IBelieveInGod
Posts: 68
Joined: Nov. 2010
|
| Quote (OgreMkV @ Jan. 04 2011,08:25) | OK IBIG, I have a question and only you, with your epic knowledge of theology, can help me.
Why do you pray?
In several recent conversations with 'believers' (I'll explain the quotes in a bit), they have said that my request that God show himself by answering a prayer is inappropriate. In fact, they use Jesus as the example, when he said, "Do not tempt God." (or something like that).
IOW (Damn you Joe), praying to ask that God do something that ONLY God can do is defacto evidence of God and then no belief in God can exist. You wouldn't have faith, you would have evidence and God doesn't want worshipers who KNOW he exists, he wants worshipers that only HOPE he exists.
So, since you don't pray for things that would otherwise be impossible, you only pray for things that you think are possible. "God helps those who help themselves."
So, one of my students who prays for help on my test either does well or poorly. If she does well, then she thanks God. If she does poorly, then she blames herself for not studying enough. But, if studying alone would have helped her, then why did she have to pray?
And now we come to the central conundrum. Many times, you have been presented with various Biblical quotes (including some from Jesus) that have said, "Whatever you pray for will be done" usually including something about 'truly believe'.
So God will do anything that anyone who truly believes asks of him, except show that he exists. If my student had made a hundred on her test without studying or attending class and said it was because of prayer, then that would be proof of God's existance. If God heals amputees or rheumetoid arthritus, then that's proof that God exists and God can't allow that to happen.
So, you only get prayers answered that you probably could have done anyway or would have been done anyway. Any prayer that is answered is proof of God, which He can't allow. So why do you pray again?
Don't say to worship God. I was a Christian remember, EVERYONE, ALWAYS asks for something. Every time. |
Why do I pray?
To communicate with my Heavenly Father.
God wants a relationship with us, He doesn't want to just be an idol to be worshipped, but a Heavenly Father to be loved. When you ask God to prove Himself without believing, then you are essentially saying I don't believe you, therefore prove yourself to me. It would be a form of mockery to do so.
Hebrews 11:6 (New International Version)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
If you don't believe that God exists, then there is no point in asking Him for anything, because He will not answer.
I think you missed the point about Faith, Faith means more the knowing or believing that God exists or not. Faith is to put one's complete trust in God. I know that God exists, because of all the things He has done in my life, and my family and friends lives, but I still need to have Faith (inward conviction and trust) that God will answer when I call His name.
I pray for what many would consider impossible things all the time, and have seen great things happen in my life. I'm not going rehash them all again, because it's obvious that you wouldn't believe that they actually occurred, so there is not point to that exercise. Anyway God does answer many so-called impossible things all the time. As far as "God helps those who help themselves." Let me put it this way "If we do the possible, then God will do the impossible." The problem with many is that they won't do the possible, yet expect God to do the impossible.
Now let me address "Whatever you pray for will be done". Let me start by saying that God will not answer a prayer that is out of His will, goes against His Word, or that fulfills our sinful nature. Many prayers do just that, so we have to pray according to His Word, His Will, and prayers that do not fulfill the lusts of our sinful nature.
1 John 5:14-15 (New International Version)
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
Now about worship, many times prayers are actually answered during worship. Thanksgiving and Praise is how we enter into God's presence, and Worship is what we do while in His presence, therefore it would make sense that, once in His presence that prayers are more likely to be answered. The reason many pray without any answers, is because they have essentially turned God into an idol in there own hearts. God wants to be real to you, and wants you to come to Him believing, that He is who He says He is, and that He is able to answer your needs according to His riches in Glory.
My Grandmother was healed of Rheumatoid Arthritis, but I'm sure you would have an explanation other then a miracle anyway i.e. that it just went into remission by itself, so what is the point. Even if God performed a miracle in front of your eyes, you would still be skeptical that God did it, there would always be some other possibility other than God did it.
It's obvious to me that you never went to a Church that truly "Worshipped God In Spirit And In Truth", so IMO God was never real to you. You never really entered into His presence, where God would be able to reveal Himself to you. IMO you were more or less an outside observer.[I][/I]
|
