Why pray - we really don't affect anything do we?

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homewardangel

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I know this is a misleading subject for my question… but why pray is the root of what I am dealing with.

A long time ago I gave up asking God to give me this or give me that… I just now pray for strength, understanding, ect… pray that God guides me where I need to go - because I mess up on my own anyway

In February my sister was diagnosed with cancer. So of course I prayed. I prayed and added her to the prayer list at churches…I prayed the cancer novenas…and she died anyway.

so what was the purpose of my prayers? were they pointless? That is where I am now… why did I pray - I mean she suffered and died anyway.

How does one reconcile that? How do I counter the little voice in my head that tells me that its pointless to pray now?

I am sure that I am not the only person who has dealt with this

Any words of wisdom?
 
that is sort of my point… if its Gods will to heal my sister she would have been healed. She was not.

God has the final word and God knows whats going to happen… so all of my prayers what came of them? Just to keep my mind busy?

was there any benefit from the prayers that were said? Was it simply mindless pointless words?
 
your prayers for your sisters soul never are a waste of time.

keep praying for her. She will have great benefit from prayer. We are all the communion of saints.

That includes the living, the dead in purgatory and the dead in heaven.

Cancer is a very unfair disease.
 
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homewardangel said:
Any words of wisdom
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The well worn quote that comes to mind is that we don’t pray to change God, but to allow God to change us.

I find that my faith starts deteriorating not the month or week after, but hours or just a day after I fail in my prayer convictions. We are deeply dependant on Him. More than we can ever know. That’s why we pray.

My condolences for your sister. May the Lord accept her into his presence in heaven. Our father…amen.
 
I usually feel the same way. I don’t get the point of asking for things anymore, though I still ask at times. I think it’s more about having a relationship with someone. My friends are useless at solving my problems and I don’t expect them to but I still vent to them because they’re my friends and we have a relationship.

I’m curious if God actually intervenes in our daily lives. Whether something fortunate that happened was the result of an answered prayer or whether it was just a coincidence.
 
chessnerd321 said:
we don’t pray to change God, but to allow God to change us.
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I will have to percolate on this for a bit I think 🙂 So like changing the pain and loss that I feel?

thanks to all of you for your thoughts and (name removed by moderator)ut Still working on the process of me I guess
 
Our Lord gave us the ‘Our Father’ (Matthew 6:9) he would not have told us to pray it if our prayers weren’t heard. Our prayers are heard, I know my prayers are heard because I have had proof of it, though it’s too personal to share here please believe me because belief in the efficacy of prayer is of fundamental importance.
Despite the instruction of Jesus and my own paltry offering it might be worth considering that if there was no substance to our religion it would have died out long ago.
Have you read about any of the Saints lives? I have enjoyed reading about St. John Vianney, St Pio, Fr solanus Casey and others they are great examples of the efficacy of prayer and belief.
I too had a sister who died and I prayed for her life of course and she did not recover. The reasons why she did not recover are unknown to me but having read about a few of the Saints it seems that even they had such disappointments. Naturally it was far more than simply a disappointment to me!
Be assured however that prayer is heard, please.
 
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Lee1 said:
Our Lord gave us the ‘Our Father’ (Matthew 6:9) he would not have told us to pray it if our prayers weren’t heard.
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One of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, is “Thy Will be Done, on earth as it is in Heaven”
Prayer without this understanding of what the Lord taught us in that prayer which is the finest we can offer, is incomplete until we understand we must mean those words. My brother in law died less than a month ago. Of course I prayed for him as did my sister, his wife and I certainly imagine did his daughter, a teenager. But we talked about it (he had a serious cancer) and did come to the realization that what was going to transpire was in the will of God. Was God with my BIL, I certainly think so, but “My ways are not your ways” if something that need be understood and accepted.
In my life of 70 years, I have seen many of my prayers answered. Many years after I asked for something, and in the end, I did not get what I prayed for yet in the end, I realize it was the best for me. God answered by saying “no”. It took years to see that He was right, not me.
My $.02. Peace.
 
