The Searchersaid: “Why should God favour wonderful little me over them? I cringe when I hear a fellow Witness attribute the acquisition of a house or job (or even 100 chickens!) to our Creator answering their prayer! It portrays God not only as partial, but also evil, because he didn't answer the prayers of those in the tsunami, the twin towers, or every other major disaster or man-made atrocity! Just be thankful for what you have, and bear in mind and heart those poor souls who don't!”
I was always privately annoyed at JW’s that prayed for a sign, direction or some visible evidence as to what decision to make. This would often involve employment, buying, selling, getting married, having children, pioneering and on and on. I often thought that’s why God gave you a magnificent brain, use it wisely. Then I read this in a WT magazine.
September 1, 2001 p. 28 How You Can Make Good Decisions
“Should we, like Gideon, ask for ‘fleece tests,’ signs from Jehovah to show us the way to go? One couple wondered whether they should move to serve where there was a greater need for Kingdom preachers. To help them decide, they arranged a test. They put their house up for sale at a certain price. If the house sold by a certain date at the stated price or higher, they would take it as an indication that God wanted them to make the move. If the house failed to sell, they would conclude that God did not want them to move.
The house failed to sell. Was that an indication that Jehovah did not want this couple to serve where the need was greater? Of course, it would be presumptuous to state categorically what Jehovah does or does not do for his servants. We cannot say that today Jehovah never intervenes to demonstrate his will for us. (Isaiah 59:1) However, we do not have a right to expect such intervention in our major decisions, in effect leaving our decision making to God. Why, even Gideon for most of his life had to make decisions without miraculous signs from Jehovah!”
So I believe the Bible gives us life accounts that spell out consequences for certain decisions. Our parents taught us this, as well as our own personal observations of our peers at school at work etc.
There was a brother in my hall 7-8 years ago. He was healthy all his life, his wife regular pioneered for decades, they both made sacrifices, they had no children. The man was in his 50’s and you couldn’t find a more loving, gracious gentleman anywhere. He went in for a routine removal of this tumor on his kidney. I was told he was terrified to be going under the knife. He and his wife prayed fervently for weeks. On the morning of the surgery they both supplicated God together for a positive outcome, and guidance on the surgeon and his team. The surgery was in the morning, I went to my mid-week meeting that night. He was dead by the end of the meeting.
Did God abandon this loving brother and skip listening to his prayers, of course not. I’m sure that same hospital & doctor operated on Catholics, Buddhists, and atheists with many positive results.
The prayer had no bearing on the outcome. If no prayers had been said the same results would have occurred for this brother. God is not intervening and giving anyone a special or unique advantage over another person, through prayer. People survive surgeries everyday regardless of their lifestyle or faith.
Prayers are not right or wrong, but they are personal. If it is something you need to do, no one should judge you.