Why do we Pray?
Prayer is such an integral part of any theistic religion. In some religions, one must pray at certain times of the day, in others it’s simply something one does whenever they wish to communicate with their deity. But why do we pray?
Let us set my own religious stance aside for a moment, and seriously consider this question. For the purposes of simplicity, I shall utilise my own knowledge for this, which is of Christianity.
People come up with many different reasons for prayer. One of the first reasons I usually get told is to ask of their God(s) a favour. In the case of Christians, is this not sorely futile? It is mentioned numerous times in the bible, that God has a “Divine Plan”. This is a pre-written plan God has for us, for all humanity and all existence. It details everything which is going to happen to us during our time in reality. So why then would He change it because we ask it of Him? Why would God spend so long conceiving this plan, only to have it ruined when someone asks Him for something? Surely, then, He will not answer requests, for it will destroy his divine plan. Ergo, prayer for requests is futile and there is no need for it. Especially when people pray for a new car, or to wish someone harm, or to win the lottery. Can you honestly expect the Lord of Creation to answer such greedy and sadistic prayers? Such a thought is laughable.
Perhaps then, people pray for others souls. This is a little more reasonable, but it too eventually proves futile. Depending on which Christian church you are a part of, it is likely that God will judge a person’s immortal soul on their own actions. The good go to Heaven, the evil to Hell. Alternatively, some Christian branches believe in Predetermination, where one’s soul is condemned or saved prior even to birth. This comes from God’s omnipotence and omniscience. God knows a person’s future (which raises an interesting point in regards to Free Will, which I shall discuss later) well before that person even comes into being, and hence know where their soul is going. In both these cases prayer does nothing for a person’s soul. You can beg God to spare a person from Hell all you like, but if they are judged on their own actions your prayers are ignored, and the same holds true for pre-determination.
Then, perhaps, one prays simply to communicate with God? Yet God is held to be something we cannot comprehend, something which we cannot understand. It is so far above us that He is to us what we are to ants. Then how can He be expected to understand us? How, if He governs all of reality and watches trillions of stars and quadrillions of planets with billions of lifeforms, can we honestly expect to be heard?
We pray for forgiveness, which serves at least some purpose, assuming God can hear us. But as I mentioned above, God most likely cannot hear nor comprehend us, as we cannot hear nor comprehend ants. And in the case of the Christian faiths which believe in pre-determination, then prayer for our forgiveness does nothing for the same reasons prayer for another does nothing.
So we come to the final point.
We pray for ourselves. There is nothing else for it, no other logical reason. I can understand why though.
It’s comforting, to believe that your prayers have an effect. That your watching God can hear you, can comfort you. I don’t blame those who pray, and in fact I am jealous of them for having found something to comfort them.
I must find some other way….
13 Responses to “Why do we Pray?”
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Heya¡my very first comment on your site. ,I have been reading your blog for a while and thought I would completely pop in and drop a friendly note. . It is great stuff indeed. I also wanted to ask..is there a way to subscribe to your site via email?
Before our Heavenly Father made Himself real to me, I mostly prayed out of a sense of obligation. For it was something that was expected of one of His children by faith, but now, I actually talk to Him. More importantly, He actually talks back, and He has personally revealed to me that He has been doing so since the womb. Furthermore, be assured that this is the same for everyone–mostly through our thoughts. Yet, since we have been so strongly encouraged to believe that He stopped trying to communicate with us directly after the canon of His Holy Bible was complete, we usually just think of our thoughts as being our own–even when it is made clear to us that there is something else going on in our minds. Tragically, far too much of Christian doctrine has made it easy for us to think of our Heavenly Father as being pretty much unapproachable in one way or another, but if He does for you as He has for me, you will have to spend more effort denying that He is indeed real and actually with you every moment of every day than just humbly accepting what He actually says is absolutely true, which is quite contrary to what has been mostly taught about Him.
FishHawk´s last blog ..TWO FOR TUESDAY
On the contrary, I find it difficult to accept that God is in fact there with me. I’ve never felt like someone was watching over me, making sure I was okay, or responding to my prayers (back when I still prayed). I find it more uplifting to believe that I’m on my own, because then I know when I succeed it was through my own efforts. It makes me feel like I’ve truly accomplished something through my own efforts.
Be assured that the day will come when you will be made aware of His presence if it hasn’t happened already, and on that day, our Heavenly Father will make sure that you fully understand everything that He wants you to. For no one will be able to honestly say that they did not understand, come Judgment Day, but it may not be until just before you take your last breath in this world that it will happen. To be clear, just understanding is not enough. For we must humbly accept what our Heavenly Father wants us to before we will be welcome to spend all of eternity with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven as heirs to all that is His in glory. For it would not fulfill His purposes to force anyone to do so against their will. Yes, all of this sounds so ridiculous to most, but it will be as it should be in the end.
