Prayer: How does it work?

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Abiien

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My Question: How Does Prayer Work?

Explanation: I have always prayed, without a doubt that God can still understand me. He is, of course, omnicient and omnipotent. However, what I am asking is how does prayer exactly work. More specifically- Intercessory prayer. Do “saints” and angels in heaven gain the ability to hear our voices. How do we direct a prayer to one in Heaven? do they read our minds (which ill explain afterthis) or just know that we are talking to them or must we say their name in our prayer? What is the church teaching on this, or anyones belief on it?

it might be seen as our physical sacrafice of surrendering your time for spirituality automatically effects it, simply said, your mind talking effects your spirit talking in some ways? Not gonna say i back that up, but… yeah. Anyways, When you pray… what happens? Ive never learned about prayer, just known about it, ya know.

EXAMPLE:1. if you say the “Hail Mary” but you have in your mind youre talking to God, does mary still hear it?
(I have not come across prayer scriptures directly pertaining to this that i can remember)
2. If you are praying for your friends are misguided in your direction of prayer (mind guided) does it be come voided? Must you pray to God, with God on your mind at all times, or is prayer, when meaningful, go to the same place. A big bucket in heaven and God gives it to who it belongs to knowing what we meant? Or what?
This is where i think Free will comes in and thats why some prayers arent answered? I dont know. Not too sure
3. If a tree falls in a forest and no one can hear it, does it make a sound? hah 🙂

Thanks in advance…

And God bless you all.
 
Abiien said:
Do “saints” and angels in heaven gain the ability to hear our voices. How do we direct a prayer to one in Heaven?
…simply said, your mind talking effects your spirit talking in some ways?

EXAMPLE:1. if you say the “Hail Mary” but you have in your mind youre talking to God, does Mary still hear it?
2. If you are praying for your friends are misguided in your direction of prayer (mind guided) does it be come voided? Must you pray to God, with God on your mind at all times, or is prayer, when meaningful, go to the same place. A big bucket in heaven and God gives it to who it belongs to knowing what we meant? Or what?
This is where i think Free will comes in and thats why some prayers arent answered?
3. If a tree falls in a forest and no one can hear it, does it make a sound? hah 🙂
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We can direct prayer to anyone in heaven. This is accomplished simply by intending for that particular part of your conversation to be directed at that person.
I think the mind is the spirit, which is not to say that the brain is the spirit, because the brain can’t work unless our spirit acts upon it.
Ex1. I’m not sure about this one. I have always believed that the Hail Mary is to be directed to Mary, but she presents it to God for us.
2. Prayer does not get voided. Prayer does not have to be directed initially to God, but He’s going to hear it eventually, so you should not exclude God from your prayers. The point of praying to various saints is so they can present your prayers to God in a way far superior to anything we could do. Prayers are always answered. Sometimes the answer is No, or Wait.
3. Depends on your definition of sound.
 
I respectfully disagree, Dorothy. I believe prayers are always answered, not just ‘heard’.

The answers are:
Yes.
Not yet.
I have something else for you which is even better (eye has not seen, and ear has not heard what God has planned for us).

Yes–mostly in answer to the prayer of intercession, for example. I pray for guidance, and the next day I receive a call, or a job offer. My sick child recovers. A long lapsed Catholic friend rejoins the faith. These are what most people see as "answers to my prayers’.

Not yet–often the answer for prayers for the sick, prayers for friends and family in difficult situations, prayers for peace, prayers to end suffering etc. We’ve been praying for peace as Christians for 2000 years. We know God isn’t going to say “no” to peace (His Son IS peace) but the time is not yet come for some; for others, peace will come in ways and times which we cannot foresee. Sometimes a sick person will have a long course of illness. . .and maybe come through stronger in faith. The prayers are ‘answered’ with a ‘yes’ as above, but sometimes after such a lapse of time that people don’t even connect the result with the prayers, or think that the prayer didn’t really have anything to do with the result.

