Most individuals that I speak to on the matter state that God created everything, is perfect, and has a flawless plan for all of us.
True, but it ultimately is up to us whether or not we choose to walk in that flawless plan and such a plan doesn't negate the suffering and pain that we will experience...
I fail to see how we as mere humans could possibly think we have a better perspective on things than God. If he has an ultimate plan for everything, who are we to ask him to reconsider?
I mostly agree, that is why prayer generally isn't about us twisting God's will to our own, rather, it is about aligning our will to His will and to His heart. But the Bible does give us some very specific examples of people who have interceded on behalf of others which resulted in God changing His mind. A prime example is that of Moses just after the Israelites had built and worshiped the gold calf (Exodus 32:1-35), note particularly the following exchange:
Then the Lord said, "I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation."
But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. "O Lord!" he said. "Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, 'Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the Earth'? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.'"
So the Lord changed His mind about the terrible disaster He had threatened to bring on His people.
The prayers of Moses was centred not on his own selfish wants or will, but based on a concern for the Lord's name and His promises to the ancestors of the Israelites. I believe that Moses understood and felt the heart of God and that is why God changed His mind; now whether or not God would really have went through with His threats is something that I'm not sure about. Was it a bluff intended to test Moses? He passed regardless...
Another aspect of prayer is illustrated in the Lord's prayer. The prayer is divided into two sections: the first two verses focus on the glory of God while the next three verses focus on our personal needs. Prayer's of this nature are grounded in humility as we are asking God to provide our physical and personal needs (Philippians 4:19), forgiveness for our sins, and also the recognition of our strong inclination to sin and how much we will fall without His strength and grace.
I believe that when we focus on who God is, our problems seem so small in comparison to Him and we can have confidence that our God is mighty to save.
With regards to requesting things from God, how can we get anything from anyone unless we ask and make known our petitions (James 4:2-3). These petitions can be for anything, such as direction in our life, prayer for healing of someone, and other such prayers. I feel that when people pray for others that it touches the heart of God and is evidence of their faith in action. If they are inline with God's will for our lives and the time is right, then God may grant it, other wise the answer may be "Wait" or a simple "No". Ultimately, prayer about getting what we want, but surrendering ourselves in humility and faith to God's plan for our lives.
Finally, the question has to be asked how can you measure the effects of something when you don't even understand the principles of prayer, God Himself, and His plans and promises and the ways in which He operates? He never promised to heal anybody even if someone were praying for them. In fact, Psalm 23 tells us that "Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me". God doesn't promise healing, but He does promise that even when we walk through those dark times in our lives that He will be with us, comforting and guiding us. It is true that He heals some people and not others and I am unsure as to the answer. But I trust that He knows what He's doing and that is really the nature of grace: He can give it to whomever He wants whenever He wants for whatever purpose He wants.
You see, when one realises that God is more about our character than our comfort (Romans 5:3-5), and just how small our existence is in the grand scheme of eternity we can see that God is more concerned with how well we finish the race than continuing our existence here.
St. Paul's words are quite inspiring with an eternal perspective, writing prior to his death:
"As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life. I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the prize of victory awarded for a righteous life, the prize which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day - and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for Him to appear" (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
It is also very important to remember that God oftten works in intangible ways, such as offering peace, comfort, grace, and strength that allows Christians to get through some hardships. He is not bound to do the same for non-Christians until they come to Him in humility, even just a word "Help!" from a non-Christian will get God's attention. He often uses those hard times in our lives to show us just how much we need Him.
You see, the author of the article you quoted would actually have a point assuming that God said in Scripture that He would heal everyone who prays and asks Him to, or that just because He may heal this person here or that person there that He should automatically therefore heal everybody, but alas He did not say that. So while the author may have been critically evaluating the results, he did nothing to touch at the heart of the issue (i.e. what did God promise and how does He work?). We are only capable of measuring our lives and suffering in a perspective bound by time, but God sees the big picture of eternity.
Sorry if that was a bit to long...
Gtg,
Sarapin.
