Why do Christians never pray for impossible things?

[InterestedAtheist]

See, this is what is so annoying. What you call a quibble is an essential part of your argument. Just admit you overstated your case, there's no shame in it. You being an atheist has no bearing in whether or not your argument holds. It comes down to your premises and conclusion.

I'll tell you what. I'll share with you what I find highly improbable: an atheist who admits when they're wrong. But, then again, maybe I spend too much time on CF. Prove me wrong.

I'm wrong about lots of things all the time. Maybe I'm wrong here. Can you show me how I am?
Maybe I missed it earlier, but as far as I can see, all I've done is ask a question and not yet got an answer.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Don't go by just what you see. We call that walking by sight. Actually we are instructed that our deepest concerns be submitted to God in private and not put on display as the pharisees would do, puffing themselves up before people. Or in small groups of believers on a mission etc. The prayer wall really is a small sample most often prayer for a prayer request.

Hmmm. Doesn't look like it. Take a look at the prayer wall. The people there seem to be sharing their deepest concerns. Genuine life crises in many cases, with people in serious anguish, asking God for help. Life-threatening illnesses. Worlds coming apart. Serious issues that they are desperate about. It's not that they're saving their deepest concerns. They're being quite open about them. They're asking God to help them.
They're just not asking Him to do anything impossible.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Thank you to all those who have replied. You must excuse me now. It's bedtime in my time zone. Have a nice day!

 

[Kenny'sID]

Interesting, what you see if you observe Christians praying.
They pray for things which, really, might happen anyway, if they get lucky.

They pray for a friend to be healed. Well, people do recover from illnesses all the time. But you never see Christians praying for a person's leg to grow back.
Is it because they know God wouldn't do this (even though - if He exists - He certainly has the power to)?

Christians pray for people who have suffered a bereavement to find peace. Well, of course, people usually do get over their feelings of grief, sooner or later. But they hardly ever pray for a person to be brought back to life.
Christians claim that God is quite capable of bringing people back to life.
Do they not ask Him to because they know that God doesn't actually answer prayers for impossible things?

Christians pray for people suffering cancer to have the strength to face their ordeal. Maybe they even pray for the cancer to vanish. But they never pray for all cancer all over the world to vanish and never return. I wonder why?
Maybe they know that, no matter how hard they pray, that just isn't going to happen.

Um. Do Christians actually secretly know that God isn't real?
They certainly don't seem to act like He's real.

Very confusing.

So, what you are saying is you don't know of God answered their prayer or not...meaning you can't say for certian that he did not.

That said, what was the point of your post?

 

[cloudyday2]

That is a good question that raises fundamental questions about the purpose of prayer.

People think prayer is like writing a letter to a political representative requesting action on some issue. From reading "The Lord's Prayer", a prayer is supposed to be more like phoning your father on Father's Day. You're supposed to say "happy Father's Day" and chat about things, but it would be rude to ask about borrowing money.

Even looking at examples where prayer seems to be a request for a blessing such as Matthew 5:44-45 , the prayer might be a way of encouraging empathy from the person praying rather than actually getting a blessing for the target of the prayer, because God is supposed to bless everybody regardless.

44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 5:44-45 - New Living Translation

When somebody prays for some blessing from God that is "answered", it might be better to understand the act of praying to be like a prophet announcing God's will and expressing agreement or submission to God's will by saying "Amen". The person praying should be inspired by the Holy Spirit to know that God is going to do whatever is said in the prayer. It should not be asking but announcing.

 

[cloudyday2]

To answer the question in the OP more directly, I hate when people ask me to pray for something - particularly a collective verbal prayer. Ideally I would like for whatever I pray to happen, because that will make egotistical me look good. I don't want to ask for somebody's leg to grow back, because I think that is impossible. Essentially the prayer is a charade where I pretend to care about the person and I pretend to ask God to help the person, but actually I only hope to make myself look compassionate.

But I'm sure there are many people who pray in a more sincere way than me LOL

 

[eleos1954]

Interesting, what you see if you observe Christians praying.
They pray for things which, really, might happen anyway, if they get lucky.

