What is the point of praying?

[PennyinCanada]

What’s the point of praying? I am glad St. Padre Pio prayed and so many lives all over the world were touched and impacted toward God. We do some small effort for God and it’s hard and we don’t like it. I wish he was here to answer you. May he intercede for us.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

If only when we went to pray we would have this image in our mind, and our face radiant from the Holy Spirit. No one would need to tell us prayer is union with God.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[TheLittleLady]

God doesn’t need that to act because He already has it.

And when you were a little kid, your mom knew you needed food and hydration, yet, she smiled when you asked her for a cookie or a glass of milk.

 

[stoplooklisten]

Jesus: “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22)

Jesus: “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33)

Nike: “Just do it.”

 

[Tis_Bearself]

You are probably right. I have no idea how to listen. I tried remaining silent but that often just puts me to sleep (even in the morning or during the day). How do I listen?

You don’t have to sit around being silent and waiting for God to say something. Just be open to receiving His communications.

God responds in a lot of ways. Sometimes it’s the “still small voice” that comes into your head while you’re doing something else, sometimes it’s seeing something beautiful in nature, sometimes it’s a song coming on the radio or your phone going off at a particular moment, sometimes it’s a person saying something to you, sometimes it’s just a feeling you have. The more you sincerely pray, as in communicate with God or have him on your mind, the more you’ll be in touch with him.

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

If we are nothing, why did he bother?

Because He would bother for everyone and everything. He bothered creating us so He bothered saving us. That does not elevate us.

And when you were a little kid, your mom knew you needed food and hydration, yet, she smiled when you asked her for a cookie or a glass of milk.

But I would receive without asking too. So why waste precious time with my mum on asking for those things? I won’t change her mind on those things by asking.

God responds in a lot of ways. Sometimes it’s the “still small voice” that comes into your head while you’re doing something else, sometimes it’s seeing something beautiful in nature, sometimes it’s a song coming on the radio or your phone going off at a particular moment, sometimes it’s a person saying something to you, sometimes it’s just a feeling you have. The more you sincerely pray, as in communicate with God or have him on your mind, the more you’ll be in touch with him.

Thank you for advice. I tend to misinterpret even little things (I used to be quite superstitious before I was Christian). I don’t trust in my observations. I thought many times that God is showing me the path and then realized that was not Him. Sometimes nature is just nature, sometimes words are just words and so on. God acts but I don’t think I should try to discern those actions as that is impossible for me. Plus again, Satan can trick me too and I’m not going to risk that.

I wish he was here to answer you. May he intercede for us.

As St. Padre Pio said, he will do more for us after his death than before it. May he intercede for us.

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Yes, but we do not know what is “good”. It was good that our Lord died on the Cross and suffered and bled for us. It was good that martyrs sanctified Church with their blood. So why would we pray for things we “think” are good if God knows what things are good and will do them anyway.

Why, if not to instruct us our prayers do matter? Maybe not to change God’s will, but to act on His will?

Then we should try to change our perception and act on His will in our prayers, not ask for something. My problem is with dishonesty of asking for something. If it has no direct effect but provides good side effects why not skip this dishonest request and just pray with those good effects on our mind directly?

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Sometimes nature is just nature, sometimes words are just words and so on. God acts but I don’t think I should try to discern those actions as that is impossible for me.

I think you misunderstood what I said. By “responding”, God is not always telling us to take path A rather than path B, or that Yes he will give us this or No he will not give us that.

One thing I think a lot of people miss is that God wants us to use our God-given brains to figure out our own lives, with his help. The people who post threads on here about how they are looking for “signs” that they should pursue a certain vocation or that the guy they have a crush on is “The One” are missing the point. They are being superstitious as you said.

A lot of God’s responses are along the lines of the mother smiling when her kid asks for a cookie, as someone else said. Or God just saying, Be still and know that I am God, or Trust me, or Wait and see.

To me, this whole thread comes off like someone who is overanalyzing every communication within a relationship rather than just relaxing and being comfortable and seeing how it goes.

Once you get a sense of God being a part of your life and you doing everything you do through him and with his help, then he’s just always there and he is not some silent exterior being like the Wizard of Oz, who might or might not give you a gift or an answer.

 

[Vico]

…
Yes, but we do not know what is “good”. It was good that our Lord died on the Cross and suffered and bled for us. It was good that martyrs sanctified Church with their blood. So why would we pray for things we “think” are good if God knows what things are good and will do them anyway.
…

We have been told what is good for us by the Holy Trinity, so that can be asked for.

 

[BT3241]

Because praying gives you faith - the world just looks different when you have faith there’s a feeling of hope.

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

To me, this whole thread comes off like someone who is overanalyzing every communication within a relationship rather than just relaxing and being comfortable and seeing how it goes.

I think you hit nail on the head.

Because praying gives you faith - the world just looks different when you have faith there’s a feeling of hope.

Hope… hm. Our only hope is that we will be strong enough to endure every test, every obstacle and every stumbling block. God’s words are certain, we aren’t.

We have been told what is good for us by the Holy Trinity, so that can be asked for.

