How does Prayer work?

[Not a Cook]

spectre-9 and SoCal326 - I don't know if you'll read it, but a passage came to mind as being exceedingly appropriate for you. In this passage, God corrects Israel for saying things like spectre-9 wrote above. The passage is Ezekiel 18:19-32 (NKJV),

[Not a Cook]

One part of Christian belief that has always puzzled me is the concept of Prayer. If you please, could you enlighten me?

In times past I have prayed when feeling in despair and grief. It seemed to have no effect that I could detect.

How does it work? Is there one correct way to perform prayer? How is an all powerful God swayed by prayer?

Have I been praying incorrectly?

If you are in a life and death situation and you plead with every atom or your being for protection and assistance but forget to add "In Jesus Name, Amen" at the end of your prayer is it less effective?

If, in your terror, you promise to lead a lifetime of piety and strict observance but forget your promise after surviving, will you punished?

If God already knows everything you think and feel, everything about your circumstances, does he still wait to be asked to give you what you need?

How do requests from humans change God's course of action that he would have followed without having heard the prayer?

I guess the big question is - If God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnibenevolent, wouldn't he already be doing everything for you that he can?

CaliforniaLiberal - I apologize for answering others in this thread, but not yet addressing your original questions. Before I respond, I need you to answer a few questions (I'm not asking facetiously, but sincerely, simply because prayer is for the Christian, and without knowing the answers to these questions, I don't know where to start my response):
1) Have you been born again and received new life in Christ?
2) Do you have a personal relationship with Him wherein you follow Him?
3) Do you know what it means to "pray in Christ's name"? (No... this isn't a trick question - I ask because it's an all-important question to the topic at hand and I've found MANY folks, including long time Christians, don't understand what this means and when they come to understand it, it "opens their eyes" to understanding prayer).

[RAMCLAP]

Specter-9. You did not derail the thread. These are the questions that must be asked. Christian's are called upon to answer them. We cannot make our claims and expect to be taken at our word. We must answer. So please continue your questions.

[Olav]

I pray this thread ends now...

[SWalt]

Not bitterness, just having a discussion. I'll admit I got drawn in by some other comments and couldn't resist responding to them. Sorry for derailing the thread.

I can say I have been guilty of that myself. Not a hard thing to do sometimes.

[The War Wagon]

I pray this thread ends now...

Click on another thread, and your prayers will be answered!

[RAMCLAP]

Olav.

It does end now. Just don't come back and it's done.

[bigmike82]

Just because one believes in something doesn't make it true.

I agree.

I'm just wondering what makes God petty and spiteful?

Countless examples that have been hashed over in various other threads.

Is there a verse you are referring to in the Scripture on "fire and brimstone?" Is this phrase meant to describe hell as you understand it?

Not in this specific case, though there are plenty of passages that mention fire and brimstone. I meant it here to describe a sect of Christianity that focuses on the punishment and the consequence of disobedience. I also choose to lump in those folks who believe that the God who created us is willing to turn around and eternally torture you for failing to abide by the rules in a specific version of the book (considering the antipathy towards Catholicism by some Protestants as well as the Catholic attitude towards Protestants pre-Vatican2).

There are many Christians out there who don't believe that God will destroy you simply for believing differently. Not everyone accepts the 'faith alone' argument.

[damon1272]

Cal. Liberal
I'll respond to some of your questions.
First off one needs to believe in God. I believed in God but fell away even after experiencing some truly awesome things. Fast forward twenty years and I feel Gods presence calling me back. I am now born again, been baptized an overall I would not be here at this point if it were not for all of what i have gone through.

As to your questions regarding prayer.
God hears your prayers if you are a Christian. God chooses to answer any way he wills. This may be immediate, could be through not answering (yes this is an answer), or your answer may come later. This is to Gods choosing. This one has to accept.
Do I like it? Not really but God has answered me in all of these ways.
Sometimes through a quick delivery, sometimes as not answering, and others that have taken years. I have learned and grown greatly spiritually and personally through these answers to my prayers.