They pray for a friend to be healed. Well, people do recover from illnesses all the time. But you never see Christians praying for a person's leg to grow back.
Is it because they know God wouldn't do this (even though - if He exists - He certainly has the power to)?

Christians pray for people who have suffered a bereavement to find peace. Well, of course, people usually do get over their feelings of grief, sooner or later. But they hardly ever pray for a person to be brought back to life.
Christians claim that God is quite capable of bringing people back to life.
Do they not ask Him to because they know that God doesn't actually answer prayers for impossible things?

Christians pray for people suffering cancer to have the strength to face their ordeal. Maybe they even pray for the cancer to vanish. But they never pray for all cancer all over the world to vanish and never return. I wonder why?
Maybe they know that, no matter how hard they pray, that just isn't going to happen.

Um. Do Christians actually secretly know that God isn't real?
They certainly don't seem to act like He's real.

Very confusing.

God is all knowing ... knows the beginning to the end ... knows what is going to happen before it happens. Sometimes He intervenes ... sometimes not. We trust in His judgement in these matters because He knows everything, loves us and we love Him.

This world is lost to sin. This world is difficult to navigate through ... through our relationship with the Lord He helps us to endure the worldly pitfalls and all of it's pain and sufferings, including our own.

He is very honest in His Word .... tells us it will not be an easy life in this sinful world ... but ... for us to have faith and walk as Jesus walked and when He returns .... all this sinful world and it's dire consequences will be no more. AMEN!

We are in the middle of a spiritual war (between the good of God and the evil of satan) ... but we also know the war has been won by Jesus ... so He helps us endure and we wait for His return when He will gather up all "the survivors" and end this mess for eternity. He will return when everyone has made their decision (for Him or against Him) ... until that time (which He only knows when) there are more people to be saved for eternity.

When He returns all those in Him will be resurrected, given new bodies and receive eternal life with Him ... where there will be no more pain or sorrow of any kind .... for eternity in a new earth and heavens that He will create.

It's really not so much about this life ... it's about the next one. ;o)

Life after earthly death ... consider it.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Mmmm. I just prayed the Our Father. Not for the first time, by the way. We used to pray it all the time in school.
Okay. Is something going to happen now?
I mean, "Christians do pray for impossible things, and you can do it too, by praying "Our Father" does rather encourage high expectations.

As if ...you actually prayed that prayer. Yeah, right.

... y'know, I could be wrong, but I think that contextually, where the Lord's Prayer is concerned specifically, there's a bit more "to it" than just doing what a lot of folks do with it when they attempt to "say it." Yeah, there's a little bit more to the Lord's Prayer than just moving one's lips and expediting the loss of a gloss of saliva.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I'm wrong about lots of things all the time. Maybe I'm wrong here. Can you show me how I am?
Maybe I missed it earlier, but as far as I can see, all I've done is ask a question and not yet got an answer.

The answer is: Prayer isn't about getting what you want.

 

[Lukaris]

Interesting, what you see if you observe Christians praying.
They pray for things which, really, might happen anyway, if they get lucky.

They pray for a friend to be healed. Well, people do recover from illnesses all the time. But you never see Christians praying for a person's leg to grow back.
Is it because they know God wouldn't do this (even though - if He exists - He certainly has the power to)?

Christians pray for people who have suffered a bereavement to find peace. Well, of course, people usually do get over their feelings of grief, sooner or later. But they hardly ever pray for a person to be brought back to life.
Christians claim that God is quite capable of bringing people back to life.
Do they not ask Him to because they know that God doesn't actually answer prayers for impossible things?

Christians pray for people suffering cancer to have the strength to face their ordeal. Maybe they even pray for the cancer to vanish. But they never pray for all cancer all over the world to vanish and never return. I wonder why?
Maybe they know that, no matter how hard they pray, that just isn't going to happen.

Um. Do Christians actually secretly know that God isn't real?
They certainly don't seem to act like He's real.

Very confusing.

