I'm wondering what prayer does

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty much in the nothing camp in answer to the OP's question. I view prayer as a crutch at best. I was watching the news interview a man in one of the small Virginia tornadoes yesterday. He said he wasn't scared because he prayed to God to protect him. And he was fine.

But there are so many people who pray not to be killed, for their kids to survive cancer, etc. and they die anyhow. I can't reconcile that. Is God playing favorites?

And in a way when people ask for prayers, especially from people they don't even know, it almost seems like it's sort of a popularity contest, whoever gets the most prayers gets to survive.

I do tell people who ask for prayers that I am keeping them in my thoughts (which I do) and hoping for the best outcome. That kind of positivity and support I do think is valuable.

[Anonymous]

This is my take on prayer--Prayer is a call and response in one's relationship with God. It isn't a vending machine to get wants and needs met in exactly the way we want/need them met. It's about relationship with Spirit. People who believe in God talk to and try to hear/listen/ see how God is caring for them. If one doesn't believe in god then, yes, prayer means nothing to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

For everyone who mentions that God could have cured someone but didn't, do you think we are immortal? We will all die.

But God cured us all through Christ. Those who believe in Him will have eternal life. So yes, God is listening. He gave his only begotten Son for us.

Maybe god can't say yes to every prayer he hears but it seems like he could have had more than one son if he wanted to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

For everyone who mentions that God could have cured someone but didn't, do you think we are immortal? We will all die.

But God cured us all through Christ. Those who believe in Him will have eternal life. So yes, God is listening. He gave his only begotten Son for us.

Maybe god can't say yes to every prayer he hears but it seems like he could have had more than one son if he wanted to.

And perhaps he did. There are billions of stars with planets capable of supporting life in our galaxy. Then, on top of that, there are billions of galaxies. The thought that God's only begotten son just happened to be on one planet at the outer fringe of one of billions and billions of solar systems in nonsense. Undoubtedly, there are billions and billions of other civilizations who believe the same thing about one of their people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

I don't think God could have cured her. I mean I guess that is not really accurate. He is all powerful so he can cure people. But I think God just set the ball in motion years ago and what happens happen and he isn't going to intervene. I don't think God is going around granting wishes or performing miracles because how could an all loving God pick and choose. It wouldn't be kind of loving for him to cure my mom but not cure a baby with cancer. You know?

So yeah, I guess to me prayer is just there to give me strength and peace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

I don't think God could have cured her. I mean I guess that is not really accurate. He is all powerful so he can cure people. But I think God just set the ball in motion years ago and what happens happen and he isn't going to intervene. I don't think God is going around granting wishes or performing miracles because how could an all loving God pick and choose. It wouldn't be kind of loving for him to cure my mom but not cure a baby with cancer. You know?

So yeah, I guess to me prayer is just there to give me strength and peace.

But what's so loving about a God who can't or doesn't cure sick people? It seems like the loving thing to do would be to cure everyone - no need to pick and choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

I don't think God could have cured her. I mean I guess that is not really accurate. He is all powerful so he can cure people. But I think God just set the ball in motion years ago and what happens happen and he isn't going to intervene. I don't think God is going around granting wishes or performing miracles because how could an all loving God pick and choose. It wouldn't be kind of loving for him to cure my mom but not cure a baby with cancer. You know?

So yeah, I guess to me prayer is just there to give me strength and peace.

But what's so loving about a God who can't or doesn't cure sick people? It seems like the loving thing to do would be to cure everyone - no need to pick and choose.

You mean make everyone immortal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

I don't think God could have cured her. I mean I guess that is not really accurate. He is all powerful so he can cure people. But I think God just set the ball in motion years ago and what happens happen and he isn't going to intervene. I don't think God is going around granting wishes or performing miracles because how could an all loving God pick and choose. It wouldn't be kind of loving for him to cure my mom but not cure a baby with cancer. You know?

So yeah, I guess to me prayer is just there to give me strength and peace.

But what's so loving about a God who can't or doesn't cure sick people? It seems like the loving thing to do would be to cure everyone - no need to pick and choose.

You mean make everyone immortal?

People could just die in their sleep, or die quickly in accidents when there is no time to pray, and then the good ones would become immortal when they went to heaven, as they do now. The others would die peacefully, then burn for eternity. But that's not the way God did it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

I don't think God could have cured her. I mean I guess that is not really accurate. He is all powerful so he can cure people. But I think God just set the ball in motion years ago and what happens happen and he isn't going to intervene. I don't think God is going around granting wishes or performing miracles because how could an all loving God pick and choose. It wouldn't be kind of loving for him to cure my mom but not cure a baby with cancer. You know?

