Does praying really work?

Question

People always say,I'll pray for you, but what does it actually do. I'm not trying to be funny or witty, I just would really like to know how praying helps.

Answer 1

last time I prayed it was to the porcelain god and when I was finished it flushed so I guess praying works

Answer 2

It does really work and here's a story that proves it...

The was this boy from our congregation that had a brain tumor. He didn't look like he was going to make it. So every week our whole congregation prayed for him that he would heel and be well again.
Then a couple weeks later the doctors made a discovey...
The boy was on the road to recovery! He is now walking and testing and things are looking better everyday. The doctors were amazed at how the boy could recover from the brain tumor
-the boy is Justin W. 15 years old

He might not have lived without our prayers

If your prayers aren't answered they will be answered later when God know's it's right or it may be what you are praying for like: cars, money, toys, U know God's not Santa
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God bless you

Answer 3

Well, I can tell you this. Every Religion know to man has a version of prayer. Doctors have done studies and found that if you have a prayer life, you are more likely to heal faster, than if you do not. The Bible gives hundreds of prayers just in Psalms. Even your recovery programs use prayer. Now from my own experience I have noticed that hopeless situations have miraculiously worked themselves out after prayer. Praying helps not only the person being prayed for, but the person also doing the prayer. I can not explain why it works. I myself have been healed of something while I was on my knees praying for someone else. Does it work? yes. Always? yes, even if the answer is no. My friend is not a christian and she says prayer works for her "because once she has prayed about something, she has given it to, the whatever she calls it, and no longer has to carry the load."

Answer 4

I'm familiar with the following articles on this subject,
and recommend them to you ...

Does Praying Do Any Good?
... Why Should You Pray?
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/11/15/article_01.htm

The Power of Prayer
... God Does Answer Prayers
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/3/1/article_01.htm

Prayers That Are Heard by God
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2002/9/8a/article_01.htm

For more information, you can use the links to related articles (top-left of text), or utilize the index/topics/search pages. (Use these lists to turn the page to some of the sub-titles.)

Sincerely,
"Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine."
1 Thessalonians 5:21

Answer 5

Prayer is our communication with God. At least for me it has worked. If you believe it with all your might that God is real and you know that you worship a real God that listens your prayers will come through. Some prayers go unanswered because it is not to our best interest. James said it best when he said. We ask yet we dont receive because we do not ask right. If you pray to go for something that will destroy your communication with God or will make you distance from you worshipping him, more than likely your prayer will not come to pass. You also should not make any prayers to hurt any one else. God will not allow that prayer. Also Prayer is not something that you do in a quick way. Praying takes time and desire.

There are different types of prayer. The Rushed prayer, similar to the one we make, when we wake up or go to sleep or before we eat.

There is a more powerfull prayer similar to the when Jesus asked his disciples to pray and he went to the other side, he came back and they were asleep, and he asked. "You havent been able to pray at least an hour?" This gives us the understanding that we should pray at least an hour for what we want. Not being selfish in prayer keeping everyone in prayer that pops into our head, leads to a more powerful prayer.

Answer 6

You know, that's entirely subjective. I've got a good book you should read sometime - Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Definitely would not be endorsed by too many churches.

But back to your question, it can go both ways; It can do good, and it can do nothing. A man may pray and his prayer will be answered, but will it be answered the way he wants it? If you're trapped on the roof of a flooded building, and ask God to send help, and you deny the lift from the boat that comes by, God has answered your prayer.

I have a lisp. I asked God to heal my lisp. The local community college offered free speech therapy classes. I took them. Now I no longer have a lisp.

Was this God? I believe so. You could very easily rationalize this and attribute it to something else; I don't like lying to myself, however. While a giant hand from heaven doesn't descend every time someone requests that God kill their mother-in-law, I'm still alive after many opportunities to be dead, so I say yes, it does help.

Answer 7

Of course it works. I pray for people everyday, sometimes all day if the situation is a little more personal to me. I know prayer works cause of the countless miracles I've witnessed. The power of prayer is even stronger when a community of people pray together about the same thing. You can't ask for material items or to be transformed into a beauty queen or anything like that. Prayer is for healing. It's our way of talking to the Lord, through prayer. He is my conscience, so I ask for proper guidance to try my best to do the right thing. Try it!

Answer 8

Only with positive thinking.
Someone will hopefully hear you praying and feel sorry, or take pity on you and help your need to be fulfilled.
How do all the bible punching know different ?
Deborah W.nothing personal, is a point in case how does she know what she says to be true ? She Can't.
Because she is delusional it is imposable to know, how does she know that God is not a Genie, or for that matter, the next person that you meet, or even our own consciousness, she does not, if she is honest, and that's what Christians and all believers claim to be, with the help of delusion and in most cases, lies. I wish they would just come back to reality and see things as they really are.

Answer 9

Praying is a direct contact with God.Praying for others is called intercessionary praying - this is where you appeal to God on behalf of others.

Why does this work - this works on the principle of joint effort. If someone is dear to God then God has no problems listening to their prayers interceding for someone else.

Does it work - yes if the intermediaries are themselves strong/devout people. If the intermediaries are merely "showbottle" then their prayers will be similar.

The best way to find the effectiveness or otherwise is to try it for yourself. Others may say that yes it's effective but they may have ulterior motives for saying that- you never can tell. If you choose to have someone pray for you then try to make sure they practice what they preach,e.g. The Bhagavad-Gita gives the qualities of someone who is meant to be devout :

Ch2: v21, v41-44, v56-72.
Ch3: v3-7
Ch4: 34
Ch5: v18-22
Ch7: v17
Ch10: v4-5, v9
Ch12: v13-20
Ch14: v21-25
Ch16: All
Ch17: v5-28,
Ch18: v51-53.

Answer 10

Praying helps me in a great many ways. When I talk things over with God, it helps me to get my thoughts straight, and to put my priorities in order. It helps me to understand things from a wider perspective.

However, selfish prayer never works. God is not a genie in a lamp who will grant your every wish, it doesn't work like that. Think about it.

I know that, a great many times, someone will say "I'll pray for you", and then promptly forget all about it. And that's OK. Just the fact that they had that desire, even if only for that moment, is enough for God to hear and to act. God knows our needs better than we do.

Answer 11

No matter what your religion, I think that most people agree praying helps on some level. Personally I think that when we tell God our worries, He will help us. He knows what is right for us, and if we pray for something that will be detrimental to us, He may not grant it, but if we keep praying for it He will give it to us, and He will be there for us.

My parents are Pagan and they still think that prayer can help - they say that it's all the positive energy being given out by people that helps.

Personally i've had prayers answered, I think most people have at one time or another!