I have something else. . . Some people thinks God answers prayers with “no” but I don’t believe that. He has ‘something else’. We may pray for the dying friend, but the friend dies. Has God really said ‘no’ to us? Is the friend ‘dead’ forever–of course not, he will have eternal life. God has ‘something else’ in mind, but the prayer is not ‘wasted’ or unheard. On the contrary, the effects of that prayer are many and known to all in heaven, and will be known to all people at the Last Judgment.

God bless.
 
Abiien said:
My Question: How Does Prayer Work?
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Excellent question. To answer we need to look at exactly what prayer is and what it does. Does God need prayer or is prayer a gift from God to help me? Does prayer benefit God or me? If God knows the depths of my heart, my every thought, why would I need to pray to tell Him my desire? He should already know.
Prayer is a gift from God. It allows me to surrender to Him, to totally communicate as a son to a loving father. Have you ever wanted to completely unload all of your burden? Prayer allows you to.
It’s just you and your Father, no pretense, no pride, no holding back, you can’t hide, there is nothing He doesn’t know. You’re so bare and humble you have nowhere to hide, He’s so loving, you don’t need to hide. Prayer is my relationship with God. Talk about a personal relationship with Jesus! Prayer keeps Him in my heart and thoughts. It brings me closer to Him, not Him closer to me! He is always close to me, but sometimes I’m not so close to Him. Prayer is my raising my heart to God.
God desires me to pray, not for His benefit, but for my benefit. God tells me to remain close to Him, prayer is the way I do this. He is always with me, but in my hectic life sometimes I forget what’s really important. Prayer brings me back to Him, one on one. Prayer is our link or agreement, prayer is our covenant.
Prayer brings me, and keeps me, in communion with Him.
For research, I suggest the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part four, Christian Prayer, paragraphs 2558 to 2565.
 
Abiien said:
More specifically- Intercessory prayer. Do “saints” and angels in heaven gain the ability to hear our voices. How do we direct a prayer to one in Heaven? do they read our minds (which ill explain afterthis) or just know that we are talking to them or must we say their name in our prayer? What is the church teaching on this, or anyones belief on it?
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God provides intercessors, again, not for His benefit, but for ours. He does not need these intercessors; He provides them for me, to be used. Why? Because they were human. I can’t even begin to compare myself with God, but I can compare myself with any of the saints, they were human, just like me. Anything they did, I could do. By looking at their lives I know I can do it!
 
Abiien said:
EXAMPLE:1. if you say the “Hail Mary” but you have in your mind youre talking to God, does mary still hear it?
(I have not come across prayer scriptures directly pertaining to this that i can remember)
2. If you are praying for your friends are misguided in your direction of prayer (mind guided) does it be come voided? Must you pray to God, with God on your mind at all times, or is prayer, when meaningful, go to the same place. A big bucket in heaven and God gives it to who it belongs to knowing what we meant? Or what?
This is where i think Free will comes in and thats why some prayers arent answered? I dont know. Not too sure
3. If a tree falls in a forest and no one can hear it, does it make a sound? hah 🙂
Click to expand...
Wow, first of all, all of the saints are “one with God” which means if you pray to Mary, Peter, Paul, or Thomas, you’re praying to God. They aren’t separate, they are one. God uses them for our benefit. He hears all, it isn’t like they are secretaries and they pass on messages.
 
