why do people pray for our soldiers, sick people, injured people etc?

Question

I thought that what happens is gods will, so if you get hit by a train etc its ok because you have gone on to a better place and it was for a reason, so by praying for the afore mentioned are we asking god to do our will? for example obviously no one wants one of our soldiers to be killed overseas or anywhere else for that matter; but when we pray for thier safe return are we asking that god favor them over another man and that man be killed instead? and further more isn't the whole thing ok anywhich way because the deceased will go on to heaven given they had faith? just curious.

Answer 1

There are many types of prayer:

+ Prayer of Blessing - Our response to God's gifts: because God blesses, the human heart can in return bless the One who is the source of every blessing.

+ Prayer of Adoration - Our acknowledgement that we are creatures before our Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil.

+ Prayer of Petition - We express awareness of our relationship with God.

We are sinners who as Christians know that we have turned away from our Father. We ask for forgiveness: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (Lk 18:13)

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer of petition, we pray first for the Kingdom, then for what is necessary to welcome it and cooperate with its coming.

When we share in God's saving love, we understand that every need can become the object of petition.

+ Prayer of Intersession - Intercession is a prayer of petition, which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners.

In intercession, he who prays looks "not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do him harm.

The intercession of Christians recognizes no boundaries: "for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions," for persecutors, for the salvation of those who reject the Gospel.

+ Prayer of Thanksgiving - We thank our creator for all creation. Every event and need can become an offering of thanksgiving. "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

+ Prayer of Praise - We recognizes that God is God. We laud God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS.

It is with confidence that St. James and St. Paul exhort us to pray at all times.

+ Back to your question, praying for anyone's good including our own is part of Jesus' Commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself."

We are not (or should not be) asking for anything against the will of God for we believe that God wants the best for all.

Praying for the safe return of a soldier is not the same as asking for the death of the enemy. As Christians, we are also commanded to "love our enemy," and we should also pray for our enemies.

It is true that the deceased who die in friendship with God will go to heaven but has everyone who dies made their peace with God? We pray for the dead to ask God to help them be reconciled before their death. God is all-powerful and is not constrained by a small thing like time.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

People pray because it gives them something to contribute to causes such as those you mentioned. They may not be able to do anything else, but they can pray and hope that God answers their prayers. Even if you think the effort is futile, people want to believe that they and God can make a difference. They also believe that praying can't hurt, so why not pray?
Think about the Pandora's Box myth. Pandora released all types of sickness and evil into the world, but Hope was in the box too, to go along with everything else.