Do you believe prayer truly works?

[jlay]

God answers any request that is His will. We are told to pray for one another.

So God does not answer personal request prayers like heal my sick child, watch over my family and keep them safe from harm, help me find a mate because I am lonely and depressed, and etc?

I do not think the Bible builds a case that prayer is a laundry list.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2
So, if a person knows the will of God, they will pray it. That could certainly include any of the things you mentioned. Prayer is about aligning our will with the will of God. Nothing can hinder that prayer. It is not about trying to convince God that he really needs to do something about our circumstances. So, how can we know the will of God? Offer our lives in service to God, and reject the pattern of the world.

[MAGSolo]

If it is his will wouldnt it be done even without asking? It sounds like there is really no good reason to pray at all.

[Byblos]

If it is his will wouldnt it be done even without asking? It sounds like there is really no good reason to pray at all.

Mag, it's about YOU and the way YOU act and the way YOU think and what YOU do and whether or not it aligns with God's will. I think J mentioned that once or twice.

[MAGSolo]

What jlay mentioned just sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Im just trying to get an answer to does God answer prayer. Saying he will if its his will is pretty silly because if its his will he will do it whether you pray for it or not. It sounds like God (providing he exists) doesnt actually do anything in response to prayer so there is no reason to pray.

[Byblos]

What jlay mentioned just sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Im just trying to get an answer to does God answer prayer. Saying he will if its his will is pretty silly because if its his will he will do it whether you pray for it or not. It sounds like God (providing he exists) doesnt actually do anything in response to prayer so there is no reason to pray.

Well, let's assume that He does exist, shall we? Since if he didn't then you'd be correct, prayer would be a waste of time. So given the assumption that God does in fact exist, what is the difference between praying and not praying?

I would contend that if one prays the biblical way (i.e. what J has been saying all along, i.e. for one to align her or himself with God's will) then they get ever closer to God, are a better person for doing so, more grounded in morality, more content with life and its ups and downs, more capable of handling adversity, more family oriented, more willing to help and be charitable, etc, etc. '

Now that's not to say people who don't pray or don't believe in God can't be those things either. I'm contending that doing so brings no meaning to any of it since it is grounded in personal preference and nothing more.

[jlay]

What jlay mentioned just sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Im just trying to get an answer to does God answer prayer. Saying he will if its his will is pretty silly because if its his will he will do it whether you pray for it or not. It sounds like God (providing he exists) doesnt actually do anything in response to prayer so there is no reason to pray.

I apologize if you are not satisfied with the answer. But perhaps you ought to ask better questions. You are asking a very earthly question for a very spiritual issue.

If you ask a general question, "does God answer prayer?" the answer is yes. But that is a very incomplete answer, because you can't apply that to your own notions of prayer. Did you bother to read the link i provided? If so, what did you learn about prayer based on what Paul prayed?

Prayer does not manipluate the heart or will of God, but connects us to the heart of God which persuades our request. When we are connected to the heart of God, then we are moved as to what to pray. I do believe that there are prayers that go unanswered because they were not asked. And I believe that God will accomplish all He will, and it isn't contingent on us getting it right. But what a greater blessing if we experience all God created us to be.

[PaulSacramento]

I think that, if you pray with the intent to get something from God then yes, there is no point in praying THAT way.
There is no real reason why God Should answer any prayer other than a prayer the God wants to answer.

[opus649]

What jlay mentioned just sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.

Wow I completely disagree. In fact, and I mean no offense to the other posters, I thought jlay was the first person to offer a good answer.

Im just trying to get an answer to does God answer prayer. Saying he will if its his will is pretty silly because if its his will he will do it whether you pray for it or not.

These two statements lead me to believe that you aren't really seeking answers but rather affirmation of a belief you already hold. JLAY answered your question and he answered it quite well. If your goal is to distill understanding of God into one word answers, I suspect you will never be satisfied.