I have a question about prayer.

[Akhnaton]

Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? 'Well it's God's will. God's will be done.' Fine, but if it's God's will and he's going to do whatever he wants to anyway; why bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me.

What's the point of praying if God already knows everything and what you're going to pray for?

 

[andreha]

Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? 'Well it's God's will. God's will be done.' Fine, but if it's God's will and he's going to do whatever he wants to anyway; why bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me.

What's the point of praying if God already knows everything and what you're going to pray for?

God is interactive - He wants us to talk to Him about whatever is on our hearts. He wants us to ask, so He may give as He wills. As we ask for His will to be done, His Spirit leads us to pray for what the Father wants us to pray for. Then He answers, big time. The key is obedience and yielding to His Spirit.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Akhnaton. Yes, God knows everything, but we have to ask with love. God is our Heavenly Father, and He loves us, God is no clever Magician who feeds on sensation. God can see our hearts and God knows what we really want, and why. If it is good for us, and only concerns ourselves, we may be sure that we get it. If it concerns others, God will never force, or coerce anyone to anything that he, or she, does not want. Remember we ALL have free will to do what we want. God`s eternal Law of Justice will bless, or condemn us: we will reap what we sow. If we ask for something good for a loved one, a friend, or anyone else, and if it is of benefit to the prayed for, God will hear us and help us to have our wish fulfilled, yet we have to keep on praying and asking. It may take time, as Jesus told us in His Parable of the " widow and the reluctant Judge." OR if we ask God to open someone`s eyes, or heart. Jesus told that with God everything is possible, and we can trust Jesus to tell us the truth, and we know that God has many ways to answer prayers. God knows what we wish for, Akhnaton, and God wants us to ask with love and trust in our Heavenly Father. I say this with love. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[Optimax]

Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? 'Well it's God's will. God's will be done.' Fine, but if it's God's will and he's going to do whatever he wants to anyway; why bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me.

What's the point of praying if God already knows everything and what you're going to pray for?

Prayer is specific.

What is a specific "something" you prayed for and did not get an answer.

What did you base your prayer on?

How did you pray it?

If you really want some answers we can start with those three things.

 

[98cwitr]

Prayer isn't about getting God to do something, prayer is about changing the heart and mind of the one praying.

 

[Uncle Floyd]

Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? 'Well it's God's will. God's will be done.' Fine, but if it's God's will and he's going to do whatever he wants to anyway; why bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me.

That's because you've misunderstood the point of prayer. The point of prayer is not to convince God to grant wishes like a big cosmic genie, but to fellowship with God and to align our will with His.

What's the point of praying if God already knows everything and what you're going to pray for?

My little boy knows that when he gets into bed at night, I'm going to come into his room and tell him a story or sing to him ("Buffalo Gals" and "Belshazzar" are his favorites...he also likes "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" and "Luther Played the Boogie"...we're working on a Johnny Cash theme). He already knows I'm going to do it. So why should I do it?

Because I love him.

I already know when I come home that my daughter is going to come and hug my neck and tell me she loves me. So why does she still do it?

Because she loves me.

 

[plmarquette]

James 4.2-8 have not, because don't ask (not worthy...) or ask amiss (in sin or doubt) , submit to God, draw near to Him (Mat 6.33)

Psalm 139 , last verses, search me and reveal to me, what is holding me back, interfereing with my prayers and walk ...

every day, like the persistant widow and unrighteous judge, bring forth your petition

 

[MrPolo]

if it's God's will and he's going to do whatever he wants to anyway; why bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me.

This part is incorrect because part of what "He wants" is to respond to His children. Prayer is thus not a waste of time.

 

[Uncle Floyd]

James 4.2-8 have not, because don't ask (not worthy...) or ask amiss (in sin or doubt) , submit to God, draw near to Him (Mat 6.33)

"Ask amiss" doesn't refer to sin or doubt. It refers to not praying in line with God's will or praying with wrong motives.

 

[Yarddog]

Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? 'Well it's God's will. God's will be done.' Fine, but if it's God's will and he's going to do whatever he wants to anyway; why bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me.

The impatient man says that God did not answer his prayer. Abraham waited for decades before God answered the promise and gave him a son by Sarah.
Hebrews 6:
13 When God made the promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, "he swore by himself,"
14 and said, "I will indeed bless you and multiply" you.
15 And so, after patient waiting, he obtained the promise.
Why do we want him to answer ours today.

Faith is not about today but forever. Sometimes it takes years and when we look back, we see how God answered our prayer. Maybe not in the way that we wanted, but always for the best.

What's the point of praying if God already knows everything and what you're going to pray for?

God knows, but we don't. Faith is trusting that God will guide us to what he wills for us.

"[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Geneva]for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great."[/FONT]

Be humble and trust.

 

[mark46]

All prayers are answered. Sometimes, we don't accept the answer.
=========================
God sometimes answers "yes", sometimes in ways that we do not understand.

God sometimes answers "no" for reasons that he may or may not give to us. Surely, we should trust his Wisdom; he knows better than we do what is good for us.

And sometimes God says "wait". This is the hardest for us to understand. As we know God honors perserverance. How many years did St. Augustine's mother pray for him to come to God?

We may not understand. What we do understand is that God's Word tells us to ask. These conversations with the Holy Spirit are good for us as we journey to be more Christ-like.

Finally, I will give a suggestion that I have found difficult to follow personally. Keep a daily journal where you note prayers said, answers received, and ththings to be thankful for, along with whatever you want to put in this daily journal,

I apologize for going on so in response to a relatively straightforward question.

 

[Mary of Bethany]

Prayer isn't about getting God to do something, prayer is about changing the heart and mind of the one praying.

QFT

Mary