does god listen to prayers?

by el jarocho mayor 46 Replies latest jw experiences

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  el jarocho mayor

  when people pray does god listen? does he care? when prayers are "answered", is that proof of a divine being? and when prayers arent "answered", is that proof that there is no divine being? or was their lack of faith? I mean for instance as an example....there are two families. Both lose their children. Both families pray to god for the safe return of their children. One family has their child returned to them and the other does not. Did the one family not pray hard enough? or does god have nothing at all to do with any of it?

  what do you guys think?
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  Elsewhere

  This reminds me of one of my favorite movie quotes from The Island

  At one point one of the technitians mentions the word "god" in front of some clones and they had never heard the word before...

  Clone: “What is God?”

  Technician: “You know when you want something real bad and you close your eyes and wish for it?” he replies, “God is the guy that ignores you!”
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  Terry

  We only need to know one thing to understand prayer.

  GOD IS MADE IN MAN'S IMAGE.

  Not the other way around.

  We project (wishful thinking) outward what we are and idealize it entirely. But, it is just us.

  When we pray we talk to ourselves; but, we disavow it.

  That is why it doesn't matter whether we whisper, cry aloud or hide in the closet when we pray: we HEAR ourselves.

  But, God doesn't answer prayer because we cannot lift ourselves by our own bootstraps.

  All we can do is wish we could and pretend an "other" can.

  When you pray you are writing a request in water with your finger.

  T.
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  MidwichCuckoo

  As a young JW, I was told to pray silently 'in the head', and remember to keep the lips still - Satan would then not be able to hear OR lip read!
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  BrendaCloutier

  ((( El J )))

  I believe Jesus taught us to pray in the manner of the Lord's Prayer, to not ask for specifics just to be disappointed, but to ask for "Thy will be done".

  I've seen this type of prayer - allowing "god" to do "it's" job, and the outcome beyond anything the person would have asked for:

  A friend and co-worker wanted to go to her parents 50th wedding aniversary. However, her father sexually molested her, her sister and her son when they were young. She wanted to go for her mom, but didn't care about her dad. It was a month away, and across the country.

  So I suggested 1) she act as if she were going and research airfare and 2) every night she pray "God bless my dad" and leave it at that. She did, and she ended up going to the event.

  At the party, before it started, she noticed her dad's makeup was askew (he was undergoing chemo and a year later died of cancer) So she took her dad into the bathroom to fix his makeup. The moment they entered the room, he began to cry and beg her forgiveness for the things he did to her! She was able to tell him that she had ALREADY forgiven him.

  Hug Sobrino!

  Tia Brenda
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  el jarocho mayor

  Elsewhere......I loved that part in the movie when steve buscemi says that to ewan mcgregor.

  Terry.............are you saying when we pray to god, we are actually praying to ourselves?
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  Purza

  Thank you Brenda for sharing that story. Very interesting and moving.

  Purza
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  NoMoreMeetings

  If you want to read of a 19th century example of answered prayer,
  read George Muller's biography.

  NMM
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  out of the box

  I am not sure if God listens. But since I was a little girl, I have talked to this entity that seems to hear me and give me what I need, sometimes not much more than that. I feel secure in that he or she listens to me. I think they call that faith!

  out of the box
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  Blueblades

  Which God are you referring to? NOPE! Just go to the Wailing Wall and see if he answers you. Mary might answer, or all the other spirits floating around.