FishHawk´s last blog ..Sites To See
I don’t know what spiritual orientation you might have —whether or not you have, I think you don’t understand the Christian’s purpose and essence of prayer. Of course, if you’re not a Christian or does not believe in a deity, this argument is futile. If you know the Bible as God’s Word, then you might have a different perspective.
But speaking for Christians, as I am a Christian, prayer is not only communication” for us” . It is actually any form—-petition,request and praise—it’s not for ourselves but “reliance and faith” on a dependable God. When a Christian prays, he has faith that God will answer him—-be it a Yes, No or Later. Yes, God has His plans for us but He gave us the freedom of will——a will to just follow the “world” or follow His ways. And of course, God did not promise a life without problems or troubles. Even evil people have troubles of their own. But what God promises us, is a “comfort, peace and love” amidst troubles…….we as Christians know that —–to overcome problems because problems don’t go away , or to let us go through the problems with a reliance on the strength and power of God.
We let God be God—the more we obey Him , the more we are guided towards His plans for us.
And daily prayer and meditation on His word are the ways we are able to know that.
You don;t need to find another way…..it’s probably your resisting it because you cannot comprehend God. Nobody understands God…I’d been a Christian for 43 years of my life and even everybody else, but still we do admit we don;t understand God……we don’t need to. All we need is faith.
And with God, all we need is to believe because that’s when we see. In this world, “to see is to believe” but God does not come from this world and because he is God , we do not limit him to our worldly and human views and validities. And that is why people who don’t believe in Him don’t believe because they keep trying to figure God out when you cannot figure him out. He’s God.
And if you find another way, maybe it will work superficially or temporarily….but what is that way—–who is going to give you that comfort, peace , strength and hope in this world ?
The reason why you cannot find God or “that other way” you’re saying is because you refuse to have faith and probably you put God in human limitations. You need to seek God first and unless you recognize that void in your soul, nobody can fill that in a way that God does.
In God, “believe first then you will see….”
But if you do not look in the right direction, you’ll be forever looking for something that’s nothing there and/or elusive.
This is not just preaching—-this is based on my life, If not for my faith in God, I just don;t know what else to do if I don’t have him , especially in a world like this…..
I see that God is at work in me because I believe.
bingkee´s last blog ..PRESSING WRINKLES AND A "MADE IN AMERICA: COCA-COLA" POST
“I see God is at work in me because I believe”
This is where we must differ. I am a man of science, of evidence and of the waking world. I cannot believe in things which I cannot see, which cannot be proven. I’m not actively trying not to believe (“it’s probably your resisting it because you cannot comprehend God” as you say), I simply don’t. I can, however, understand why others do.
Saying I don’t believe in God because I cannot comprehend Him is incorrect I’m afraid. I cannot comprehend the true power of Evolution, but I believe in its ability, I know it is there. I cannot comprehend the mind boggling size of the Universe, but I know it is there, I know it is that large and incomprehensible.
It seems my final line has misled you. I did not mean I desire another way to find a purpose in life, I desire another way to simply accept life as it is. I am forever questioning, examining and learning what I can about nature, and reality. It is simply who I am.
I do not close myself to God, but through my life in all the times where people have said God comes to us and we find Him, I have felt nothing but an immense loneliness. I think this helps me to appreciate what I have: some amazing friends, an ability to simply not get stressed…. I don’t need God to help me through tough times, for I know now that I am strong enough to do so myself, or if I’m not that there are others who can help me through.
I don’t actively disbelieve. I simply disbelieve.
This is something I’ve been studying lately too. You have really good points about predetermination vs. free will that people have been struggling with for a long time. I wanted to point out that the word “omniscient” means “all-knowing”, so if you have an all-knowing deity, then he can easily hear every prayer. He is also given the qualities of omnipresence and omnipotence, so reacting to every prayer is possible. Let’s take it one step further to the Holy Spirit, which resides in every believer and guides and teaches them. Christian doctrine covers all its bases.
Scientific study (which is not anti-religion but does demand physical proof for claims) has shown that prayer has no effect on medical recovery. Any examples of “miracle cures” are easily attributed to statistical probability and confirmation bias (the same logic that alien believers use- if it’s unexplained, it must have been aliens). So from a scientific standpoint your conclusion that we pray for our own benefit is pretty sound.
I also believe FishHawk and Bingkee have hit on something that shows a common feature of humanity. If you have a belief in something, your life will measurably improve. How else could you explain the prevalence of religion in the world? Not to say that every religion is right in its specific claims, but I believe it’s a universal human need.
I hope you write more articles on this topic. It’s cathartic to talk things out instead of running on a mental hamster wheel.
