Prayer (2) Whats The Point?

[nailit]

Many people pray for frivolous things (God please grant me a parking space at Tesco)
Many people pray for something far more serious (God please save my dying child)
The frivolous prayers seem to get answered far more than the serious prayers.
(Maybe something to do with the fact that you are more likely to find a parking lot at Tesco than you are of finding your terminally ill child miraculously cured of a terminal illness)

Its been said that prayer doesnt change circumstances, it changes you.
So why pray in the first place?
As an ex-christian, I really dont get it? I prayed for stuff to happen, which I. knew wasn't going to happen anyway, but then came the excuses. It wasnt Gods will etc. If God's will is paramount then prayer is a waste of time, he aint going to change his mind as to who suffers and who he replies to...

Didnt the Pope a while back say that he was going to ask God to remove Covid? If God didnt listen to the Pope asking for a pandemic to be erradicated then he's not going to listen to you asking for a parking space at bloody Tesco.

So whats the point? Seriously!

[naomi24]

Theland, you don’t have a robust response which is why you resort to personal attacks.

[Theland]

Ha! No robust response? To atheism? Yes OK.
Live your life, I'll live mine, and I hope you change and keep it confidential until you're sure.
One day!

[naomi24]

What an arrogant little man you are, Theland. Get over yourself.

[Spungle]

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to accept the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Who would not benefit from a prayer like that? Millions of us (of all faiths and none) will have used this prayer this week, and benefitted from it.

[vulcan42]

Spungle, what have you changed and benefited from that couldn't have been achieved without a prayer?

[Spungle]

Thanks Vulcan, many things, but the one that stands out most to me is recovery from alcoholism, 7 years ago. One day for an alcoholic of my type is a miracle. How about you?

[naomi24]

When people are going through troubled times faith can help them enormously. However, ultimately your own effort and perseverance got you through it, Spungle. Could it be that you’re under-valuing yourself? Perhaps you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.

[Spungle]

Thanks, Naomi, that's an interesting opinion. However, that isn't the case for me (and thousands of others in recovery)- prayer and meditation are key to every successful recovery from addiction- it was eyeopening to me, as a Christian, to find persons in recovery who professed to be agnostics, and of all sorts of religions, but the common theme is finding a Power, higher than ourselves, (of our own understanding)- and certainly has broadened my own outlook to listen to, consider and attempt to understand the opinions and experiences of others. As to under-valuing myself, I respectfully disagree too- I have more self-respect than ever before. Where I used to be a self-loathing person, I have learnt now to accept myself for who I am, flaws and all. I found that praying for persons who previously had harmed me, or who I disliked intensely, or who were filling my thoughts, an amazingly liberating experience.

[Mamyalynne]

Spungle, well done on your recovery and even more so on the fact that you now believe in yourself and have found inner strength.

[Spungle]

Thankyou Mamyalynne, we all have personal struggles of some degree, and it's amazing what support is out there. I really appreciate your kind words, thanks again.

[vulcan42]

Spungle, thank you for answering my question. I accept that you found inspiration through prayer but agree with naomi that your inner strength probably contributed a great deal to your recovery. I don't understand praying, if the prayer seemed to have work people rejoice and praise their God, if it didn't, it's Gods will. I still don't understand why God thought it necessary to allow my wife to die at a ridiculously early age leaving two small boys motherless.

[Spungle]

You're welcome, Spungle, the inner strength you refer to is [paradoxically] finding a power outside of myself. If I could have stopped drinking with sheer willpower or inner strength, I'd have done so.

I don't claim to fully understand prayer either. And any words I choose could never begin to understand what you must have gone through at that terrible time and I feel for you very much in your personal tragedy, the loss of your wife, and the bereavement found by your young boys. All I can say is what I've find power in, in prayer, learning acceptance, accepting that I don't know and don't need to know the answers to everything, and finding strength daily to get through another day. Thank you for sharing your personal story, my heart goes out to you.

[Theland]

The posts above go a long way to describing the difficulty I so often find myself in.
I am a Christian, and accept the gospel, but I don't know enough about the mind of God, prayer, or even the bible, to be able to satisfactorily answer the questions posed by atheists to me, which often are presented in such unfriendly tones.
I continue to learn.

[naomi24]

Theland, //which often are presented in such unfriendly tones. //

And your continual insults are friendly? You missed your vocation. You'd have done well as a comedian.