A Few Thoughts to Ponder About Prayer
Does it work or is it just talking to an imaginary friend?
* Religious believers (not just Christians) are taught that prayer is the answer for almost everything. It is the key to keep you from sinning, from being sad, and for not having the things you want. Often we are told, it will make us rich and powerful. Hundreds of books have been written about prayer claiming to provide tips and even secret formulas to make it work better. It is credited with changing the course of hurricanes, making gay men straight, and even making the sun stand still.
Others have concluded that nothing fails more than prayer.
* Without a doubt, praying can be very comforting and have a nice calming effect, much as a nice meal with a friend, beautiful music, or a quiet nap. Many call that peaceful feeling evidence for God, others view it as being a placebo or the natural effect we get when we relax and have good thoughts. That is why certain breathing techniques, meditation, and even chanting does wonders in reducing blood pressure, headaches, and anxiety.
* Many will say that prayer does not change God but changes us. This seems to be the most common explanation for why prayers are not answered. However, there is a big problem with that assertion. It just so happens to contradict the Bible in numerous places. A few examples of many are:
Matthew 18:19: “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”
Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
1 John 5:15: And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
John 16:24: Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
Genesis 25:21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Is it possible that those people who claim that prayer is to change us and not God, are just grasping at straws?
* Mark Twain said that praying is asking God to change His mind.
* While many testify that having a headache eased or finding their lost car keys was answered prayer, others wonder why there has never been a documented case of God healing an amputee or just anything at all that has no other plausible explanation. Is it an answer to prayer if a flipped coin turns out a winner? To prove His greatness and the fact that He answers prayer, why has He never healed an entire hospital or rained down manna to starving people where it could be documented by video?
* Some teach that a clear cut, no doubt about it miracle witnessed on TV news would deprive us from the necessity of having our faith tested. Why? Others believe that it really would help people everywhere to truly believe and to increase their faith?
* Two other reasons often given why a prayer is not answered is that the person lacks enough faith or has hidden or unconfessed sin. Imagine the painful guilt and anxiety that this sort of thing can cause. Some preachers claim that God answers all prayers but sometimes His answer is “no” or “later.” But can anything ever be declared to be true that is not falsifiable? Do these explanations have any basis, or are they just cheap cop-outs.
* The remission of some cancers is not a rare occurrence, even to those who never pray.
* To quote again Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”
Does that mean that no two Christians ever prayed to God to wipe out leukemia and the other diseases that millions of innocent babies are born with each year? If Matthew is correct, how is it possible that the mosquitoes that spread malaria in Africa are still alive?
* How many of the millions of young girls who are brutally raped every year do you think fervently prayed for deliverance? How many thousands of them who are now captive sex slaves pray every day? If God does not wish to get involved, could not one of His angels make a lot of 911 calls and free them all? Are guardian angels just make believe?
* Why did slavery last so long in this country? Can we fairly assume that most of them prayed, some without ceasing, including the mothers who were regularly raped and had to watch their children either whipped or sold down the river.
* Did you know that during the plague in Europe, when priests and officials instructed the residents to go to church and pray for God to stop the awful disease, that the people gathering in churches greatly increased the spread? The same thing occurred with Covid-19. During some plagues, all black cats were ordered killed as the priests believed they were demons, allowing the infested rats to multiply faster.
* Did you know that some Christians are taught that God loves them so much, that He even wants their new cars to be a certain color? So thus, they pray to determine just what color of car they should purchase, while the rest of the world goes to “hell” in a handbasket.
* A danger of prayer is that it can “green-light” just about anything you want to do when objective judgment dictates otherwise. If you really want that something, even subconsciously, you will usually be able to hear that “inner voice” tell you it is approved. People are always obtaining God’s “authorization” to cheat on taxes for the “greater good.” They claim that paying them would only add to the evils of a corrupt government, so many, probably in the millions, happily justify committing a felony with self righteousness. It’s strange, but if you pray long enough, God will often join your side. While many sincere people pray without a wrong motive, the fact is, many “heard” that inner voice to justify slave ownership, to withhold medical care to dying children, to discriminate against various groups of people and among many other terrible things, to start deadly wars. An example occurred this century. After much prayer, G.W. Bush said that God told him to go ahead and invade Iraq, as it would bring peace to the Middle East. All I am saying is that prayer can be dangerous, even if trying to be sincere.
* Does God have a favorite football team or will a last second field goal attempt be determined on which side prays the hardest?
* Do rich or well-off people pray better than the poor?
* If your children were starving, would you rather have a hundred preachers pray for food or know an atheist farmer who just brought in a nice harvest?
* Here is a true story about a very good friend of mine named Mark. For decades, we were best of friends. I share this not to make myself look “good” but to show that sometimes prayer can defeat the purpose you intend. Having moved to another state, he now lived well over a thousand miles away. When he developed a non-curable case of cancer, I visited him several times in his final two years. He was a strong believer and knew that I was no longer one, yet we remained good friends, exactly like before.
During one of my visits, two other of his friends came by, and after a few minutes of chatting they prayed for him. He told me that they did this several times a week and that he greatly appreciated them. It was clear that they were concerned and loved him no less than I did. During my last visit, I noticed that Mark did not have his computer. He always enjoyed spending hours on it, reading, watching movies, and listening to music…usually jazz and the blues. He informed me that it stopped working a few weeks back. Since he was bedridden, that was the one thing that could provide him a little entertainment and distraction, so I went to Best Buy and purchased a laptop and a wireless mouse for him.
Mark lived for another two months and called me a couple of times telling me how much pleasure that the new computer was giving him. The point I am making should be obvious. His friends regularly prayed for him, and truly loved him, but their religion had taught them that praying was the ultimate good they could do. I wonder if maybe they did not see the big picture, since they were already doing the “ultimate good.” I, having become convinced that there was no god who answered prayers, knew that only people could provide my friend with what little help was still possible.
Thus, if you have a friend in need, pray if you wish, but also, for humanity’s sake, do not wait for an answer before doing whatever you can do to reduce someone’s pain and discomfort…as if it depended solely on you.