You sound like you’re graduating from one level of learning to the next, congratulations. Learning follows three basic steps; rote, understanding, application. You have learned your “prayers”. Great. Prayers, meaningful, insightful, composed by wonderful, God loving people. Great for their thoughts and communication with God. you memorize their words (rote), say them in an attempt to do what you’re supposed to do. Great beginning, and necessary. Next you start to really listen to the words, they really mean something, and when you start to understand what the words say they are really beautiful, you’re beginning the understanding phase. Now after the rote, after the understanding, you’re ready for the application, now you can “really” talk to God, one on one.
Prayer should NOT be pretentious, just talk to God, He really wants you to! He’s given us some really great guides.
www.drbo.org:
Psalm 130:1 Lord, my heart is not exalted: nor are my eyes lofty. Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me. 2 If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul: As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul. 3 Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.
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www.drbo.org:
Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. 12 I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O god, be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather that the other: because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.
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Okay I have concluded from all of the answers here this short list. Which i will soon reply to after the list.

1.Mind and Spirit are linked in an inunderstandable way
2. Prayer Is talking to God.
3. Intercessory Prayer is Not Real.
4. No one knows a straight-forward Answer

I have to say, I see the zeal in all of your opinions about prayer and such, and its respectable, for sure! I would like to first clear that I know what prayer is, but continue telling me if you feel you must, and I just am asking how it works. From what ive concluded you guys dont really see intercessory prayer as… well… Intercessory!

Answers.com provides two clear definitions of Intercession.
  1. a prayer to God on behalf of another person
  2. the act of intervening (as to mediate a dispute)
My question was How do you direct prayer in heaven. And I used intercessory prayer as an example. To know intercessory prayer, you must first understand how to direct prayer. Which was my question, i mean, of course you can blindly do it. What i have been doing is setting my heart and mind (or trying atleast) to the person im talking to in heaven. If its God, then i have my mind thinking about god, thinking about talking to Him, imaging him, actually i image Jesus, who is THE WAY. If im praying the Hail Mary : For Mary to pray for us, for the preliminary intentions, I imagine Mary Sitting there, and use my mind (Which we concluded effects spirit somehow…) to just picture me talking to her, and use my heart to direct the words to the image i have in my mind.
Do you see what i am saying now?

It might be a flawed logic. But This is why i am asking, if anyone wants to help me out a little more, thanks. Thank you all who answered my initial Question, and I thank God, and may he Bless you for your honoring his ways.

Thanks in advance everyone.
I probably cut off my paragraph early, but thats all i feel i need to say…
 
Abiien said:
1.Mind and Spirit are linked in an inunderstandable way
2. Prayer Is talking to God.
3. Intercessory Prayer is Not Real.
4. No one knows a straight-forward Answer

From what ive concluded you guys dont really see intercessory prayer as… well… Intercessory!

My question was How do you direct prayer in heaven. What i have been doing is setting my heart and mind to the person im talking to in heaven. If its God, then i have my mind thinking about Jesus, who is THE WAY. If im praying the Hail Mary: For Mary to pray for us, for the preliminary intentions, I imagine Mary Sitting there, and use my mind (Which we concluded effects spirit somehow…) to just picture me talking to her, and use my heart to direct the words to the image i have in my mind.
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  1. Check
  2. Check
  3. Wrong. Intercessory prayer is real. Mary and the saints present our prayers to God, or alternately (according to what i think is an equally valid viewpoint), they answer the prayers themselves, using the power given to them by God.
  4. Perhaps.
What evidence are you using to say that intercessory prayer isn’t real?

I am of the opinion that you are correctly directing your prayers.
 
Spirithound said:
  1. Check
  2. Check
  3. Wrong. Intercessory prayer is real. Mary and the saints present our prayers to God, or alternately (according to what i think is an equally valid viewpoint), they answer the prayers themselves, using the power given to them by God.
  4. Perhaps.
What evidence are you using to say that intercessory prayer isn’t real?

I am of the opinion that you are correctly directing your prayers.
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Spirithound, I would like to say that these conclusions frmo other peoples statements do not completely have anything to do with my beliefs or the Cathetics of the Church. I was simply saying what people said in the topic so far. I didnt mean for them to be what i believed. Sorry for the confusion.
I completely believe in Intercessory prayer, if you read everything else it would back that up.

Thank you for the feedback.

God bless you.
 
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