I'm wondering what prayer does

[Anonymous]

After reading the replies and theological non-sense/arguing in this thread, I'm going to go with "nothing".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After reading the replies and theological non-sense/arguing in this thread, I'm going to go with "nothing".

I would go with "nothing" in terms of getting prayers answered (intercessory prayer) , but something in terms of becoming calm and more relaxed than before prayer (meditative prayer, or simply "meditation").

[Anonymous]

I would like to try, even though it's argument unsupported by experience, to resurrect the idea that prayer can help good things to happen. To anyone who has studied Christian theology, it is undeniable that God knew everything that was going to happen since the dawn of time. Therefore, God sees time as one eternal present. But that's not how we see it. God has known since the dawn of time who was going to pray and who was not. But that's not how we, as mutable beings, perceive it. To us, it appears that we have a choice about whether to pray or not. It may be that God created time in such a way that those whom he created to be people who pray get their prayers answered. There is absolutely no evidence for this and doesn't comport to my experience, but I suppose it's possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like to try, even though it's argument unsupported by experience, to resurrect the idea that prayer can help good things to happen. To anyone who has studied Christian theology, it is undeniable that God knew everything that was going to happen since the dawn of time. Therefore, God sees time as one eternal present. But that's not how we see it. God has known since the dawn of time who was going to pray and who was not. But that's not how we, as mutable beings, perceive it. To us, it appears that we have a choice about whether to pray or not. It may be that God created time in such a way that those whom he created to be people who pray get their prayers answered. There is absolutely no evidence for this and doesn't comport to my experience, but I suppose it's possible.

Most people who pray or practice a religion have never studied theology and so are not bothered by the issues you raise. Perhaps you should try not letting your knowledge and intellect interfere with your desire to pray. Maybe prayer doesn't "work" in the way you would like, in terms of altering outcomes, but it may have other benefits, like centering, feelings of calmness, and a psychological sense that you are doing something in situations when there is seemingly nothing you can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to try, even though it's argument unsupported by experience, to resurrect the idea that prayer can help good things to happen. To anyone who has studied Christian theology, it is undeniable that God knew everything that was going to happen since the dawn of time. Therefore, God sees time as one eternal present. But that's not how we see it. God has known since the dawn of time who was going to pray and who was not. But that's not how we, as mutable beings, perceive it. To us, it appears that we have a choice about whether to pray or not. It may be that God created time in such a way that those whom he created to be people who pray get their prayers answered. There is absolutely no evidence for this and doesn't comport to my experience, but I suppose it's possible.

Most people who pray or practice a religion have never studied theology and so are not bothered by the issues you raise. Perhaps you should try not letting your knowledge and intellect interfere with your desire to pray. Maybe prayer doesn't "work" in the way you would like, in terms of altering outcomes, but it may have other benefits, like centering, feelings of calmness, and a psychological sense that you are doing something in situations when there is seemingly nothing you can do.

Thanks, I used to pray all the time, but it never did me or the people I was praying for any good. I've lost all desire to pray now that I've retired and am approaching my later years.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

But as you can see, there are many different views on what god can/can't or will/won't do, or even if there is a god out there decided which prayers to answer and which not to answer. What we do know, from our limited human experience, is that some of the things we pray for happen and some don't. It seems pretty random. Maybe it is.

Prayer, however, does seem to have some calming effect on the person praying, as long as they don't expect to have their prayer answered

[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.

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.

[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.

Some will just have to go through Hell on Earth to get there?

OP here again. The boy's family is taking comfort in the prayers being offered. Which means the prayer is doing what it was likely expected to do.

[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.

Some will just have to go through Hell on Earth to get there?

OP here again. The boy's family is taking comfort in the prayers being offered. Which means the prayer is doing what it was likely expected to do.

Try reading 2 Corinthians 4: "For our light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory that is beyond all comparison. So we keep our eyes on what is unseen, not what is unseen. For what is unseen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Suffering is hard. The LORD Jesus suffered on the cross and died so that you can look forward to an eternal weight of glory with Him that will make you forget all about your earthly troubles. The Bible has the answers to this. Look to the LORD and ask for strength and deliverance. This world will pass away. It has been made imperfect by man's sin. But the LORD Jesus Christ will make perfect all those who believe in him.

Here is another passage from 2 Corinthians 2: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him." It is hard to do, but do not focus on this earth. It will pass away. You will pass away. Eternity with the LORD will not pass away. It is beyond our imaginings, but God will wipe away every tear from our eyes for eternity (this is in Revelation). If you focus on this world and keep asking why bad things happen, you will never experience the peace that the LORD has prepared for you if you will just ask. That is what prayer is for.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, the second citations is 1 Corinthians 2.

[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.

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.

Some will just have to go through Hell on Earth to get there?

OP here again. The boy's family is taking comfort in the prayers being offered. Which means the prayer is doing what it was likely expected to do.

Try reading 2 Corinthians 4: "For our light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory that is beyond all comparison. So we keep our eyes on what is unseen, not what is unseen. For what is unseen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Suffering is hard. The LORD Jesus suffered on the cross and died so that you can look forward to an eternal weight of glory with Him that will make you forget all about your earthly troubles. The Bible has the answers to this. Look to the LORD and ask for strength and deliverance. This world will pass away. It has been made imperfect by man's sin. But the LORD Jesus Christ will make perfect all those who believe in him.

Here is another passage from 2 Corinthians 2: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him." It is hard to do, but do not focus on this earth. It will pass away. You will pass away. Eternity with the LORD will not pass away. It is beyond our imaginings, but God will wipe away every tear from our eyes for eternity (this is in Revelation). If you focus on this world and keep asking why bad things happen, you will never experience the peace that the LORD has prepared for you if you will just ask. That is what prayer is for.

No thanks. If prayer is supposed to bring comfort, it is. That's all I wanted to know. Minus the bible study.