Why do Christians never pray for impossible things?

[InterestedAtheist]

answered
post 38

Was that for me?
I've had plenty of responses, but since none of them addressed the question they can hardly be called answers.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

1 Samuel 1:27
did and God answered

Please could you clarify, because I can't see this as answering my question.

 

[mama2one]

nm

 

[InterestedAtheist]

God answered my prayers with our miracle child

how is that not an answer?

You wouldn't mind giving a little more context, would you? It's hard to work out exactly what you mean from just a few words.
Are you saying that, for some reason, you were unable to have a child, and you prayed to God, and you believe He answered your prayer?

 

[mama2one]

nm

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Okay. So you prayed for a child and got one. Congratulations. I take it there is more to this story...?

 

[mama2one]

nm

 

[InterestedAtheist]

could write a book on all the impossible
but yes I prayed for the impossible & God answered

it's what faith can do....move mountains
hope helped a lot, also

Sorry, I'm not a mind reader, and I really don't know what you're saying. If you wish to make a point, you'll need to explain yourself.

 

[mama2one]

nm

 

[Dansiph]

Thank you. I appreciate your sincerity.
But I still wonder. Why do Christians never pray to God for impossible things?

I don't really have much input on this of my own but I did think it could be useful to consider Jesus' teaching in Matthew:

Mat 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Mat 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Hopefully that helps in some way.

 

[Moral Orel]

can't say it anymore succinctly

I prayed for the impossible & God answered my prayer

so I'm answering your thread title...
I'm a Christian & I did pray for the impossible!

Why was it "impossible" for you to have a child?

 

[InterestedAtheist]

can't say it anymore succinctly

I prayed for the impossible & God answered my prayer

so I'm answering your thread title...
I'm a Christian & I did pray for the impossible!

I think I'd rather you didn't say it more succinctly.
In what way did you pray for the impossible? I don't want to go into embarrassing or private details, and maybe you don't want to tell me the particulars.
My thread title is "Why do Christians never pray for impossible things." Of course, I have already, in this thread, said that Christians occasionally do - the story of the parents and congregation who prayed, unsuccessfully, for a dead child to come back to life.

So if you want to address the actual topic, please tell me why you think - your own happy experience aside - Christians generally don't pray for impossible things to happen.

That's the question I'm interested in. And I'm also becoming increasingly curious about the fact that nobody seems to want to answer it.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I don't really have much input on this of my own but I did think it could be useful ton consider Jesus' teaching in Matthew:

Mat 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Mat 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Hopefully that helps in some way.

Not really, I'm afraid. Thanks all the same, though.

 

[Dansiph]

Not really, I'm afraid. Thanks all the same, though.

I wouldn't usually continue but I feel like Jesus' words directly address your questions.

You questioned Christian belief and faith and Jesus addresses that and he also addresses praying for the "impossible".

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I wouldn't usually continue but I feel like Jesus' words directly address your questions.

You questioned Christian belief and faith and Jesus addresses that and he also addresses praying for the "impossible".

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand your point. If you could take the time to explain it, I'd be grateful.

If I am reading this correctly, then Jesus is indeed saying that prayers can be answered, and that you can ask for things in prayer, and they will be granted. Even "impossible" things.

So this leaves me with the same question as before: if God can and does answer prayers, and does - at least sometimes - give people what they ask for, then why do they always ask for things that might happen anyway, but never ask for things that would never happen without the intervention of God?

Why do Christians never ask for impossible things?

 

[Dansiph]

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand your point. If you could take the time to explain it, I'd be grateful.

If I am reading this correctly, then Jesus is indeed saying that prayers can be answered, and that you can ask for things in prayer, and they will be granted. Even "impossible" things.

So this leaves me with the same question as before: if God can and does answer prayers, and does - at least sometimes - give people what they ask for, then why do they always ask for things that might happen anyway, but never ask for things that would never happen without the intervention of God?

Why do Christians never ask for impossible things?

I recommend studying who Christians believe Jesus is and those verses in depth.

How are we supposed to know why God does or doesn't answer a prayer? I think the incredible difference in how we see God is a huge obstacle to discussion tbh. I don't know the motives of billions of Christians and their prayer life.

Why would God just answer everyone's prayers? It wouldn't work.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I recommend studying who Christians believe Jesus is and those verses in depth.

How are we supposed to know why God does or doesn't answer a prayer? I think the incredible difference in how we see God is a huge obstacle to discussion tbh. I don't know the motives of billions of Christians and their prayer life.

Why would God just answer everyone's prayers? It wouldn't work.

But you're missing the point.
I didn't say God should answer everyone's prayers.
And I'm not asking about God's motivations at all.

I am just wondering why Christians, who often ask God for things in prayer, never ask Him for impossible things.

I mean, I, as an atheist, believe that impossible prayers will never be answered, because I think God doesn't exist. But Christians believe God does exist, and they believe that He sometimes answers prayers by giving them what they ask for.

So why do they only ask for things that might happen anyway?

Why do they never ask for impossible things?

As far as I can tell, nobody has even tried to answer this question in this thread. I wish they would.

 

[RDKirk]

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.

It's rarely possible to believe that "impossible things" are within God's will.

 

[Dansiph]

But you're missing the point.
I didn't say God should answer everyone's prayers.
And I'm not asking about God's motivations at all.

I am just wondering why Christians, who often ask God for things in prayer, never ask Him for impossible things.

I mean, I, as an atheist, believe that impossible prayers will never be answered, because I think God doesn't exist. But Christians believe God does exist, and they believe that He sometimes answers prayers by giving them what they ask for.

So why do they only ask for things that might happen anyway?

Why do they never ask for impossible things?

As far as I can tell, nobody has even tried to answer this question in this thread. I wish they would.

I did answer the question, I said I don't know.

I have personally prayed for things I thought were impossible. Even things that I believed God would not grant no matter what.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I did answer the question, I said I don't know.

I have personally prayed for things I thought were impossible. Even things that I believed God would not grant no matter what.

Oh well...fair enough, "I don't know" is certainly an honest answer.