Has praying ever worked for you?

[Anonymous]

[TheRealPepperPotts]

I am a Christian. Because of my faith, I pray. I think prayer is a practice like meditation. It gives us peace with the outcome, rather than concrete answers. That is the only way I can think about it and do it at this point in my life. It's hard for me to hear other Christians talk about "miracles" like getting better from a cold, or surviving a hang nail. It is also hard for me to listen to other believers excitedly talk about the goodness of God in "healing" people who were unlikely to die in the first place.

My late husband died of cancer before he was forty. He was a strong Christian, never smoked or drank or anything. Fastidious about his diet, active and healthy. He was an amazing person.

You better believe I prayed when he was diagnosed Stage 4, with nothing we could do.

I prayed when he was bleeding

I prayed when he was throwing up

I prayed with every test that came back showing that the cancer was overtaking his body

I begged God. I pleaded. I bargained. I swore I'd do anything. Anything. I offered my own life in exchange.

But he still died. Senseless, impartial, and final. I asked God "why?" too many times to count. I went through a dark time spiritually, alone, because I knew this was too dark and messy for me to share with any Christian I knew.

Evangelicalism wants the happy ending. They want the fairy story. They want chapter two. They don't want messy people and dirty, dark places that even animals avoid. They say they do, but they don't. They want to paint over it, not sit with it.

In this experience, I learned that I could sit with pain, and survive. I learned that in a fallen world things will happen in spite of our prayers. But in the end my personal choice was simple: I can do life either with God, or without Him. Without Him, I have no hope. I become cynical and hard. With Him, I can cry and be vulnerable. I can ask the questions that no pastor will face honestly. And God hears me when no human on earth will. I am a better person because of the hope that faith brings, not because I get what I want and I can call down a firestorm. And that, for me, is what prayer is. Hope and faith in practice. And while God may not answer with a whirlwind, I have never left a time of prayer anxious or afraid.

[sage2021]

@TheRealPepperPotts
Hello,
I just read your opinion and really liked what you said.
My boyfriend died suddenly 8 months ago. He was the love of my life and I miss him 💔 so much!

I am so sorry about what you had to endure with your husband in the hospital. And even though you prayed and prayed for him to be healed, he still went to heaven.
And here, you and I are both still here going through life without them.
I want to share scripture with you that has helped me - if you don't mind.
Isaiah 55.8-9 NKV
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, Saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

What that scripture means to me, that he had a higher place for your husband and my Patrick to go to. He had thoughts about them, and needed them in heaven with Him, not on earth anymore. He must have had important jobs to do for the Lord. That's what I believe. They are both HIS children, just as we are. He had different plans than we did for them.
Yes, I miss him dearly, but I am so thankful that as my duty as a Christian is to tell people about Jesus and lead them to the Lord's prayer. Patrick did that. He became a believer in Jesus Christ and asked him to be his Savior. He believed Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He believed he was burried and rose again on the third day and will return.
So, when he died suddenly I was okay with it because I know he went to heaven.

I don't want to keep you here too long, so I will be on my way.

I sent you a request to follow you.

God bless you and keep you always.
Sage2021 ✝️

[sage2021]

Yes, praying has worked for me many times.
When my son was dying in the hospital with 5 different illnesses at the same time, any one of which could have caused him to die.
He was in the hospital 76 days, and yes, I prayed for him to get better and even though he was on life support and so very sick the Lord was by his side and Jesus Christ took out all that ugly sickness and let him live!!

[Dongie]

Awe, I know what you mean. My favorite sister of 4 has stage 4 blading mass breast cancer. I pray and searched for cures. I've imagined the wordy and having to deal with anger toward our savior. We started our own cure April 4th and last week antigen of cancer spreading was reduced by 40% and the mass has shrunk. I don't think it's the poisonous chemo doing this.

[bobalife]

Yes, it has helped in the past. I believe prayers can work when you actually put your faith and trust into it. I don’t think some people understand it since it may be more religious and they may have a more frown upon of those with religions, but it is a little more than just that alone. I think it comes with a more open mind and respect to be educated in the spiritual aspects. I believe it also helps a person feel at peace and a part of meditation. I am not a Christian/Catholic, but it does not mean a person can not pray to the higher being. I think there are others who feel like their prayers were not being answered nor connected.. it could follow with multiple reasons and other times I think somethings are just a part of life that we have to learn to accept when it is not going to the way we want. Life works in mysterious ways and I do not believe there is ever just one way of how one person can follow as the “right way” when there are so many options that a person can find fitting for them.

[strateguy632]

worked? like get what you asked? can't expect that. we are not worthy! of miracles.

but worked for hope! worked for emotional benefit. indirect health benefits due to hoping the prayer will help!

a story:

communist scools told kids "if you believe god, pray he should give you ice cream now" when as expected, no ice cream, they said "see? no god! prayer doesn't help!". they even rewarded the other kids with ice cream! which was hard to get under communism! just to sway simple children.

later marxism collapsed. it is failing to attract followers but at least 70% of humans believe in prayer despite not getting the bike they asked for.