But then why ask if God is good? Good God will give us good things without needing our request. I get the point that sometimes us asking makes the thing good, but that’s not with things that Holy Spirit revealed to be good.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

But then why ask if God is good? Good God will give us good things without needing our request.

Good God wants us to pray to him. It’s not important that I fully understand why he wants this. God wants, I say Yes sir, I do it. If I don’t fully understand it, then maybe I’ll understand better later on when I grow in wisdom or God chooses to enlighten me.
Praying’s also one of the less difficult “asks” from God because it generally makes me feel better and more at peace.

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

Good God wants us to pray to him. It’s not important that I fully understand why he wants this. God wants, I say Yes sir, I do it. Praying’s also one of the less difficult “asks” from God because it generally makes me feel better and more at peace.

I can get my hand around praying and sharing my concerns or emotions or such. Building relationship through prayer is logical. I can’t simply get my head around praying for something or someone.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

If it bothers you to pray for specific things, just tell God to use your prayers however he wants. And leave it at that.

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

If it bothers you to pray for specific things, just tell God to use your prayers however he wants. And leave it at that.

Well, that’s part of it. Another thing is this that because my “theory” would invalidate intercessions of Saints and Prayer of the Faithful in the Liturgy, I am wrong. I have to be wrong. Now what I am doing is trying to see where did I make a mistake so I can understand the Truth.

 

[TheLittleLady]

But I would receive without asking too. So why waste precious time with my mum on asking for those things? I won’t change her mind on those things by asking.

It is not a waste of time for me to talk to my mother, my adult son, the stranger who comes to the office door, my best friend. One cannot have a relationship without communication.

Edit to add. Prayer is more than asking God for things, if you had a friend who only called when they want something, would you have a friendship for long?

Communicate, talk to God.

 

[Vico]

…

But then why ask if God is good? Good God will give us good things without needing our request. I get the point that sometimes us asking makes the thing good, but that’s not with things that Holy Spirit revealed to be good.

That was answered before in posts 56 and 64:

What is the point of praying? Philosophy

It is perfectly good for us to pray for what we need, such as mercy (expiation) and graces (petition). We express our total dependence on him with adoration which develops humility.

What is the point of praying? Philosophy

There are multiple ways to express humility, but adoration was not presented as the only way. Now, as to asking, we are instructed to do so in the Gospel, for example: Matthew 6 8 Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. 9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. 12 And …

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I think a big part of it is that absent some private revelation to yourself, you don’t know what God is doing with your prayers. For example, many people are praying for God to end the COVID pandemic. The pandemic is still going on. Some say that shows God isn’t hearing our prayer, or that God doesn’t exist, doesn’t care etc. But it’s very possible that if we didn’t all pray, the pandemic would be 10 times worse or 100 times worse. We have to give God our prayers and trust him to do whatever he thinks is best with them. We won’t get an accounting from him and we might not see results.

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

But it’s very possible that if we didn’t all pray, the pandemic would be 10 times worse or 100 times worse.

God is absolutely good and hence will always do what is absolutely good. If pandemic had to be 10 times worse for absolute good, God would let it be and it wouldn’t matter if we prayed for it or not. Same way if pandemic was meant to be this way, then no prayer would ever affect it because God’s absolute goodness takes precedence over our wishes. That’s what I mean when I say that our prayers do not affect God’s stances.

This was answered back in this thread by saying that wishing for a thing makes it better option and hence if we pray for it and our prayers get answered it is absolutely best thing, but if we don’t pray for it then perhaps something takes precedence over it.

 

[annad347]

So God knows with free will you choose Him, is the point of praying. Even though He already knows you choose Him, it pleases Him to hear it. If not He wouldn’t ask you to pray continuously.

Or maybe He knows if you are continuously praying you’re too busy to do anything naughty.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

God might define “absolute good” as inspiring people to pray to him for a better outcome. Prayer benefits the person praying and the world at large, not just the specific request.

God heard the prayers of Moses and the Ninevites in Scripture and changed outcomes based on their prayers. Jesus heard the prayer of his mother at Cana and changed the outcome based on her prayer. There was no suggestion that God was going to do the same thing anyway whether we prayed or not. Getting us to pray petition prayers is part of his will. Don’t you want to do God’s will?

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

God might define “absolute good” as inspiring people to pray to him for a better outcome. Prayer benefits the person praying and the world at large, not just the specific request.

I don’t really know how to understand this. It’s like “this corona crisis won’t end unless you pray” kind of situation.

God heard the prayers of Moses and the Ninevites in Scripture and changed outcomes based on their prayers. Jesus heard the prayer of his mother at Cana and changed the outcome based on her prayer. There was no suggestion that God was going to do the same thing anyway whether we prayed or not. Getting us to pray petition prayers is part of his will. Don’t you want to do God’s will?

I guess so. There is no evidence to contrary either though. Well, I want to do God’s will for sure, but those types of prayers make me feel like a fool more than anything else. I know that is personal and just a feeling that I need to overcome… yet it is somehow difficult for me to trust in God. Please include me in your prayers if you can.