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In the Imitation of Christ, the voice of Christ says to pray like this: ‘Lord, You know what is better for me; let this be done or that be done as You please. Grant what You will, as much as You will, when You will. Do with me as You know best, as will most please You, and will be for Your greater honor. Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. I am in Your hand; turn me about whichever way You will. Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things.’
 
many people feel that God is monty hall of lets make a deal, so as you saod you gave up asking for this or that, but that sounds like why you are despondent with why to pray, if you cant get what you want,
prayer isnt asking for favors od what we want from God, its a worship you express to Him, however, it still sounds as if your attitude about why pray, is for the reason you still feel, since you gave up from not receiving what you want, when biblical teachings tell us how to pray, Jesus said, say the Our Father, as that fulfills the trust one is to have for all things, study those words.
linda
 
OceanL said:
like why you are despondent with why to pray, if you cant get what you want,
prayer isnt asking for favors od what we want from God, its a worship you express to Him, however, it still sounds as if your attitude about why pray, is for the reason you still feel, since you gave up from not receiving what you want,
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I do appreciate the responses. I would like to point out that I am looking for (name removed by moderator)ut and thoughts to help further my understanding.

I am not feeling “despondent” . If I only were to pray to get what I wanted I would have given up a long time ago – I am not exactly living the dream here 🙂

I truly don’t believe any one of us has all of the answers and as soon as we stop asking then we will never learn more
 
One of the interesting things that doesn’t get emphasized much is the Unity of Creation, as well as our Unity in Christ. It’s hard to really explain— but once you catch even the briefest glimpse, it changes the way you perceive your place in the universe, and your relation to everything around you.

So even if we’re not really sure about the effects of our prayers until we get to the Other Side, and we get to see the results of our efforts— we still plod on, knowing that even if it’s just a small benefit, it won’t go to waste, and it will help someone, somehow. Just like Jesus could feed the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes— we might have the spiritual equivalent of a stale Oreo for God to work with, but we trust him to put it to good use in the way he knows best.

And we trust God, and keep doing what he says, because we believe him— not necessarily because we’re able to directly perceive the results of our efforts when we are in our current state, which is limited by our senses.
 
I have caught glimpses of what you’re calling the Unity of creation if by that you mean synchronicity. It’s a weird and wonderful thing and is a wonder quite literally. I think it is called by others the sympathy of all things. A very old idea. The sensation is of existing in a unified universe where you are connected to everything and everything is connected to you, quite amazing.
 
We pray not that God may do OUR will but that we will do HIS will. If HIS will was to allow your sister to die, than he uses your prayer for the spiritual good of your sister, for your acceptance of his will, and for others.
 
I don’t know the mind of our infinitely perfect God, but perhaps He used your prayers for a deep peace and comfort for your sister. No prayer is wasted.
 
Thank you, what did I do? I must say it was happening to me regularly recently for a few weeks and then it stopped. But, wow, it’s almost indescribable. I must say it was also humbling because multiple events must happen in exactly the right moments for it to occur and, I’m getting shivers just thinking about it!
 
homewardangel said:
so what was the purpose of my prayers? were they pointless? That is where I am now… why did I pray - I mean she suffered and died anyway.
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Prayers are not like putting money into a slot machine; while many things are dependent on us asking for them in prayer, one has to realize that prayer is a dialogue with God. One has to have a relationship with God as that of a child with a Father; where sometimes a father says no for a reason; yet we trust our father. Our prayers for physical healing from a sickness could indeed be granted by God; yet we are all going to die anyways. God is interested in our eternal spiritual good. often times it takes great suffering and pain for people to finally turn to God; thus dying in that state of mind of dependence on God is the best time to leave this earth…
Here is an excellent brief talk about speaking with God in prayer, as explained by Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
HOW TO PRAY
 
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