How effective is Prayer…..Really?

Originally posted by VIKINGANT

Skyfloating/Bandit.
I totally agree. However, if they prayer in not for yourself but others are you at risk of harming them? What if your health is required for assisting others? I have 5 kids (6 and under) I need my health to work in order to feed and educate them so they can hopefuly do good things (including for God)

Stop needing your health and claim it as yours already. Be grateful that you already have health. That's how it works. God has no morals and no judgements (IMO) he will only give you what you believe in your heart to be true. When you say you need something, it's the same thing as saying you don't have it. When you are grateful for something, you are actually broadcasting to the creator that you have it already. To which the creator/God/everything that exists will reply by giving you more of what you are grateful for.

Needing is just another form of lack. Feelings of lack will only give you more reasons to feel that you are lacking.

I hope this helps...

The one thing I hate more then steamed beets is the very idea that prayers don't get answered because of our lack of faith.

The answer to this idea of prayer answering is pretty hard to prove one way or another. Some people can argue that it can take years for God to answer a prayer, so just because it has not happened right away does not mean that the answer isn't coming. People might also read into a wonderful looking sunset as an answer to a prayer for peace of mind...was it there anyway or did God make that particular sunset a touch prettier just for the prayee.

Nobody will ever really know. I do like this classic C.S. Lewis line though:

"We don't pray to change God. We pray to change ourselves."

If at the very least prayer gives a person a sense of comfort, peace, and hope then it is a good thing. I kind of hope that prayers don't get answered. Because that means that the God who hears them makes judgements on who gets their prayers answered, and who does not.

johnbigjohn,

People might also read into a wonderful looking sunset as an answer to a prayer for peace of mind...was it there anyway or did God make that particular sunset a touch prettier just for the prayee.

Yes God made the sunset and yes it is there every day, but the person making the prayer may not have noticed it until he/she prayed and God may have, through the movements of a tree branch or a bird flying by, brought the attention of the person towards the sunset….



Bandit,

I hope this helps...

Kinda.

Stop needing your health and claim it as yours already. Be grateful that you already have health. That's how it works. God has no morals and no judgements (IMO) he will only give you what you believe in your heart to be true. When you say you need something, it's the same thing as saying you don't have it. When you are grateful for something, you are actually broadcasting to the creator that you have it already. To which the creator/God/everything that exists will reply by giving you more of what you are grateful for.

I do understand what you are saying. It’s a matter of semantics. I don’t need MY health but I do need to be healthy. Otherwise what good am I to God or others. On the other hand, one could argue that in sickness I may be able to do good for god. EG, If I were hospitalised, I could be of comfort to someone worse off or I could meet someone needing to know god.

With that line of argument, you only need to pray “God, Thank you for my current situation no matter how crappy it might seem to me right now”

Needing is just another form of lack. Feelings of lack will only give you more reasons to feel that you are lacking.

We all NEED something. Air to breath, food to eat, warmth etc…
It is right to thank God when we receive these things but we also need to ask for the things we need as opposed to want.

We all know the lords prayer (or have at least heard it at some stage in their life). As you it comes from the disciples asking Jesus HOW to pray so he gave them (and us) a format, or template if you will for prayer. Lets break it down.


Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
(Adresses God and acknowledges is holiness)
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
(Recognises that things will be done is accordance with his plan)
Give us today our daily bread.
(Asking for what we NEED)
Forgive us our sins
(Asking for what we NEED)
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
(Asking for what we NEED)
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
(Signing off and reaffirming his greatness)

I dunno about the whole Lords prayer being a template idea man, I kinda think that the message intended in the Lords prayer is top be "spontaneous" when speaking to God and not to be ritualistic in your approach. After all God is supposed to be your buddy as well as your superior.

reply to post by sacerd


That is exactly the point. People recite the prayer as if it holds magical powers, but it is a reminder of the fact that we should pray and gives us a guideline of what we should pray for and how to pray.

After Jesus taught the ‘Lords Prayer to the Disciples, he then went on to say

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

So in essence, we are meant to ask for stuff. Just not ridiculous stuff we don’t need or with selfish motives.

Originally posted by VIKINGANT
reply to post by sacerd

 

That is exactly the point. People recite the prayer as if it holds magical powers, but it is a reminder of the fact that we should pray and gives us a guideline of what we should pray for and how to pray.

I must not of understood what you meant by your post then, I was reading it as if you thought that the Lords Prayer was a template that you say before dinner or bedtime. My mistake.

I've always wondered why good, pious, Christians in some third world countries; end up starving to death. Surely they must pray for sustenance, for themselves and their children. Still they starve.

Apparently there must be some variable that I can't understand as to the effectiveness of prayer.

reply to post by whaaa


I guess that is part of what I am asking. Sorta like the War stories my Granfather used to tell me and the reason he had no belief in God.

He said he would hear soldiers near him in the middle of gunfire etc praying for god to save them. My Granfathers thinking was why would god save one man and allow the man next to him to be taken even though they were both praying.

My Grandfather on the other hand never prayed yet made it through the war to tell me the stories.......

i'll take will power over prayer any day.

didn't "god" make us in his own image apearently? so why do we need to prey when we can get through the hard times ourselves ?

praying is like degrading yourself as what you really are and relying on something else to do the work for you. if you really want something to change in your life you need to focus on it and work on it yourself.

positive thoughts and kindness will take you a long way.

reply to post by jaden_x

Isn't prayer essentially will power and positive thought?
We may be made in Gods Image but if Jesus WAS god and he prayed should we also not pray?

Positive thoughts and kindness does little but give you warm fuzzies, as does prayer in some respects.

Just a thought.....

God does answer prayers and even sometimes we have to be careful what we pray for cuz God will get what we ask for to teach us a lession. But God does answer to our will or when we want them. God works on his own time and his own will.

And I think we should remember that the bible says to have answered prayers that we must follow the laws of God the ten commandments. For why would God answer if we are not faithful and not working.