and I am once again back in fellowship with God.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This verse promises us if we confess/name/cite our sins to God He is faithful to forgive us of them, then He further promises to forgive those things we may not yet know to be sin (all unrighteousness) as well.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Dear Wiccan Child. When we converse with our Heavenly Father, we generally tell Him of our Love for Him, or give Him our thanks and praise,and also ask Him to remember certain people, to whom we have promised, that we would. A Christian`s prayer is to show our Love and Allegiance to God. I say this with love, Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

I get that, but my question was specifically about praying for something, be it someone's soul (what do they hope is going to happen?) or someone's recovery.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Yes ofcourse it's an intention of an actual change, that's faith in prayer.

OK. So, when someone says, "I'll pray for you" (in the context of converting to Christianity), what change are they hoping God will enact? Do such people hope God will actively interfere in someone's beliefs? Hardening or softening the heart, so to speak?

With regards to healing, do you believe that a prayer for healing is ever answered with a 'yes'?

Yes it does.

Prayer also releases angelic activity in the spiritual realm.

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

For one, He instructs me to do so. That alone ought be reason enough.

Secondly I believe He calls us to pray and pray for others because of His commandment that we love one another even as He has loved us. When I pray for my neighbor I am immediately compelled to see my neighbor as beloved of God, seeing God's divine image in the other, and realize that I am intricately bound to those around me. To pray for another is to be immediately confronted with their humanity, and to value it for all that it is worth.

Which is all well and good, but my question is about whether you believe there will be (or could be) divine intervention as result of your prayer.

You said you present the situation to God, but now it seems you only do that so that you psychologically encourage yourself to help out.

It is entirely too easy to become callous toward others, to see their problems as their own and not mine to be concerned over. To become absorbed in myself, in my thoughts, in my wants, in what it means to be me. Prayer breaks down the ego. I am confronted with the God who humbles me, and who exalts my neighbor who I am called to love and to serve.

One of the best words I've ever learned is a Bantu word, ubuntu, which roughly translates to, "I am because you are". Ubuntu means that I can only understand my humanity in the humanity of others, and that my humanity is constituted by others. This notion helps tear down the yoke of western hyper-individualism.-CryptoLutheran

Perhaps, but the implication is still grim - you go away and pray for someone, which compels you to act in their interests. Couldn't you just do that straight away, without prayer? Do you think it's a mistake when people only pray, without doing anything else out of the ordinary to help?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

personally I am "petitioning him to enact a real change in the world that might otherwise not happen"

every single time

OK. Do you believe such petitions are ever answered with a 'yes'?

for me it would mean "I will pray that god will sort out whatever your current situation is" ie if you were ill and i said i would pray i would pray for god to heal you (in my church it is taught that a christian can also cast out illness as the disciples did, in jesus name, so if i were confident enough (as in knew the person needing prayer well enough) I would also ask if I could pray for healing right there and then + command the illness to leave (I am a new christian but there are people at my church who have done this often and there have been some amazing healing as a result)

Could you give me some examples? Have there ever been medical tests to demonstrate that these people have, indeed, been healed? Are there any maladies that God has never healed, like amputations or blindness?

I think he often may well do that.

I guess if he just sorted out everything without any input from anyone - then there would be no need for us to care for others, pray for them, think of them, or feel empathy for them or their situation.
Every time someone we knew was being hurt (or hurting someone else) we would just ignore it and think to ourselves -hello...God... Im tired of looking at this - sort it out already! and because we knew God would do it all we wouldnt even bother to care

So you believe God lets people suffer so that other people can feel good about themselves when they help them?

Again, if you were a parent, as an example - you could do everything for your child. You could also give them every material thing they might want the moment they asked for it
But is this really the way to be a loving parent? Denying your child the chance to learn to care for others, to learn to work for something, to problem solve, make moral decisions or analysis, figure out what is wrong or right, or even just the anticipation that comes from spending time saving for something you cant just buy outright?

Most parents I know would agree that along with giving their children love and food, shelter, etc and material gifts, they also as loving parents - sometimes let their children be exposed to painful things - to help them understand and emphasize with other peoples situations

I agree that it is good for a parent to let a child learn from its mistakes, but this is because parents are not omnipotent. They can't prevent all injuries that might befall their child, so it makes sense to let them learn that hot things cause damage, etc.

But suppose a parent was omnipotent. You could let them live their lives however they wanted, being as free and loving and playful and happy as any parent could want their child to be. If any real harm was going to come to them, you, the omnipotent parent, could poof it out of the way: the skidding car is miraculously poofed back onto the road, the misfiring nailgun is miraculously poofed out of existence, food and medicine are miraculously presented to your diseased and starving child.

This doesn't need to reduce them to automata. They get the food if they're starving, not simply peckish. They can be harmed, and painfully so, but never to the extremes we see in the real world.