[D_Bone_Steak]

There was a book I read when I was just a pre-teen. It was about affirmation. I think praying is along the same lines. If not something magical... it focuses your mind in a direction to get the most desired results.

As I grew up and seen so many money makers sell the idea of affirmation and so many religious people report that it works... it's still the same practice.

Both require you to think about the issue without wavering to some bullshit for an extended period of time... sometimes only 1 minute at a time.

[jennifer_bloom]

The bible says if you want real benefits that aren't stripped away - you have to pray in secret. I know people who practice their religion in public and pray and worship and fast and do charity in public, and they build up so much negative karma through their ignorance and blind spots they are worse off than somebody who spends their time in brothels or jail cells. The bible says only secret religion is rewarded.

[Daniela1982]

All I can say is that if you are not a believer then your prayers are not heard by God. Think of it, why would someone answer your prayers - except with a "No" - when they don't believe he exists, hate him, or they curse him all the time?

[DancingQueen16]

Yes it has because one time when I was still in high school there had been a few days where everyday was feeling the same and I started to get kind of bored so one day I prayed asking God for something different to happen and it worked because the next day some people came to my school and gave all the seniors free snacks and stuff and I was so happy

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Here’s the fun thing about prayer: it’s part of the Placebo Effect!


Just believing that prayer works and things will get better as a result makes things seem to get better because of it. Isn’t that cool?

[sawno]

Yes it has, I had prayers answered. Not in the way where they neccesarily got fulfilled, of course, but in the way that I got a direct response.

[dustybiker2]

I prefer to find my own solutions than waste time pretending something else has control and will fix everything.

[EmmaMary]

You must be completely delusional if you even remotely think it works... It's quite simply a load of Bollox.

[RasmusAiken]

Earnest prayer always works. My prayers have never changed God. My prayers always change me.

[Dongie]

Many times. I could probably tell of some that wouldn't be believed and scoffed at. But having witnessed Devine intervention to its fullest I know God answers unspoken prayers as well.

[jshm2]

Sure, I pray never to meet banal people like you in person, and never have.

[Jersey2]

Yes, it has worked for me. Many time. But it’s not how you think. I don’t ask God to perform party tricks for me. It’s deeper than that.

[Dongie]

Right. He's not a genie in a bottle to grant wishes. God deserves the respect that most of us cannot and/or have not even conyemplated.

[FuqUFggt]

All the time. And I'm not very religious, faithful, or anyone God should want to help. He's always there and I pray often. I don't even know who I am praying too

[CallmeTheKnight]

It always made me feel a whole lot better emotionally, spiritually, and physically

[Anonymous]

I pray for the sun to rise every morning.
And it does

You’re welcome

[bobby_bush_eater]

Yes, many times. Could be luck could be something else

[Blueeyes81]

It works at about the same rate as not praying.

[strateguy632]

you can't know if someone healed faster because praying helped.

[strateguy632]

if=wether or not

[elaphe]

Yes, it gives a peace of mind that I can't find otherwise.

[In_Trance]

Lol no

[Olgaaa22]

Yes at a some point I’ve had prayers been answered

[RebelinSteel]

It’s never worked for anyone.

[sage2021]

@RebelinSteel
There are people here that gave there opinion's and said yes,
it has worked for them.
You are so emphatic with your answer. You don't know what you're talking about.
How can you say it never worked for anyone. Oh, do you know everyone? Did you ask everyone this question.
Change never to has some people and anyone to some people.

[RebelinSteel]

@sage2021 do you think they prayed at Auschwitz, Dresden, Gaza, etc pick a place where someone was in the most intense terror imaginable. Now tell me it works.

[sage2021]

@RebellinSteel
I do know what some people say&
There are no atheists in foxholes.

[RebelinSteel]

@sage2021 does not mean it works,

[slatyb]

I grew out of it when I was 11.

[Unit1]

Literally never.

Unlike money...

[strateguy632]

never because never properly tried?
in communist scools they told kids "if you believe god, pray he should give you ice cream now" when as expected no ice cream they said "see no god prayer doesn't help" n rewarded the other kids with ice cream which was hard to get under communism.

[Unit1]

@strateguy632 tried and literally no results

[Yannae]

No. She passed away all the same.

[Nifrayu]

Never tried it.

[jahaims]

Talking to imaginary beings doesn't do anything

[AngryCarl]

Actually, yes.

[lightbulb27]

Yes but not always.

[Baublebar234]

Yes, always

[Darrelyn]

Yes it has.

[mb120101]

No it hasn’t

[robocop666]

cognitive dissidents. total garbage.

[laly520]

yes it has

[MicahRaine]

Yes it does

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Yes..

[Akam93]

Yes it has.

[ellefia]

Yes. it works

[ryancg]

No not all.

[TonyMetal___86]

A lot

[BarryLiverstone]

Many times

[ethansf]

Absolutely