So yeah, I guess to me prayer is just there to give me strength and peace.

But what's so loving about a God who can't or doesn't cure sick people? It seems like the loving thing to do would be to cure everyone - no need to pick and choose.

You mean make everyone immortal?

No. OP here.

What kind of a loving God puts a child through all of this? Down Syndrome wasn't enough. (He manages just fine with that) Here, have cancer...twice.. before you're 11. Let's see how much you and your family can learn about compassion and suffering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always used prayer as more of a meditative device. God doesn't grant wishes IMO (and experience). However, praying to God does allow me to look inward and to focus and to gain strength to get through some rough times.

If you're not asking for God to grant wishes, what are you asking from him? Why not meditate, instead of praying to someone who you don't think is listening? or is listening, but not dong anything?

I am asking him to give me the strength to get through whatever it is I am experiencing. He is not a genie. I do think he is listening. I just don't think his answer is to grant whatever it is I think I need in life. So for example, when my mom was dying I did pray for him to cure her. it did not happen. What prayer did was give me someone to turn to when everything was so horrible. It gave me strength to get through it all. It provided me with peace.

Op here. This is what I don't understand. God apparently could have cured her but simply chose not to.

I'm sorry for your loss, but glad you found peace.

I don't think God could have cured her. I mean I guess that is not really accurate. He is all powerful so he can cure people. But I think God just set the ball in motion years ago and what happens happen and he isn't going to intervene. I don't think God is going around granting wishes or performing miracles because how could an all loving God pick and choose. It wouldn't be kind of loving for him to cure my mom but not cure a baby with cancer. You know?

So yeah, I guess to me prayer is just there to give me strength and peace.

But what's so loving about a God who can't or doesn't cure sick people? It seems like the loving thing to do would be to cure everyone - no need to pick and choose.

I get that I really do. I struggled a lot with that after my mom passed. I don't know that I have the best answer because nothing tested my faith like losing her. I don't believe God causes bad things to happen. It could be bad luck, or bad people, or just the mere fact that we live in a world where we are human and mortal and the laws of nature are inflexible. In my mind, God hates suffering, but can't eliminate it. It was part of the deal when we were given free will. I also don't necessarily believe in miracles, in modern day. I don't think someone suddenly going into remission is a miracle from God, but rather one from medicine.
So again to me the purpose of prayer is not to get a miracle but rather to receive help for overcoming or working through the pain.
And I have to believe that the reward of heaven is so great that the way God shows how much he loves us is to let us find peace in heaven.

I don't know, to be honest I think religion and faith is so hard to think about in a logical manner. Of course it doesn't make sense that there is suffering in the world if God loves us and if he is omnipotent. I am sorry about what is happening. I hope that you and yours can find peace and light and strength through this time.

[Anonymous]

In many ways, the simpler, more logical and more compassionate answer is that there is no god.

But that means giving up the idea that there is someone listening and that an eternity in heaven is awaiting those who believe.

[Anonymous]

God does not exist to ensure that nothing has ever happens to good people. Prayer is for bringing oneself closer to God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God does not exist to ensure that nothing has ever happens to good people. Prayer is for bringing oneself closer to God.

Why does god exist (assuming he does)? And what is the value of bringing oneself closer to God?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God does not exist to ensure that nothing has ever happens to good people. Prayer is for bringing oneself closer to God.

Why does god exist (assuming he does)? And what is the value of bringing oneself closer to God?

Offhand, I can't think of any value -- God can't be depended upon to answer prayers or prevent bad things from happening. He's less dependable than human family and friends - or even government services (e.g., the fire dept). Some people feel he's there, but others don't and there is no physical evidence that he is. He gives the promise of eternal life to some of his believers, but removes it, according to some religions, from people who can't bring themselves to believe in him, replacing it with eternal suffering.

[Anonymous]

Christian here and I struggle with this issue sometimes some of the pp have given decent answers

First Basic background on the why bad stuff happens to good people question

1. God created things it was perfect
2. Human beings messed up and sin entered the world (world no longer perfect)
3. Bad stuff happens to all people

Also God is a jealous God he wants glory and worship and honor if everything was perfect there would be no point to worship, commune need God

Now as a Christian why am I here

1. To love God
2. To love other people
3. To tell other people about God

Prayer helps with all 3

1. Prayer can be a form of worship to God
2. Prayer can help me focus away from myself and towards the needs of others (I think practically this might be the strongest one this even goes for non-Christians)
3. Prayer can be a form of witness to others about God

Hope this helps