Wouldn't that be a much better place to live? And if I can imagine it, why can't God? Or, if he can, why hasn't he done it? I fear your answers lie in the rest of your post...

I am thinking that if it were me asking your question i would go - well thats all very well but if my kid were about to fall off a cliff, or get raped or murdered by terrorists, get into a car and drive drunk or die in a famine in africa while the western world wastes untold amounts of food daily- then I would NOT just stand by and let them learn from that - Id act! And therefore why does God let horrible things happen to innocent people?

I could theorize that its because of free will - the people who make the decisions to do things which result in the rape, murder, terrorist attack, famine, etc

So you're saying that God loves free will so much that he lets rapists rape and serial killers kill? This strikes me as more than just a little disturbing.

Moreover, how does this explain natural evils? Tornadoes and tsunamis and the like?

Or I could theorise that maybe in Gods eyes as our time on earth is so miniscule compared to eternity in heaven that he thinks
"so what if that happens - hello? 30-70 years of crap compared to more than 28347832749832749832794732984732988579328579328475893475934875983475893475938475983475983479++++ years of happy joy and plenty...... who is winning long term heh?

So God doesn't even care. "30-70 years of untold suffering and starvation, war and rape, disease and mutilation - it's not worth my time". This strikes me as simply wicked.

And various other theorys

Or I could be honest and say though I may sometimes have my own theorys or ideas that I think God gave me the truth is I dont for sure, know.

Can only suggest you put that question to God directly yourself and challenge him to show you the reason... (maybe throw in a teaser and offer to consider letting God save you if he can enlighten you on some of this stuff)

With all due respect, I'm not sure I want to prostrate myself before a deity as callous and wicked as you describe.

 

[brinny]

Hi. He's all i got. He mooooves on mine and others behalf. He is the God of the "possible", blazing His Light of Hope into the darkest of places and intervenes in the impossible as only He can do. He hears us. He loves us. He CHANGES us, so that our hearts and minds are like His, more and more. He ministers grace where there is none, and instills forgiveness where there is none. he helps us to see beyond faults and see need, as He does.

What is your understanding of prayer?

 

[SamDowdy]

I pray all the time but a friend once told me "God is not obligated to answer prayers" and he is right because none of mine have been answered and all along I thought it was ask and you shall recieve

 

[Wiccan_Child]

I pray all the time but a friend once told me "God is not obligated to answer prayers" and he is right because none of mine have been answered and all along I thought it was ask and you shall recieve

So you believe that praying for something is futile, inasmuch as God won't actually intervene in the world as a result of that prayer?

 

[paul1149]

OK. Why do you submit the situation or person to God? Is he otherwise unaware of their plight? If he's going to intervene in the world, wouldn't he do it with or without your prayers?

WC,

God already is well aware of all situations, far more than we will ever be. But in prayer we join in union with Him - in union of purpose and ontological union. God has deemed that we, as heirs of Christ's kingdom, will have a real share in kingdom authority. This is the "kings" part of His making us "kings and priests", while the "priests" part is the ontological union part.

And so it becomes necessary that the church of Jesus Christ partakes in the unfolding of God's will. God works through the church - through our prayers and actions. So when we pray for something, our words actually have kingdom authority backing them up, and they accomplish things that otherwise would not be accomplished. In so doing, God is re-making us in His own image by training us up for our eventual role as kings.

If you want to learn more about the authority we wield, and where this is all going, there is no better book than the astonishing Destined for the Throne, by Paul Billheimer.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

WC,

God already is well aware of all situations, far more than we will ever be. But in prayer we join in union with Him - in union of purpose and ontological union. God has deemed that we, as heirs of Christ's kingdom, will have a real share in kingdom authority. This is the "kings" part of His making us "kings and priests", while the "priests" part is the ontological union part.

And so it becomes necessary that the church of Jesus Christ partakes in the unfolding of God's will. God works through the church - through our prayers and actions. So when we pray for something, our words actually have kingdom authority backing them up, and they accomplish things that otherwise would not be accomplished. In so doing, God is re-making us in His own image by training us up for our eventual role as kings.

If you want to learn more about the authority we wield, and where this is all going, there is no better book than the astonishing Destined for the Throne, by Paul Billheimer.

Then praying increases the odds of something happening, by virtue of divine intervention. If you pray for someone's healing, they're more likely to get healed, and if you don't, they aren't. Why would God heal some people but not others, simply because one group got prayed for and another didn't?

 

[paul1149]

It's not "simply" because one group got prayed for. The prayer that is efficacious is the prayer that is in alignment with God's will. That is, it is the prayer that God wants us to pray. It could be that those in the second group are not to be healed, and no burden of prayer was issued in that regard. OTOH, we can also intercede for people in the first group that we don't even know. It all happens according to His will, not ours. Coming to God implies a trust that He knows what He's doing, and a willingness to obey in our part of the plan.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. -Rom 8:14​