Steve´s last blog ..June 16 – Valentina Tereshkova – Fact of the Day (No Comments)
Well, in many respects, my life in this world has gotten a lot worse. For my health has continued to deteriorate to the point where I really do long for physical death now, and on top of that, I have been given acute sense of just how many do not want to accept what our Heavenly Father actually says is absolutely true–both in and out of the Christian community. On the other hand, at least I now know that my sufferings have not been just the way it goes sometimes, and it that respect, my life has most definitely improved.
FishHawk´s last blog ..Sites To See
I know that I’ve got so little experience in life compared to some other people, including those that have posted here, but I’m gonna give this whole ‘theological/philosophical discussion’ thing a try.
As a Christian, I believe that yes, God has a Divine Will, and yes, it is a plan for us, but only a rough outline, if you will. We are the authors of our own lives; we make the details, we write the specific words of the stanza. What God gives us in his Divine Will is merely a building block for something that we do as an individual soul. To clarify mostly for myself, we write our lives, God writes the universe, and every story comes together in the most remarkable collaboration known. Cheesy, yes, but I’ll stop that now.
With my belief in the Divine Will as an outline, I believe in the power of prayer. I know there are thousands of people that say ‘well, this happened, and it was bad, so I prayed, and it stopped.’ Tragically, I’ve got one of those stories, and I shall now bore you with it (in a short, in-a-nutshell form, though): a great-uncle I didn’t know was essentially dying, my mother asked my family to pray for him, I did so, and he’s still alive despite minimum chances for survival. I know that’s playing into what Steve above said about alien believers and the logic of ‘unexplained-must-mean-blank,’ and I know I have no evidence that states my great-uncle would’ve died if I hadn’t prayed, so let’s forget I mentioned that as evidence.
You mentioned that we pray for ourselves, and I’ll have to admit that you’re correct, to a certain point. I don’t usually pray *to* my own benefit, but I almost always pray *for* my own benefit. Prayer is something that keeps me sane, I feel, and I try to balance keeping myself mentally stable with easing the pain/saving the eternal souls/solidifying the faith of others. It’s also a way to connect with the one friend that will not leave me, and since I’ve got a lot of friends just up and going other places when I probably need them most, that’s a comfort in my otherwise hectic life. It’s like a helpline that doesn’t cost me anything, and I don’t have to listen to some overqualified moron telling me what to do.
God does answer. I know I can’t claim to have actually heard him, like some others can, but there have been instances in my life where I realize that God was at work. No, I’m not talking about the multiple occasions so far that I’ve picked up my cellphone in instant I got a text from the person most important to me, though those are all close seconds.
Every time I fall ill, and I’m lying there in my bed, feeling my body fight off disease, my pulse racing, my temperature rising, I know God is there with me. He is there, not purging my body of the illness, of course, as that’s up to my immune system, but He is there as a solid rock, a firm foundation that I can lean on when I’m not strong enough. When I don’t have the power to go on, I can always depend on Him. I found a quote recently that describes the thought quite well: “No task ahead of us is greater than the power behind us.”
That’s all I’ve got; sorry if I rambled, and I apologize to Niemand for wasting your time and to my fellow Christians for misrepresenting our ability to represent their faith if it didn’t really adhere to the topic.
As christians we believe that our God does hear us, we believe that he loves and forgives us. Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. God wants us to pray. We need to pray in order to be closer to God. I hope you can come to realize the power and importance of prayer in your life. I will be praying for you.
Here is something to get you started
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
–Jill
ps…. you are doing a nice job with your blog.
http://theteenagebride.blogspot.com
Jill´s last blog ..It is the little things in life that sometimes bring us the most joy.
I think you have come up with a very good conclusion in your post. It is all mostly for comfort that anyone prays, whether a person believes that god is listening or not. I normally avoid the subject of religion because of the passionate feelings people have in their individual beliefs, but I like this one. A very good post.
Ratty´s last blog ..Parasites
It seems you have hit the mark on this one by the number of comments
.
I think its just a way to keep people a feeling that they are not in control of their lives. That way, if something goes wrong, you can always say “Its destiny” !
For example, If you pray for some illness to cure, either you get cured and you say it is due to the prayer. else you don’t and its all destiny. Also, I think it is secretly leveraging the power of trust. If you believe that you can do something, it will be possible. But if you are confident of your own abilities, then by praying, people are believing in some power (which in fact is their own and hence the expression,” ‘ god’ is within each of us”)
Diff.Thinkr´s last blog ..A Different View
Good observation. It’s amazing how people choose to disregard the self-fulfilling aspect of prayer and religion in general because it is against their sense of morality. But then, knowing about the futility of prayer negates its value, so maybe it’s better off for them to remain in denial.
Looking forward to more great blog posts.
Sothos´s last blog ..The Profit and the Purpose Motive – What Really Motivates Us