Does G*D Answer Prayers?

[historyteach]

Is Anybody Listening?

Prayer remains a vital component of our religious experience, even if God does not swoop down to remove our tumors.
By Rabbi David Wolpe

Q. Does God answer prayers?

Sixteen years ago, my mother suffered a debilitating stroke. All four of her sons prayed that she might live and recover. Although she lived, her recovery was partial, and she continues to suffer serious aftereffects, including aphasia. Did God answer our prayers?

The theological optimist would reply, "Of course. God answered, `Yes, I will let your mother live.'" But what if my mother had not had four children? What if we had decided not to pray? Would God have let her die? If we assume that God answers prayers, we must assume that had the prayers not been offered, there would be no answer. What would have become of my mother if one morning I had decided not to pray, or been distracted, or simply apathetic? It is hard to believe that God would have made my mother suffer because her sons did not pray. Yet if not offering our prayers would have made no difference, then why pray in the first place?
More powerfully yet, what of the prayers, worthy prayers, desperate prayers, that go unanswered? The traditional, glib response is, "God answered. He said no!" That flip rejoinder is satisfactory if the prayer is for a new bicycle; but prayers are often the product of true anguish. "God said no" sounds not clever but callous if the plea is that God spare a child suffering from cancer. Then "no" begins to sound more like the absence of God than a response from God.

Yet what can we make of prayer if it does not work in the world? How do we still maintain the worthiness of religious traditions if God does not swoop down to remove our tumors and raise our bowed lives?

Some point to recent research demonstrating that prayer has a medical benefit. But this research is a dangerous, even destructive tool for religion to wield. First, the results are contradictory. Second, if we take our stand on empirical studies, we are confounded when tomorrow a more thorough study comes along disproving the previous research. Faith should not be placed on the statisticians' operating table.
Indeed, I believe that expecting God to answer one's prayer in the fashion that most people expect is to demean God. Our relationship to Ultimacy ought not to be one of favors. Do we pray so that God might act as a Celestial Doctor, a Grand Dispenser of Goods? Or do we pray for relationship, for closeness; to elevate our spirits and raise our hearts?

A good deal of prayer is indistinguishable from barter. Dear God, we pray, heal my mother, and I will be good. Such a prudential arrangement is hardly in the highest spirit of faith.

Judaism offers a different, more powerful model of prayer. Two thousand years ago, Antogonos of Socho taught: "Do not be like a slave who placates his master simply to receive a reward." What then might prayer be?

A medieval rabbi, Leon Modena, expressed the truth of prayer as follows: Imagine a man in a boat who is pulling himself to shore. If one did not know better, it could appear that he is pulling the shore to himself. But indeed, it is the one in the boat who is being moved, because the shore is fixed. So it is, he said, with prayer. We think that when we pray we are moving God closer to our will. But true prayer does quite the opposite: It moves us closer to God's will.

If we rise from our prayer as better human beings than the ones who sat down, our prayers have been answered.

Does God answer prayer? Although I too have heard stories of miraculous recoveries and remarkable coincidences in people's lives, stories of salvation that credit God's power, I do not believe God supernaturally intervenes in the world in response to prayer. Although my heart yearns for such a God--and at times, I confess, my soul prays in such hopes--my experience in this often pain-wracked world belies the yearning of my heart. But to say that God does not remove tumors is not to declare God irrelevant. For we can invoke the strength, guidance, and love of God in our prayers. Calling out to God, we elevate ourselves; seeking God through prayer, we can change our lives.

Shalom!

[Ann]

That's a powerful piece, Teach. I like the part where it says prayers pull us toward God's will. I trust God's will and feel safe there, no matter what unfolds.

Special hugs and special prayers for you tonight.

[citychick]

we pray for relationship, for closeness; to elevate our spirits and raise our hearts

It moves us closer to God's will.

Praying for acceptance of Gods will helps me when I can't understand the motives.

[best]

Originally Posted by historyteach

But true prayer does quite the opposite: It moves us closer to God's will.

Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name trust in you,for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

Isaiah 52:6
But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”

Isaiah 65:1
The Lord says,“I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’to a nation that did not call on my name.

John 14:13
You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

When our hearts are aligned with God's will...anything we ask for shall be given.

[cmc]

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phillipians 4:6

Thanks Teach,
I do believe that He intervenes...hence my problem when He doesn't. The replies to prayer are: Yes. No. Wait.....I prefer the first option.
I think He wants me to pray so I won't be worried. The hard part for me is to not look at prayer as a demand. Of course it never starts out as a demand but when an answer doesn't come when or how I think it should and I'm disappointed, I need to refocus on the point of aligning to His will. That's not an easy thing to do- when it doesn't make sense to my finite mind. Faith and acceptance are a huge part of prayer.
I like this quote from Ron Hutchcraft: "Prayer gives God the green light. God operates on and 'invitation only' basis. Prayer enable me to see things God's way. He may change my response to the situation instead of the situation."

[Live]

I have long believed that the best prayer is "Thy will be done"

[Live]

Teach, as you are Jewish, then the New Testament of Christians is not in you belief system? Am I correct?

[best]

Originally Posted by liveweyerd

Teach, as you are Jewish, then the New Testament of Christians is not in you belief system? Am I correct?