If you believe the source of knowing right from wrong is God in which you base your conscience it is not confusing.

Deuteronomy 6:1-6, Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 7:1-12, Matthew 19:16-19 these are the ultimates & basics of life. If you think the commandments of life are from God then you believe in God. If you think these are merely “evolution” then you do not. These exist within a world in which we live & die. A Christian understands this & something greater: John 16:33, John 3:16-21 etc.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Interesting, what you see if you observe Christians praying.
They pray for things which, really, might happen anyway, if they get lucky.

They pray for a friend to be healed. Well, people do recover from illnesses all the time. But you never see Christians praying for a person's leg to grow back.
Is it because they know God wouldn't do this (even though - if He exists - He certainly has the power to)?

Christians pray for people who have suffered a bereavement to find peace. Well, of course, people usually do get over their feelings of grief, sooner or later. But they hardly ever pray for a person to be brought back to life.
Christians claim that God is quite capable of bringing people back to life.
Do they not ask Him to because they know that God doesn't actually answer prayers for impossible things?

Christians pray for people suffering cancer to have the strength to face their ordeal. Maybe they even pray for the cancer to vanish. But they never pray for all cancer all over the world to vanish and never return. I wonder why?
Maybe they know that, no matter how hard they pray, that just isn't going to happen.

Um. Do Christians actually secretly know that God isn't real?
They certainly don't seem to act like He's real.

Very confusing.

Supplications vary from one Christian to another. The outcome of those supplications have nothing to do with the reality of God`s existence. In other words, having our supplication answered is not the basis of our faith.
We do not have a relationship with our Lord and Savior just to "get things" from Him or to " get our way" when we need it. We have a regenerated condition through the power of the Holy Spirit that brings us into the Kingdom of God in unity.
What we experience in the flesh, whether positive or negative, has no bearing on our unity with the Father which will last forever.
A true Christian's faith will not be shaken.

Be blessed.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I'm wrong about lots of things all the time. Maybe I'm wrong here. Can you show me how I am?
Maybe I missed it earlier, but as far as I can see, all I've done is ask a question and not yet got an answer.

Adding to my previous post:
You may be surprised to know that true Christians mostly pray in thanks to our Lord. We have so much to be thankful for! Be blessed.

 

[cvanwey]

Christians do pray for the end of cancer, for the dead to be raised, for legs to grow back. We pray for all of that when we pray for God's kingdom to come. Moreover, we believe it will all happen.

For sake in brevity, lets assume, for now, that God both exists, as well as answers prayers at some rate...

Christians claim God answers both intercessory and petitionary prayers. --- Prayers by which God answers, while the person/people are still alive on this earth, before God ultimately returns.

Okay, that being established...

Seems odd that God 'appears' to skip right over the following prayer requests - (with what looks to be just about 100% of the time)?:

- A prayer to remove their child's diagnosed Down's syndrome.
- A prayer to restore/return a loved one's missing limb(s), for which they were born with...
- A prayer to remove their child's diagnosed Cerebral Palsy

Why do these (3) requests above, look to thus far remain on God's perpetual unanswered list?

 

[cvanwey]

[STAFF EDITED DELETED QUOTE]

I'm conceding the possibility that God does answer prayers? And if He does, why does He seem to always skip over the (3) requests, as stated (Downs, amputees, and CP)? If you care to actually engage fruitfully, great. If not, I was not asking you anyways

 

[mama2one]

nm

 

[mama2one]

nm

 

[cvanwey]

God does not skip over amputees...

my grandma lost a leg when she was a child

she had a great sense of humor, determination, & kindness
maybe because of what she went through shaped her into the person she became & best woman I've ever known

Are you suggesting that God chose for your grandma to loose her leg, and also that God maybe denied prayer requests to have her leg back, so her "sense of humor, determination, & kindness" would increase?

Furthermore, is this the same for [any and all people] born with Down's syndrome, missing limbs, and Cerebral Palsy? God never answers the call to reverse any of these such conditions, ever, because He sees they are all better off in their current state?