How does God respond to me?
Sometimes through a dream. (not often but it has happened)
Most times through a faint whisper. One has to be listening.
Only once through a beat down (funny story now, lesson is but don't promise God something you cannot deliver on)
Some prayers are not spoken but God still hears and spending time in His presence is sometimes more of an answer than anything.

I know these are kind of philosophical answers but ones I have directly experienced. Hope this helps.

[colossians323]

praying never worked for me.

Makes me wonder what you were praying for.

never got any sign my life was worth living or felt the presence of a loving god.

Again, makes me wonder what you were praying for. Prayer as mentioned by others is you talking to God. It is away you as a believer try and align your will with Gods. This is why Jesus prayed when he was going to his death, 'Not my will, but Yours!'

[The War Wagon]

Too MANY people - televangelists ESPECIALLY - treat prayer like Aladdin's magic lamp. 'If I pray the, "right way," God will grant me WISHES!'

Then there are those, who at the end of life (loved ones or theirs), who pray for the MIRACULOUS cure for THIS life, not realizing, that death - the consequence of Original Sin - is but the gate to eternal life for believers, where God DOES heal every sickness, infirmity, & the ravages of a lifetime of sin, FOREVER.

Yes, we miss the comfort of our loved ones, in the short term. But this life is NOT forever - for ANY of us. For believers, we will be reunited in Christ for eternity - an eternity FREE of sin. I miss more loved ones with every passing year, but I know I WILL see them in the life of the world to come. So I do not worry about it, I enjoy making new friends I the interim, and I answer God's call as best I can until then. I also pray for others and their well-being along the way.

God of course, has three answers to prayer.

1) Yes.
2) No.
3) Not YET...

I have more problems with #3 I think, than #2. But the problem is on my sinful, short-sighted end - NOT God's.

[texan]

Yes
No. People will be destroyed for their own sins, not for someone else's sins. Consider Deuteronomy 24:16 (NKJV),

Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

No. The Scriptures teach us that the wages of sin is death (and as noted above, people die only for their own sin, not for those of someone else). They also teach us what sin actually is. Being born isn't a sin, but I believe RAMCLAP already posted a list of commandments that give you a good idea of what sin is. Sin is serious business, even though people tend to seriously downplay it. Sin deserves death. Period.

Eternal torture? Hmm... sorry, don't see it (albeit many Christians do). I was taught that hell is a place of eternal torment, but after much study of the Scriptures, I came to a different conclusion. But please don't misunderstand me - I won't divide over this issue, and I think destruction will be seriously horrible. I just don't think the "destroying" lasts forever, but the EFFECT of the destroying (that is, the destruction itself) is permanent. God will pour out His holy wrath and it will be truly awesome (in the true meaning of the word "awesome"), but His wrath will not last forever. How long will it last? I don't know, but any amount of time will be truly frightening, and then shall culminate in destruction. The Scriptures teach that there are two deaths. The first death we're all familiar with. The second death is much worse, and permanent. To wit, consider Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV),

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Don't be silly! You've committed plenty of sins. I have also. Every person, other than Christ Himself, has. We've each committed the crime. We're all guilty.

This is as good an explanation of the Christian concept of sin and punishment as I've ever read. Thank you.

[chris_u]

Yes it dose.

[brewdickle]

The left invented political correctness so that they could shut up people who opposed them by calling it offensive speach. But we know that freedom and free markets are the truth in spite of the fact that they are offended by it.. The Gospel is offensive and they have been trying to shut us up by banning us, imprisoning us, and executing us for two thousand years? Being offended by the Gospel doesn't make it any less true than anything else that offends. The Gospel is offensive. Doesn't make it not true. Only makes it offensive.

The gospel isn't offensive. It's the fanclub of the gospel that think they have a right to dictate other people's lives based on an antiquated book, that is offensive. Many Christians living in the U.S. have a serious persecution complex issue, which is silly, considering they are one of the most privileged groups in the country. Churches being run like businesses still reap an array of tax advantages. Both the House and Senate are majority Christian by a huge margin. There is little to nothing to complain about being a Christian in America.

[jrock]

I'd suggest its about faith and free will.