OT

Isaiah 65:1
Isaiah 52:6
Psalm 9:10

The word prayer shows up 122 times in the OT

In Genesis alone we find 5 that give answer to the question...does God answer prayer?

Genesis 24:42
“So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission.

Genesis 25:21
Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

Genesis 30:17
And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

Genesis 30:22
Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.

Genesis 35:3
We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

[Live]

Thanks....just curiousity .....if the other verses had meaning to Teach.?

[historyteach]

Live;
Yes, I am Jewish. However, I find hope in the words of many faiths. I've done study of different religions and philosophical systems both eastern and western. This study came about, in part, as a search for the answer to the question, "Does G*D answer prayers."

There's a book that may interest you, Live. It's called, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold Kushner. Like Rabbi Wolpe above, Kushner, using the Biblical figure Job as his protagonist, answers the heart rendering question, "Why?" His philosophy did much for my own personal understanding of why there are bad things in the world. I highly recomend it.

But, no, I do not believe in a G*D that personally interveins in my life as a result of my petitions, changing the outcomes of circumstances and behaviors. I couldn't believe that and still believe in G*D. Or, if I did continue to believe, I would have to dispise the Eternal One, for not "curing" my son of his addiction -- heck, for "allowing" addiction to begin with!

Prayer, for me, is uplifting for my soul/spirit. It gives me strength to carry on. It gives hope. And finally, it fills my heart with joy. So, G*D does answer my prayers; just not in the way most people would expect that question to be answered.

If we rise from our prayer as better human beings than the ones who sat down, our prayers have been answered.

Shalom!

[Fluttering]

In the Bhagavad Gita , Shri Krishna says: "Having pervaded this whole universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain." That is to say, His nature is not exhausted by entering into the various forms of manifestation. That which is able to enter into things yet transcend them must necessarily be abstract. But what is abstract to us need not be unreal. It may be more real than the concrete things we are able to perceive and contact. The Spirit is that which fills the consciousness, whereas matter is only touched by the latter. A vital difference between what we call Matter and what we call Spirit lies in the fact that every element of matter merely brushes the consciousness, whereas when we experience the nature of Spirit in any of its manifestations, it has the quality of filling and pervading the consciousness. (p. 543)

[Fluttering]

"God gives us problems so that we will need Him"

A closder walk with God has always been my prayer..in recovery the prayers have changed to include that not only remove all the obstaqcles blocking me from the Sunlight of the Spirit...but that also he may be glorified through me...That others will benefit.

I was in nursing...I saw miracles happen...yes there is a great deal of ugly stuff in the world...that ugliness did not come from God...There is evil in the owrld

And God loved us enough to give us free choice.
he gave free choice that we would come willingly..Those who choose not to and or create havoc inthe wotrld...will one day answer for their transgressions.
My primary concern is my emmortal soul. My life is a gift!!! he gave me back my life...becasue I was willing and asked for a change.

That is just my experience...I ran from God for so long...yet he stood there waitng patiently for me to turn around and rfecognize HIm

I am not worthy of placing my petitions before Him...yet he asks that I do....
I must alwasy remember the gift I have...be grateful for it..now it is my turn to show God my gratitude for my life.

[citychick]

quote by AllaFlutter

"Having pervaded this whole universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain."

: ) Thats just beautiful Alla.

[citychick]

QUOTE by AllaFlutter

I am not worthy of placing my petitions before Him...yet he asks that I do....
I must alwasy remember the gift I have...be grateful for it..now it is my turn to show God my gratitude for my life.

It speaks to me Alla. Actually the whole post does.

[juliee]

Does God answer prayer? This I shall never know untill (hopefully) I can ask. I can liken it to the people of our parish praying that no hurricane head our way....if it goes elsewhere did those people not pray hard enough? Not pray at all? Prayer not answered? I don't think so....I have to believe that God allows the laws of nature to unfold as they would. I pray and it brings me the strenght to accept (again hopefully) whatever comes my way and do what I can to help bring about the best outcome. I am content to understand this is bigger than my understanding. If that makes any sense.

[Fluttering]

Hi Juliee

God does answer..He gives me not what i want but what i need
Sometimes the words for prayer elude me but i know God knows my heart.
I am always mindful of the fact that he does not punch my time clock..I work for Him. He has his own timeclock...When he knows I am ready...the answers are there...I must remember to listen.
When one door closes...I listen for the breeze that will blow softly through an open window.

[caraway]

Theres something on the internet called "the best optical illusion in the world". It takes over 8 minutes to listen to it but what it is saying is that if God answers prayers with Yes, No and Wait then a jug of milk will do exactly the same thing if you pray to it.

I agree with Juliee "I am content to understand this is bigger than my understanding." I also agree with Historyteach that true prayer brings us closer to Gods will.

One of my favourite prayers is St Francis' Prayer:

Lord make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love,
Where there is injury pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy;

Oh divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

(Good old St Francis, he liked animals too)

Its alot to ask for but life is a journey. God gives us free will. It is up to us.

[GlassPrisoner]

"Praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out...."

"Never praying for ourselves, except when to do so would benefit others..."

"Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. "

Personally, I've found God always answers my prayers. It's usually not what I expect, or when I expect it, but it's always the right answer at the right time.

[Fluttering]

"To be of maximum service.."

"How can I best serve thee?"