Do you believe in the power of prayer?

[BigGameDamian]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Seriously, you need to answer and give your opinion to all of these threads you start.

 

[ABM]

Yes. Countless upon countless prayers have been answered in so many ways in my lifetime.

God is Good ALL the time!

 

[Further]

Seriously, you need to answer and give your opinion to all of these threads you start.

Exactly. Or at least give a reason for the question or a some links to something bringing the topic current. Something, please.

 

[santeesioux]

Seriously, you need to answer and give your opinion to all of these threads you start.

He's still posting like he's at Oregonlive.

 

[Further]

Example

What do guys think about the power of prayer? linked is an article and news report from earlier this month about a church which claims to have evidence of the power of prayer.

Me, personally, I just think its coincidence. I don't put any stock into prayer. What about you?

 

[ABM]

Me, personally, I just think its coincidence. I don't put any stock into prayer. What about you?

When the Lord finally got hold of me, He reminded me at that very point in time that it was the (many) prayers of my parents that led me to Him. I've never regretted that decision, even once, in my life. That was over 20 years ago. As mentioned above, God has answered countless upon countless prayers. You can call it all coincidence of you'd like, but I know that I know what God has done, can, and will do. Love it.

 

[Further]

When the Lord finally got hold of me, He reminded me at that very point in time that it was the (many) prayers of my parents that led me to Him. I've never regretted that decision, even once, in my life. That was over 20 years ago. As mentioned above, God has answered countless upon countless prayers. You can call it all coincidence of you'd like, but I know that I know what God has done, can, and will do. Love it.

And the last time I prayed, and I mean really prayed, hard long and repeatedly, it was the month following my niece's birth. Less than 1 month later she died.

 

[ABM]

And the last time I prayed, and I mean really prayed, hard long and repeatedly, it was the month following my niece's birth. Less than 1 month later she died.

Sometimes, things don't always work out the way that "we" want. Does that mean we are to quit praying entirely? Absolutely not. God's ways are always higher than ours.

2 Samuel 12:15-24

15 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

18 On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”

19 David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon.

 

[Further]

Sometimes, things don't always work out the way that "we" want. Does that mean we are to quit praying entirely? Absolutely not. God's ways are always higher than ours.

You can't have it both ways. Either we can't possibly know god, so no prayer needed and no need to believe. Or, we understand god in which case prayers should matter and belief should result in prayer fulfillment.

 

[ABM]

You can't have it both ways. Either we can't possibly know god, so no prayer needed and no need to believe. Or, we understand god in which case prayers should matter and belief should result in prayer fulfillment.

In the purest sense, we pray, yet trust in God for the results. Many times I've said to myself, "Man, if God had answered my prayer(s) in the way that "I" wanted, then (fill in the blank here), a MUCH better result, wouldn't have happened!"

God knows the beginning from the end. I trust Him in that. I'm glad for it, as well.

 

[Further]

I don't believe the death of my niece was a much better result.

 

[ABM]

I don't believe the death of my niece was a much better result.

Terrible things happen due to sin being in the world. The Bible is clear about that. The good news (if you're a believer) is that there's a much, much, MUCH better place to come.

Sorry to hear about your niece.

 

[Further]

I'll put the niece card away now.

Show me influence that prayer has, and that will be a start. Perhaps not all prayers should be answered, there are reasons I might not understand. But surly there will be some prayer answered, more than random. Show me a well designed study showing there is some measurable effect. In a peer reviewed journal. There must be thousands of these studies showing how prayer unequivically works more often than by total random.

 

[ABM]

I'll put the niece card away now.

Show me influence that prayer has, and that will be a start. Perhaps not all prayers should be answered, there are reasons I might not understand. But surly there will be some prayer answered, more than random. Show me a well designed study showing there is some measurable effect. In a peer reviewed journal. There must be thousands of these studies showing how prayer unequivically works more often than by total random.

I'm sure they're out there. I'm simply telling you that it has worked in my own life...and in the lives of many of my friends and family.

 

[hypnosmurf]

 

[tlongII]

I believe it calms you. That's a good thing.

 

[Further]

I believe it calms you. That's a good thing.

This I agree with. And I believe that prayer can have an affect on the person praying akin to the placebo effect. And that can be powerful. So I see praying for your blood pressure to lower, that could work (although not as well as medicine), but you praying for my blood pressure to decrease is fruitless. But either way, it's not god, it's our own brains ability at work.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I remember years ago Art Bell used to pick an area hit hard by drought and would ask his radio listeners to pray for rain for that area as an experiment to see if prayer worked.

I can't remember if it ever worked because I would end up falling asleep before the show was over.

 

[Further]

I remember years ago Art Bell used to pick an area hit hard by drought and would ask his radio listeners to pray for rain for that area as an experiment to see if prayer worked.

I can't remember if it ever worked because I would end up falling asleep before the show was over.

I remember that. I found Art Bell back in high school, around 1990 and spent many sleepy days at school cause I was up half the night listening to this kook. He sure is fun, even if he ha no ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. He introduced me to many concepts, kind of last centuries Joe Rogan.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I remember that. I found Art Bell back in high school, around 1990 and spent many sleepy days at school cause I was up half the night listening to this kook. He sure is fun, even if he ha no ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. He introduced me to many concepts, kind of last centuries Joe Rogan.

Major Ed Dames! Hahahahahaha! That guy was such a freak.

 

[Further]

Major Ed Dames! Hahahahahaha! That guy was such a freak.

I remember actually trying some remote viewing exercises to see if I could see any validity. I couldn't. But man that was fun. I always wondered how he found so many fellow freaks. My favorites were the alien conspiracy folk, ones claiming to have worked at Area 51, and stuff like that.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I remember actually trying some remote viewing exercises to see if I could see any validity. I couldn't. But man that was fun. I always wondered how he found so many fellow freaks. My favorites were the alien conspiracy folk, ones claiming to have worked at Area 51, and stuff like that.

Bob Lazar! He told a really good story!

You remember Mel's Hole in Washington? Or that guy from the Philadelphia Experiment? Most of those guys were crackheads but some could really spin a hell of a story. Art Bell was where I first heard Michio Kaku and Zahi Hawass.

 

[MickZagger]

No. But, I believe in the power of love.

 

[Further]

Bob Lazar! He told a really good story!

You remember Mel's Hole in Washington? Or that guy from the Philadelphia Experiment? Most of those guys were crackheads but some could really spin a hell of a story. Art Bell was where I first heard Michio Kaku and Zahi Hawass.

Yep, I remember Michio too, and do you recall terence mckenna? Before the Internet, this was really the only place to hear suh odd fellows. Now, most of them are pretty standard.

 

[Further]

Sly, do you recall what the issues were with Bell, his son and the law? I forget, but there was some strange in Arts life too.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Sly, do you recall what the issues were with Bell, his son and the law? I forget, but there was some strange in Arts life too.

If I remember right a male teacher with aids raped/molested his son.

 

[Further]

If I remember right a male teacher with aids raped/molested his son.

I never knew how much of those stories were true or his paranoia.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I never knew how much of those stories were true or his paranoia.

No clue, I was really creeped out when is wife died and a month later he's in the Philippines marrying a 17yr old.

 

[Further]

Someone needs to make the Art Bell Movie.