In Reply to: Does prayer work? posted by Perry on August 16, 2004 at 16:03:18:
There are many people who talk about prayer (myself included) as a time of communication with your inner self, and it has little to do with asking for something for yourself, as much as getting a spritual tune up. But since we're talking about God answering prayer, these are my thoughts.
Being the scientific ´type that I am, quite skeptical by nature, and yes a thinker, I grappled with the idea of an intervening God and pre-destination.
How much or how hard do we have to pray before God'll listen? Can we just think our thoughts and let him read our mind? Do we have to say "Thank you Jesus" over and over?
Can we really influence God to do something for us? Can we go as far as to "command Him" like Berg taught? Can we get Him to stop trains until we say "go" as taught by Berg? Why not get Him to do a song and dance for us? If I had any child-like awe and respect for God, Berg certainly killed it for me with his over-familiarity with God. I mean, if we could order God around and tell Him we hate Him if He doesn't do as we say, I guess the whole point of trusting God is lost, since we know better than Him about the scheme of things in the universe.
If there is only one future and one ending as the bible seems to indicate, and everything is pre-destined, then why do we bother to pray? As someone once explained it, "God already knows what you want and what is best for you, but He wants you to ask." If that is true does that mean that if I don't ask then He won't give it? Does it make a diference then and can I alter my future by praying? If I can indeed alter my future, then I am forced to consider the next theory about prayer and pre-destination:
We have a set finished future as outlined in the book of Revelations, but the roads to getting there are infinite. So every coice we make in between our present and the wrapping up of the rule of man as predicted in Revelations, can influence in a small way, what happens to each of us.
Why can't we pray for world peace, and why didn't our prayers stop Hitler then? I've had the standard explanations that it's up to our own free wills too, and we all have to want world peace bad enough or it won't happen. So does that mean that my prayers could be vetoed by other people's wills? What if not only other people's wills went against my prayers, but they prayed too?
How come we don't all get to win the lottery? The film "Bruce the Almighty" comes to mind. (Or was it "Almight Bruce?")
So you can see, I do grapple with the idea of prayer, I have questioned it, and I am still full of questions. But despite all this, this is what I have recent re-discovered about prayer in my life:
I've found it does work. Not only that, it's been wonderful to ask for prayer. I really don't know why, and I can't reconcile it with my scientific questioning mind, but it really seems to work. I am certain that it has helped me get out of trouble in recent months. I found it did make a difference. Scientific studies have shown that prayer helps a person if he or she is receptive to receiving that help and intervention. Maybe I was receptive. On the other hand, maybe getting in a receptive frame of mind made me strong enough to make those changes in my life. There are different ways to look at it, I'll admit, but somehow I've come away believing in the power of prayer.