If God is all-knowing, and loving, why does *he* need prayer to know what someone wants?

Question

Does God really *NEED* prayer/s? I'm thinking God already knows everything and doens't need man's help to figure things out . . . now I could be wrong though. It could be God's only weak link in his armor . . . that the only thing he needs is our prayer.

Isn't prayer REALLY for the individual? AND if we do pray, shouldn't it just be to pray for God's will to be done as it's done and that we can have the strength to accept it? Isn't it a little like asking Santa what we want for Christmas when we ask God to meet our selfish needs and desires?

Answer 1

What are you doing applying logic to religion?! Get outta here logic, you don't belong!

Answer 2

Like when you were a kid and you wanted something,your ma knew that you did, but you didn't ask and so didn't get it. Same principle here. And it says in the Bible ask and it shall be given. The point is, if your are a Christian, you would want what Jesus would want,and therefore your prayers shouldn't be self-centered/corrupt. Some people lose sight though. And on a side note, God isn't selfish. He works kind of in a way that you have to trust him for him to bless you. Would you want to provide for someone who ignores you and takes credit for your deeds on the constant? Neither does he.

Answer 3

A real question. Good thinking.



The need god has for our prayers is not so much in what we say as in the act of prayer as an act of willing relationship. It's real important TO god FOR god to be with you whenever you desire him. I think the closer we are to god in our prayers the closer we are to him always.



What a beautiful question. Thank you.

Answer 4

God doesn't need prayer, and prayer is not meant to get people what they want. Prayer is mainly to thank God for the good things about the world, to ask for help with person non-material things (like the strength to avoid a sin, or something like that), and mostly, I think, to bring the person into contact with God.



For example, if you are an adult, and you call up your parents, it is not always (I hope) or even usually to ask them for something. It's to have that contact and maintain your closeness.

Answer 5

God doesn't need us to pray in order to know what we want..



He provided the avenue of prayer as a means of communication.



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The local fast food place knows that people need to eat.



However, it takes the customer to come and get what they are hungry for.

Answer 6

If God were omniscient, that would mean that he knows every future event, including everything every person would ever think or want or do, before he even created the universe.



Of course, omniscience and free will are mutually exclusive, but hypothetically, prayer would serve no function at all, except as a placebo for the person offering the prayer.

Answer 7

I agree that asking for wants is not the correct way to pray. Calming onself and getting centered to connect with "God" or the universe or whatever one cares to call their Higher Power makes an individual stronger. God doesn't need you to pray. He doesn't have a chink. You have chinks and need strength to be strong.

Answer 8

He does not need our prayers. We need to pray, however.



He asks us to pray for our desires, but always trumping it with "his will" and not ours.



He is a Father who loves to give gifts and blessing to his kids. The problem is that we have a short term, earthly perspective and He has a long-term eternal perspective.

Answer 9

Prayer and praise to God is for our benefit. It keeps us connected and one with God. When you praise God, you gain strength from him. When we praise him, we empty our spirit to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. God knows what you need, he just wants you to know. That's why we pray and empty our mind to tap into the mind of God and find out what his will for us is. We must submit our will to the will of God when we pray. We ask for his will to be done over ours. Only then is failure an impossibility.

Answer 10

Prayer isn't just "asking" God for soemthing we want. Prayer is actually a way for us to PRAISE our God for all the good he's done and for all he's provided for us.

Answer 11

Yahweh needs the prayers because it has a very fragile ego. 40% of the Ten Commandments were about stroking Yahweh's self-esteem. Just think of the atrocities that could have been avoided in the world if Yahweh had just been a bit less selfish with the Big Ten. Maybe it could have talked about itself a bit later, during the tedious Leviticus, which is all about Yahweh's ego.

Answer 12

God has feelings: He is satisfied when someone offers Him a nice prayer. Even though He is great, He can be moved by our love. He responds to us according to how we approach Him.



“The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them.” —Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.4.68

Answer 13

Apparently he knows everything already, he just wants you to beg for it.

Answer 14

we pray because we enjoy to talk to God

Answer 15

simple. He probably doesn't exist.