Prayers to God: does it really work?

Question

If you pray to God for money, for love and happiness, for peace, etc., does it really work? I've heard it's true. But it hasn't happened to me yet. I really need money and a job and to find true love. Do I have to pray at lot to make it happen every day or once a day?

P.S. I never did find my missing items with St. Anthony or Jesus, when I prayed to them. :-(

By the way, I'm Episcopalian and half Jewish on my dad's side.

Answer 1

Prayer does work. There are things that hinder your prayers however:

Psalm 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

James 4:3 "You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason-for your own pleasure."

I Peter 3:7 "In a similar way, you husbands must live with your wives in an understanding manner, as with a most delicate vessel. Honor them as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing may interfere with your prayers." (That also works the other way around, too)

But God will hear prayers, and act on them, if made according to His will, and with the proper motives, and you remain faithful in it:

"Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up. He said, "In a city there was a judge who didn't fear God or respect people...." (Luke 18:1-2)

Remember also, that God doesn't necessarily answer prayer at once. When Isaac prayed to God about Rebekah's barren womb, he prayed for 20 years before she became pregnant. (Compare Genesis 25:20 with 25:26)

Answer 2

Prayer must come from the heart and must always be compliant to God's will for us. God's knows what we want and need better than we do. He will often say no or wait in answering our prayers because He knows that what we are praying for is not what we may actually need at that moment.

Yes, prayer DOES work. I have seen it countless times in my life and in lives of my family and friends. I have seen and experienced actual miracles.

You seem to be Catholic, based on your St. Anthony statement. So am I. I began experiencing a closer relationship with God and with His miracles when I first was led to explore the miracles that have been happening in Medjugorje, Bosnia (former Yugoslavia) since 1981. If you are interested in developing a closer relationship with God this is a good place to start. Just put in the word Medjugorje in your browser and research or you can check out the website below.

May God bless you in your search for him.

Answer 3

I apologize for originally miss-reading your question, but I feel offened by your frankness about praying to St. Anthony. He has done a great deal for me. I am forever in his debt.

Money, power, wealth, health and prosperity are GIFTS. God rewards us with these things because we do selfless things for him and for others. If we do good works, say feed the poor (regularly) we are rewarded. If we do do good works and yet we don't believe, he still rewards us temperally (in this life) but not spiritually in the next life. If we do good works and we do these works for the Greater Glory of God, then he rewards us both in this life and in the next.

We can and should ask for true love.....love that leads us to God. God gives us things that are good for us spiritually. If you ask God for a spouse who is good and holy and upright he will give you that spouse if it is His Will. He may have other plans for you such as the religious life rather than the married life. We must submit to God's Will. It is the only way we can be happy. I once prayed that a person I dated would marry me. Well, God answered that prayer by not allowing that to happen! I am now married to a different person and looking back I see the Wisdom of His ways. Now I can't imagine being married to that other person!

St. Joseph is the saint to pray to to find a spouse....but be careful what you ask for because that is exactly what you will get. (Which means don't ask for a fun spouse....as you will end up with a fun spouse who spends all your money!....ask for a spouse who will lead you to God!) And keep in mind that a spouse may not be God's Will for you.....perhaps the religous life...which would solve all of your problems :-)

To sum it up....if you want something, you have to give something. Do things regularly for God and he will reward you...Find a way to volunteer...to help others. Pray for the Souls in Purgatory if you are Catholic.....and they will pray for your needs. God Bless

Answer 4

Prayer is the elevation of the mind and heart to God:
+ In praise of his glory
+ In petition for some desired good
+ In thanksgiving for a good received
+ In intercession for others before God

Through prayer the Christian experiences a communion with God through Christ in the Church.

"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." (St. Thérèse of Lisieux)

"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." (St. John Damascene)

But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? (Psalm 130:1)

He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

There have been an number of clinical test about prayer run by religious organizations. The finding have been that pray does not work.
In fact in cases where ill subjects new they where being prayed for, the opposite was true. They got sicker, or did not recover as quickly.

Answer 6

The only thing prayer is good for is for making you feel better and that's only if you believe in prayer. As far as effecting events in the material world, scientific studies have conclusively proven that prayer is ineffective.

The best way to get what you want is to:
A. Develop a plan to get you what you want.
B. Take small steps each day towards your goal.
C. Don't be discouraged by setbacks.
D. Stick to your goal; keep taking steps each day towards it.
E. Enjoy your goal once you've attained it.

Answer 7

Praying to God is not like fill-in mail order for to buy some new furniture.
If you got pure intentions and if it's meant to be your prayers will be granted.

Answer 8

Does prayer work? Hundreds of millions prayed for God to stop Hitler, but God did nothing and 30 million+ died. Either God is heartless, powerless, both, or does not exist at all.

Answer 9

God knows everything you need, but He waits for the right time to give it to you...just have faith...
and don't pray to saints, they are not yet in heaven.they are still sleeping in their tomb, waitin for Jesus to come back.
Just pray...and have faith...believe in God to grant your prayers. and remember to thank Him when it is granted...
read Psalms 23 to give you some assurance...
God bless...

Answer 10

you take your prayer to god, believing you have received it. it has happened to me many times. you do not need to pray loooong hours. just ask and be sure you received it, beause you did. the problem is we dont know how to receive, sometimes it takes a little longer than we wqant, so keep at it, keep believing.