Regarding God and prayer...

[Ana the Ist]

I understand that there are several ways/types/kinds of prayers that christians do. For example, one kind of prayer would be to give thanks to god for something...like a prayer before dinner. Another kind of prayer would be more simply described as a one-sided conversation...wherein the christian praying speaks to god but doesn't necessarily expect any answer nor is asking for one. These aren't the kinds of prayers I wish to discuss.

The kind of prayer I'm speaking of specifically in this thread is the one where a christian asks for something. I know that a lot of times when this topic gets brought up, a certain kind of christian feels the need to jump into the discussion with a response like...

"God isn't a vending machine that just gives you things!"

"God doesn't grant wishes/requests!"

And so on...so while I understand that is a view that some of you hold, I'd rather you not reply if this is all you have to say. The fact is that a great many christians do ask things of god...whether it's a particular outcome they'd like to see happen (an ill loved one recovering), or its a particular problem they want a solution to (unemployed and unsure of whether to go to school or seek a job) or some other such request...christians ask things of god all the time. This isn't something that's really debatable, one only needs to visit the "prayer request" section of this forum to see this is true.

So a couple of questions come to mind regarding this type of prayer...

1. Are you asking god for something that wasn't going to happen in the first place? (essentially, are you asking god to change what "is" or what "will be" into a desirable outcome?)

A lot of christians will claim that they only seek for god's will to be done on a particular matter...but what is the point of that? Don't they already believe god's will is done regardless of whether or not they pray for it?

2. When it comes to the results of such prayers...christians almost always give the same explanations. It typically looks something like this...

"When praying to God for something, usually his response will be under three categories:

1) Yes
2) No
3) Wait (Y)"

I actually lifted that quote from a post regarding a prayer in this forum. I've seen many christians explain prayer this way...but it's painfully obvious that these are the results of anything possible, whether they are prayed for or not. For example...

Let's say I'm wondering whether or not it's going to rain soon...

The answer could be, 1) Yes it will. 2). No it won't. 3) Wait (maybe later).

The same could be said of essentially anything that's possible whether it was prayed for or not. This, to an unbeliever like myself, looks no different than if there was no god answering prayers of any kind. So the question becomes..."how do you know if god answers a prayer, or if something just happened?"

Looking forward to your replies.

 

[jayem]

I'm not a Christian, but I did study some theology in college. One of my instructors put prayer in what I think is the proper perspective. He said that if one believes in a sovereign god, who has a plan for everyone's life, then every outcome has already been decided. It makes no sense to pray for a particular result that you desire. One prays for the strength to accept what god has willed. He noted that Jesus said you pray that Thy will be done...not my will be done. And you also pray to be close to your god, which may give you equanimity and peace of mind to deal with life in general. My religion professor was an academic, not a pastor. But I think he had a good understanding of what prayer should be.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[miamited]

Hi ana,

I would be so bold as to say that every born again believer asks for things of their Father at various times in their relationship with Him. So, your understanding of people asking for things from God is a very valid point. For the believer, sometimes life gets hard. Things happen that we just don't understand and when one has a loving relationship with their Creator then talking to God about it, through what is called prayer, is as natural as a guy who's having a tax problem calling up his accountant.

Born again believers understand that the Scriptures are our only guide to what our heavenly Father desires of us. In them, Jesus encourages us to pray to his Father. Taking all of our cares to him. When one is born again the relationship between the believer and God becomes as strong as any other personal relationship that you might have with your closest friend.

If you were to lose a loved one, then you'd likely speak to your best friend about the pain of your loss. If you were struggling with some life issue, then you'd likely speak to your best friend about it. The born again believer has that same relationship with his/her Creator. Jesus has told us that God knows what we need before we even ask of Him, but part of the relationship between God and the believer involves our knowing and understanding and being dependent on our heavenly Father. Part of that understanding of the believer's relationship with his Father is knowing that God cares about the same things that we care about. He wants us to understand that we are fully dependent on Him for our very lives. God is the Creator of life. There is not a one of us who lives who cannot trace that life back to God. Not Adolph Hitler nor Nelson Mandela.

God is the Creator of all life. He seeks from us a relationship of love and respect for His authority in all things. We ask of God what we feel that we need and we praise Him for His power, authority and love through prayer. All of it is part of establishing and maintaining the kind of relationship that the Scriptures portray to us between the born again believer and God. Jesus, who was declared by God to be His Son spoke to his Father often and regularly through prayer. Born again believers desire the same relationship with our Father as Jesus has. We are seeking the same promise of eternal life that God has given to His Son.

I hope this helps, but I fully understand that it may be still confusing to you. The things of God are not readily understood by those who don't have or aren't seeking to know Him. If you'd like to explore that option in more detail I'd be happy to help, if I can.

God bless you,
In Christ, ted

 

[Ana the Ist]

That's it?

 

[StTruth]

Even as a young boy, I had already figured out for myself that prayers don't work. They never have and they never will. There is even a study done by John Hopkins and Harvard that shows conclusively that intercessory prayers don't work. In fact, for heart ailments, prayers seem to work against the patient but the difference is statistically too small so the conclusion is prayers don't work. So, I don't waste my time praying except when I'm in church and I have to clasp my hands and bow my head because I'm an altar boy. But it's not uncommon. The other altar boy doesn't pray either although we both assume pious postures. LOL.

I am none other than...

St Truth