What's the deal with prayer?

Question

I don't understand prayer. First of all, it's basically bugging God to change his divine plan to match the person's whim. Second, people ask others to pray for selfish reasons. Why would God listen to more than one person praying and not just one? Would the power of more than one person praying make God hear you better?

Answer 1

How about the prayers where people just basically praise, thank, and glorify God? Doesn't God already know he's great and wonderful and all that? Why does he need people to tell him this? Must be an ego thing. Prayer is just a waste of breath, no better than wishing on a star.



Btw, there is supposed to be a Perseids meteor shower coming up soon, peaking on Aug. 12-13, so everyone will have plenty of opportunities to wish on a falling star. I suggest we all make a list of wishes (or "prayer requests" as the religious would say) to have handy.

Answer 2

I am a Mormon, and in my religion, we believe that God created prayer as a way for His children to communicate with Him while we are living in this life on the earth. You don't pray just to ask for things, or to be greedy (which you should never do because that's not really praying). Rather, you can pray to give thanks to God for all that He has given you. You can pray on behalf of another person. You can pray when you are having a problem and need an answer. I've prayed when I've felt scared or alone-just prayed to feel comforted and at peace.

Answers to prayers don't always come right away, and you shouldn't expect them to. The Lord will answer you prayers at the right time, in different ways. You won't necessarily hear a voice telling you something. Maybe someone will do something for you a couple of days later that really helped you out. Maybe you will flip open to a page in the Bible one day that completely answers a question you have or helps you make a decision. When it comes to prayer, answers come in the Lord's time, not our own. We have to be patient and have the faith that He will answer our prayer because He loves us.

Your Heavenly Father will hear you just fine even if it is just you praying. He just wants to hear from you, His child.

Answer 3

Not everyone believes that prayer consists only of requests for the satisfaction of whims. Maybe prayer is a two-way conversation.



Off the top of my head, you've gotta wonder who provides the more fulfilling relationship--the grandma you only call when you need cash, or the one you hang out with and listen to because their advice is pretty good?

Answer 4

Most people don't know how to pray to the true God!

I wouldn't trade the power of prayer for any other in the world!

Answer 5

Well, I don't think that prayer is always about selfish reasons. I often see people asking prayer for other people and not for themselves.



Prayer is about communication with God.



Just to give you an idea: When I pray, I talk with God, not only about my own needs, but also about issues with other people. I ask for wisdom on how to deal with certain issues a lot of the time. I also pray for people who are sick for healing. I also pray to worship God and thank him for the things he does in my life.



As to the selfish reasons, when my mom was sick, I asked for prayer and mentioned it on this website. Amazingly a few minutes after I posted the prayer request on here, my mom came out of her coma-like state. Was that selfish of me to ask for intervention on my mom's behalf?



There are scriptural references to "where to or three are gathered in his name, he will be there" and I have found that the strength of multiple prayers focused on the same issue does get God's attention.



To use an analogy, did you ever see the movie "Bruce Almighty" and see the volume of prayers uttered at one time. That's a good example of just how many prayers are going on. So, I think that it helps to have many people praying at the same time for the same issue, as there are so many prayers competing for God's attention.

Answer 6

Try it and see.



When you ask your Father if you can turn on the ac or if you can have a drink of water from being out in the heat all day, Are you bugging him. We can come to God at anytime.....he is way above humans....we get tired, bored, irrationally irrated, but God does not with us.



Think of it this way. Pray is a form of communication. He wants you to talk to him. You don't have to ask for a car or good grades on a test. Thank him and praise him for what he has done for you and what he will do for you.



God honors consistence in our prayers...that and more people that you have praying the better. Its always good to have like a team of ppl praying for you. It can be very powerful.

Answer 7

Why would an omnipotent being need to be asked for something anyway? If you ask God to do something, for example to cure a friend's cancer (that's the sort of bullshit people pray for, right?) then not only are you suggesting that he should change his supposedly perfect plan for your benefit, but you're suggesting that he didn't realise when he gave your friend cancer that you wouldn't be happy about it. I mean, how stupid must God be if he doesn't realise that people don't like it when their friends die?

Answer 8

I can't support the idea of prayer being effective because it simply isn't true... here's my video report of a recently released Harvard Medical University research study.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-egPod0meE



What's the deal...? It's a bad deal and a sham... avoid it.!



[][][] r u randy? [][][]

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To KOHA.... LOL ... What a lame cop out... You know very well why atheist are here ... We've outlined it for you again and again. God-belief interferes in politics and raises problems both here at home and internationally.... It fosters oppression and war. God-belief isn't true and it needs to be halted....



Now, what about this prayer BS, eh?

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Answer 9

I'm a Christian but I hardly pray.

I mean when I do, it's not for my benefit. I have family in Iraq, so obviously I've been praying for peace there.

Isn't it a sin -- greed -- to pray for God to give you, specifically, things?

Sure, when things are going good, I'll give a holla, but .. God's got war, starving countries, and plenty of other things I'd rather he set his attention on.

Answer 10

Prayer was just another way to get people on their knees. lol

But seriously It gives believers the kind of insurance that they need to make choices instead of doing them on their own. Sort of a way to back them up instead of them doing it themselves. Go ahead and flame this answer but you know its true, just use some simple common sence.

Answer 11

you should read books by Thich Nhat Hanh

he has a book about the power of prayer

then you'll have more chances of getting it

maybe the religon you're thinking of isn't right for you

http://seaox.com/thich.html

there are weird reasons why God would even want us. We can't all think of them now. As Budda put it, it's like the man who got shot by an arrow. Instead of getting his wound tended immediately he decided to ask who shot the arrow first.

Please just try to pray. Go out and tell God okay if you're real listen to me please.

And actually have faith. Don't read books about God before you talk to him.

Answer 12

First, God wants us to bug Him, second if we don't ask in faith and first repent and ask for forgiveness, we break or weaken the line of communication to Him. His rules. Third we are not predestined without input of our own. God want us to be and do certain things, but He did not make puppets and robots.

Answer 13

I never understood why most atheist seem to be on a mission to disprove religion.

If you don't believe it anyway, Why is it an issue with you?

Get a life.

Answer 14

I think it's to give a person a secure feeling that someone is going to help them when no one else will, and when they can't help themselves.

Answer 15

well, for one thing, JESUS recommends it.

GOD is quite capable of distinguishing sincerety.

HE hears all but assures," where two or more are gathered together in my name, I shall be there amongst them."

like i said, HE hears all, but i can see where inviting HIM into a collective presence would definately be a good thing

Answer 16

He listens to all of us. I think that God made us for the community so that is why He gives us the incentive to get together and pray. : )

Answer 17

its the vibes...... baby

its the stage we are in.... soon we will send thankful ones.....

God is patient He will wait for us

Answer 18

a PRAYER is to make you as a PREY-ER ??? .... ha ha ha ....