When you prayed did it ever work?

[Drich]

Of course all your prayers have been "answered."

"Prayer" as Jesus describes it means that we Seek God's will God's direction. I am here answering your questions so yes I have found God's will and God's direction. Or Rather He has given me understanding so I can activly seek these things out.

It's easy to make that claim and even believe it when you are the sole individual who decides what that "answer" entails. Ri-goddamn-diculous.

again prayer is not wish making. You are confusing the two.

Dear god, please help me have a good day tomorrow, and allow me to overcome my angry boss. Please help my son to do well on his test and give me an answer to the problems I may have on tomorrows acquisition.

A great example of wish making!

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Wow, merciful wonderful heaven. God answered EVERY ONE of my prayers. See, I have proof that my god is SOOOO REEEAALLL!!!!

An example of Prayer:
Heavenly Father how Great and Gracious is your Holy Name. Lord I ask that Your will be done in my Life as it is in Heaven, More over I ask that you help me put down my selfish desire to look out for myself and get angery when things do not go my way. I ask that you break me of my want and desire of foolish things and that I can be made to serve with all that I am and alll that i have been given. Lord Change me, my life and my circumstances to allow me to make desisions that reflect your will and not my own. I ask that you take this selfish streak from me, and if i am not willing to freely give it rip it from me in whatever trial is needed to help me put this part of my life behind me. Lord I ask that you provided me/us with our daily needs whatever they be. I ask that you ONLY forgive me and my sins if I am able to forgive the sins of others. Hold me incontempt if I can not forgive those who have sinned against me. For I am not worthy to accept what Christ has offered me if I can not offer forgiveness in return. Lord, you know my weaknesses and know i am a weak will man. Bound to sin. Which is why I ask that you keep me from sin and protect me from evil. For it is in your Son's name I pray. Amen.

Did you see any mention of me asking for a good day or winning lotto tickets or stuff of any kind? No. I did not even ask for health. Matter of fact i left the door open that God may take my health my wealth my everything in order for my will to be aligned with His.

Prayer is not a way to get God to give you stuff or a way to Change God's mind. Real prayer is to have you change your mind so that it is aligned with what God wants for you to have.

Across Town:

Dear god, please take away my father's Huntington's Disease.
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Yeah, that was a selfish prayer ... I should've known better.

I depends on what the huntingtons is providing to the one who has it. This disease could be the thorn in the flesh this man needs to right himself before God. What is better, to live another 20 or 30 years in good health and spend an eternity in dispare? or to clock out in 10 and be born into eternity under the Glory of God? What if huntington's was what made the difference? Then that disease (when view from 30,000ft) becomes a blessing and not a curse. So why should it be taken away if it is what stands between a soul and oblivion?

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You obviously haven't been praying for an end to the violence and suffering in Syria.

Absolutly not. For i do not understand what the cost would be to end the violance in Syria. God does not generally answer prayer from a vaccume. Especially one that involves the will of man. In syria Men have taken to hating other men. The reason is not important. The way God has answered these types of prayers in the past is to fill man's cup of blood lust so full it sickens us. Look at Israel. The prayed for 3000 years to get their Holy Land back. Look at what it finally cost for them to get it back. (do you need me to connect the dots or can you figure it out?)

So to pray that God change the minds of men usally means a far greater cost/bloodshed than what the actual conflict would yield. again God does not generally sprinkle anti hate dust over the people involved. He simply fills the parties involved want for blood lust past the point of overfilling, and the people involved change thier minds on their own.

If you really had such a success rate you ought to be praying for more important stuff than you apparently are.

I am not looking to better your world. Nor gain from circumstance. The things of this world are here to force you to form an opinion of God, and if you choose to follow God they are here to help you change from a self serving person to a person who gives of self. Suffering provides a venue that all of these things become possiable. Stones sharpen Steel.

We need these terriable things in our world in order for us to properly mature.