why pray?

[anabelleraine]

I am a Catholic and love my religion. I pray all the time. I have a wonderful relationship with God, but in my quest to know Him more and seek and find, I have questions. Since God knows every aspect of our life and how it plays out, what is the point in praying for something or someone. I pray for the sick, I pray that my husband with find a better job etc., but why bother if it is not what God wants or has for us in His will? If He knows that “Bob” will be struck by cancer and die at the age of 32 then what is the purpose to pray for him to get better if it is already his destiny? I pray the rosary for peace for the world, why? There will never be peace in this world in my lifetime. Please help advise me on this because I love to pray and feel God’s presence but if it is His will then what is the point?

 

[Donkey]

God created Adam in the beginning, not because he needs the human race, but so that he might have a recipient of his generosity.
Moreover, God commanded us to follow Christ, not because he has any need of our service, but because he wants to give us salvation. To follow the savior is to share in salvation; just as to follow the light is to gain the light.
People who are in the light do not themselves provide the light but are illuminated and made bright by it; they do not contribute anything to it but, by being illuminated, they receive the benefit of the light.
Similarly, to serve God does not mean giving him any gift, nor has God any need of our service. On the contrary, it is he who gives to those who serve him life, immortality and eternal glory. He rewards those who serve him without deriving any benefit himself for their service: he is rich, he is perfect, and he has no needs.
God requests human obedience so that his love and his pity may have an opportunity of doing good to those who serve him diligently. The less God has need of anything, the more human beings need to be united with him. Consequently, a human being’s true glory is to persevere in the service of God.
~ Irenaeus ~

I and many others pray in obedience and service to God in hope of remaining illuminated by His Light. The opposite of Light is darkness.
The Lord himself taught us to pray….

"The Lord’s Prayer “is truly the summary of the whole gospel.” “Since the Lord…after handling over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, ‘Ask and you will receive,’ and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer (the Lord’s Prayer) is said first, as the foundation of further desires.”

• Tertullian, De orat.
  from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 2761.

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
EWTN

…As you pointed out…life is not static. The action of prayer and desire is the most necessary emollient that brings us closer to Light.

 

[Trishie]

Dear Anabelle thank you for your question!

And welcome to CAF…

To answer: One reason to continue to pray is that God tells us in scripture to pray.
Jesus tells us to pray

B]“If you have hope this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.” [Romans 12:12] “We are quite confident that if we ask Him for anything, and it is in accordance with His will, He will hear us; and knowing that whatever we ask, He hears us, we know that we have already been granted what we asked of Him.” [John 5:14-15] “If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm.” [James 5:13] “Pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God.” [Thessalonians 4:18] “Grant, Lord, the prayer of Your servants…so that all the earth’s inhabitants may acknowledge that You are the Lord, the everlasting God.” [Ecclesiasticus 36:16-17]

Jesus promises, “Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches, always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake when he asks for a fish? … How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” [Matthew 7:7-11] “Your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him.” [Matthew 6:9]

Jesus says, “if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.” [Matthew 18:19-20] “There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7] Paul pledges that the “Spirit…comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit Himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what He means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.” [Romans 8:26, 27] And Jesus taught His apostles the Lord’s Prayer.

Your thinking is a little deterministic. God has given us free will. He doesn’t impose sickness on us, for instance. People die in accidents, they die because their lifestyle or diet or stress levels aren’t cared for properly, they get sick and die for many reasons…but some of these can be avoided with care. A drunk driver who kills someone by driving eratically didn’t have to do that. If she or he had avoided the sin of drinking to excess, it wouldn’t have happened. Heart disease and diabetes 2 can often be avoided by eating in moderation and by exercise…not always, any of these things, but God didn’ determine the person would become sick or even die at that time. It was the person’s choices, due perhaps to great stress of loneliness or abuse…which again isn’t God’s doing but the unlovingness of others who abused or neglected them etc.

We have free will. God gives us the graces to unfold our lives according to the choices we make. If we make mistakes, He gives the graces we need as consequences. He didn’t will our mistakes, but He will still help us where we are. It isn’t His doing that there is lack of peace. People died in Pakistan this week, not because God wanted them to die, but because evil men chose that they should. God does not choose war and injustice for others. Other people do. There is war and sin and injustice, because many people ignore God’s teachings of love. We must continue to pray and the graces often flow to people whom we might not even know on earth.

Continue to pray, to build your relationship with God…and because we may not see it, though sometimes we do…and God’s loving answers are occasionally clear, occasionally hidden, but prayer does make a difference.

Remember that Jesus prayed according to the gospels, and He prayed in the Garden of Olives. If we follow Him, we too must pray.

Warm regards.

Trishie

 

[ckempston]

I am a Catholic and love my religion. I pray all the time. I have a wonderful relationship with God, but in my quest to know Him more and seek and find, I have questions. Since God knows every aspect of our life and how it plays out, what is the point in praying for something or someone. I pray for the sick, I pray that my husband with find a better job etc., but why bother if it is not what God wants or has for us in His will? If He knows that “Bob” will be struck by cancer and die at the age of 32 then what is the purpose to pray for him to get better if it is already his destiny? I pray the rosary for peace for the world, why? There will never be peace in this world in my lifetime. Please help advise me on this because I love to pray and feel God’s presence but if it is His will then what is the point?

I find it interesting that, although Jesus knew what the outcome of his life would be, he prayed for the cup to be taken from him in Gethsemene, but then added, “not as I will, but as you will.” If Jesus prayed knowing that what he wanted at the time would probably not be answered, then we should surely do the same.

I’m not sure if you have kids, but being a parent, I want my kids to ask me for whatever it is that they want. Doesn’t mean they’re going to get it, and it doesn’t mean what they’re asking is what’s best for them, but I still want them to be able to ask.

 

[St_Gabriel]

If you wish to be a follower of Jesus, you should imitate Him. Looking at the scriptures we see that He prayed all the time and He taught and encouraged his disciples to pray. He prayed before he made any major decisions (like choosing his apostles), and prayed before performing his major miracles (the multiplication of the loaves). So we all need to pray to be like Jesus.

 

[244Rocket]

Welcome to CAF. I believe in the power of prayer and that God can change things if we pray. I recall some passages in the bible where God was going to destroy some town(s) and because the people repented He relented. I have prayed all of my life and will continue to do so until I draw my last breath.

I would urge you to continue praying.