When you prayed did it ever work?

[Edwardo Piet]

You have enough information there to work it out evie.

Well I know the only alternative type of belief to belief with evidence is belief with faith, but since the justification for that faith can't be evidential, then, what is the justification? Pragmatic? You have faith because you believe it is good to have faith? It isn't based on what is true, but rather what is good?

[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!

...
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.
...
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.

[Faith No More]

All of my prayers have been answered and about 75% of my petitions or wishes have been too. If I get a 'No' I understand why.

Aren't you telling us not to petition god, because that's not how he works. Yet you do it, and you have a success rate of 75%! Is this the part where you tell us we don't know the secret handshake?

[Drich]

Aren't you telling us not to petition god, because that's not how he works.

No. I am simply trying to inform you all in the difference between Prayer and petition. In this thread and the one i did on prayer all I see is how you all say prayer does not work and yet i have not seen one clear cut example of it posted.

If God commands us to pray and all any of you have done is petition, then why would God answer the petition when He has asked you for prayer? That like you telling your kid if you mow the yard I'll buy you the iphone 5 you were bugging me for, and instead of them cutting the grass they just do what they want and continue to ask for what they want and you give it to them! even if you are a parent without enforced boundries, know God isn't. If God say do X and you will receive Y, then know without fail if you do not do X you will not receive Y, no matter what Y means to you.

In short petition without prayer is really meaningless, even though it is not a sin to do it. your just waisting your time, and it gives a false impression to the ablity god has to answer prayer.

Yet you do it, and you have a success rate of 75%! Is this the part where you tell us we don't know the secret handshake?

Prayer, and an active relationship is the hand shake you are talking about.

[Faith No More]

That's a recipe for confirmation bias you're selling there.

[Edwardo Piet]

If prayer is about following God's will/direction, what is the praying for? When you pray are you asking for guidance? In that case, once again, how do you know you've received it?

Whether it's a fulfilled wish or a response in a request for guidance, in both cases, how do you know that your prayer has been answered?

[Drich]

That's a recipe for confirmation bias you're selling there.

So long as I am on the right side of said bias, so what?

God does not love everyone equally. The Equality of God's love ends at the cross. Those who accept the love displayed there will know the boundless love of God. Those who turn their backs on the cross will in return be shunned.

God so loved the World that He gave His only Son. In response to this God expects a response from us. It is to this end that all have been 'Loved by God.' For those who refuse this love, He does not offer anything else.

[Edwardo Piet]

He was talking about your bias, not God's bias. You are biased towards counting the hits and ignoring the misses. Maybe, just maybe, if you didn't do that you wouldn't believe in God in the first place.

[Faith No More]

So, how is it possible for someone to "turn their back on the cross" when they don't believe the deity involved exists in the first place? Am I turning my back just by denying its existence?

[Drich]

If prayer is about following God's will/direction, what is the praying for?

Following the direction of God is the effect of prayer. The purpose of Prayer is to change your heart to want what God wants for you. (which goes back to the why I do not pray for world peace. We all have to pray for it, and could you imagine the clamity that would need to take place inorder to change every heart on the planet?)

When you pray are you asking for guidance?

Sometimes yes. For me I have been blessed in that I have been given clear direction. My prayers center around my pride and my selfishness. I often see these two things as the biggest obsticals in what is preventing me from moving forward.

In that case, once again, how do you know you've received it?

Sometimes you don't. Othertimes a big trial results in humility or result in giving.

Whether it's a fulfilled wish or a response in a request for guidance, in both cases, how do you know that your prayer has been answered?

I know this may sound hokey but when I ask for guidance on something I will usally hear a sermon on it or one of you will ask a question (often time unrelated) and in my research i will find an absolute answer or direction. If I am in a tight spot and can get guideance the normal way, God has been know to send someone to me with direction or a word of encouragement. Often times out of the blue.

As far as helping me with a character issue a trial/hardship is usally the result. Those are very difficult to miss. how do I know the difference between a purposed trial and just some random bad thing that happens? It usally ends shortly after I do what it is I am supposed to do or their is usally a direct correlation between what I am having to endure and something that happened as a result of the character trait i am trying to work out.