 

[Halbhh]

A main mistake many make before they learn deeper/better about Christ is to assume they already know all about Him and what He said...

It doesn't work that way, not even if you are brilliant. It won't make you understand to have read through the New Testament. Not even if you have a good memory and are a good reader. It's not enough. Something else is required -- a real seeking effort and a more complete and real listening (where instead of objecting or talking over the words, one is trying to better understand them more deeply, which is a very humble thing to do!).

A second mistake commonly made (I bet most everyone has done this) is to assume some premise in a question instead of actually first trying to better examine that premise, as the primary step.

It's turns out that plenty of Christians have prayed for things that just cannot happen on their own typically. Even to the level of things most people would consider fantastically rare or just 'impossible' events. But notice something here(!) -- if it happens, then was it actually "impossible"....? Words can be tricky, when you want to assume something... A person might think some event would be impossible, and then find out it happened...and then suddenly their definition of what is 'impossible' gets changed. They just move the goal posts.

So, instead of 'impossible' -- too slippery and prone to reinterpretation constantly -- I suggest one should consider events that would not happen on their own at a given moment in time, or be fantastically unlikely, as a more clear kind of thing that isn't so malleable as the word 'impossible', though perhaps this is criteria is merely my preference from having a background in physics.

Interesting, what you see if you observe Christians praying.
They pray for things which, really, might happen anyway, if they get lucky.

They pray for a friend to be healed. Well, people do recover from illnesses all the time. But you never see Christians praying for a person's leg to grow back.
Is it because they know God wouldn't do this (even though - if He exists - He certainly has the power to)?

Christians pray for people who have suffered a bereavement to find peace. Well, of course, people usually do get over their feelings of grief, sooner or later. But they hardly ever pray for a person to be brought back to life.
Christians claim that God is quite capable of bringing people back to life.
Do they not ask Him to because they know that God doesn't actually answer prayers for impossible things?

Christians pray for people suffering cancer to have the strength to face their ordeal. Maybe they even pray for the cancer to vanish. But they never pray for all cancer all over the world to vanish and never return. I wonder why?
Maybe they know that, no matter how hard they pray, that just isn't going to happen.

Um. Do Christians actually secretly know that God isn't real?
They certainly don't seem to act like He's real.

Very confusing.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

There's been a number of good points here, and I'm happy to agree with Halbhh's point about "extremely improbable things that couldn't happen by themselves" - though I think most people would be happy to describe "coming back from the dead" or "re-growing an amputated limb" as "impossible," in common, everyday parlance. but have it your way.

I think, however, the discussion is straying rather off topic. Let's bring it back. Because there is a clear and simple point here, and I'd quite like to see an answer, and I'm afraid I haven't yet.

And it's this:
Christians do ask God for things. We can just take that as a given. No strawmen, please, about how God isn't a genie to give you anything you ask for; nobody's saying He is. No "No True Scotsmen" arguments, please, about how real Christians never ask God for anything. Let's focus on the real issue.

Look at this, on Christian Forums: Prayer Wall
Christians, everyday, normal Christians, asking God for things. And, in general, I have sympathy with what they're asking for. On the first page alone - pray that a sick friend may be healed, pray that I might get over depression, pray that a bruise on my hand goes away, pray that forest fires might go out and that people and animals might not be hurt. All of these prayers seem very carefully worded so that, if they're lucky, they might be "answered".

Why are they only asking God for things that might reasonably be expected to happen anyway? Why are they asking God for things that might, out of pure chance, luck or coincidence, be expected to happen anyway?

I think I know why God never answers impossible prayers, of course. Because I, as an atheist, believe that there is no God. If a Christian asks for something that might happen anyway, then sometimes it does. But if a Christian asks God to do something impossible, I do not expect that anything will happen, because I think there's no God to answer them.

Christians, on the other hand, think that God is real, that God does (at least sometimes) answer prayers, and that God is perfectly capable of working miracles.

So why do they never, ever ask God to do the impossible?

It would be really nice if someone could address this question instead of dodging it.

 

[mama2one]

nm