Does prayer really work? Where's the proof?

Question

Don't be rude, or accusatory because I'm asking this as a legimate question. No I'm not an Atheist.

Over 3000 soldiers have died in Iraq. Many of their families prayed for them to come home.
Millions of people in Africa die of aids every year. Many of them pray.
Thousands of single mothers work two jobs, take care of three kids, and can't make ends meet. They pray every night for a better life.
Everyday people are beaten, raped, robbed, murdered. Many of them pray/prayed.

I honestly want to know where the proof is that it works. Ok people will say that "Prayer is used to do God's will"....okay I've read the bible and that doesn't seem like his will. Others will say "You can't be selfish with prayer"....what's selfish about wanting to be happy, healthy and alive? or wanting it for other people?

These prayers supposedly worked, what's less worthy about wanting to stop the things I listed above?

"Jacob prayed to God, and God inclined the heart of his irritated brother, so that they met in peace and friendship (Gen. 32:24-30; 33:1-4)."

"Abraham's servant prayed to God, and God directed him to the person who should be wife to his master's son and heir (Gen. 24:10-20)."

"Daniel prayed, and God enabled him both to tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream and to give the interpretation of it (Dan. 2: 16-23)."

"Nehemiah prayed, and God inclined the heart of the king of Persia to grant him leave of absence to visit and rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 1:11; 2:1-6)."

"Esther and Mordecai prayed, and God defeated the purpose of Haman, and saved the Jews from destruction (Esther 4:15-17; 6:7, 8)."

"The believers in Jerusalem prayed, and God opened the prison doors and set Peter at liberty, when Herod had resolved upon his death (Acts 12:1-12)."

I'm extending the time on this because I want as many answers and points of views as possible.

Answer 1

A new scientific study shows that prayer didn't seem to help patients who underwent bypass surgery. In fact, some of the people who were prayed for did worse. The results of the study of more than 1,800 patients were published in the American Heart Journal. From Reuters:

The patients in the study at six U.S. hospitals included 604 who were actually prayed for after being told they might or might not be; another 597 patients who were not prayed for after being told they might or might not be; and a group of 601 who were prayed for and told they would be the subject of such prayer.

The praying was done by members of three Christian groups in monasteries and elsewhere -- two Catholic and one Protestant -- who were given written prayers and the first name and initial of the last name of the prayer subjects. The prayers started on the eve of or day of surgery and lasted for two weeks.

Among the first group -- who were prayed for but only told they might be -- 52 percent had post-surgical complications compared to 51 percent in the second group, the ones who were not prayed for though told they might be. In the third group, who knew they were being prayed for, 59 percent had complications.

After 30 days, however, the death rates and incidence of major complications was about the same across all three groups, said the study...

Answer 2

For me it took God answering my prayers personally, multiple times and some of them in very dramatic ways hat could not be coincidental, for me to believe. Over a period of a few months or so, he kept answering things, over and over again, then I finally believed, and prayers have been getting answered all the time, ever since. That was about 16 years ago.

Things happened when I first became a believer (as a teenager) and started praying and asking God questions. The church I went to preached against jewelry, so I asked God if jewelry was wrong. Then throughout the next two days I found several pieces of my missing jewelry all over the house, not even looking for it at all. I hadn't seen them in months, but after I prayed, they showed up in a matter of about two days. I took that as an answer, jewelry wasn't inherently wrong!

Another time involved homework (I was in high school)- I accidentally left two homework papers at home. I didn't want zeros and both teachers were strict about homework and NEVER accepted it late. "I left it at home" is the oldest excuse in the book, and I knew it wouldn't mean anything. One of the teachers didn't like me anyway!

I didn't want a zero on work that I spent time doing, and I was newly a Christian, so I prayed. :-) I appealed to God that he KNEW I did the work, and wasn't lying. I prayed that he would please give me favor so that they would let me turn it in late.

Well, the first teacher was absent (which was very rare) and the substitute told us to just "turn it in tomorrow." If her being absent wasn't unusual enough, usually substitutes collect the homework and leave it for the teacher. The second teacher FORGOT to collect homework (something she NEVER did any other time in the three years I had her class), then said at the bell, "oh just turn it in tomorrow." That was such a dramatic answer to prayer, I was actually laughing in wonder at the end of school.

Those things are simple and everyday, and not all that deep. But they were examples of my learning about prayer. I learned how to pray about simple, highly inconsequential things like homework, to learn how to pray for things that really matter, like people's health, safety, sanity, help from abuse, addictions, and the like.

If you really do want proof, I'll pray for you now. If you are truly seeking God from your heart, and you are willing to believe and reverence him, you will get an answer.

Ask God a question, I'll pray with you for an answer even though I don't know your life.

Answer 3

It seem to work only when the people who are being prayed for KNOW, or THINK they are being prayed for. There's a chapter on 'the great prayer experiment' in the God Delusion book listed below.

Answer 4

well i cant say that youll believe its prayer but my cousin was born with holes in her heart and we prayed for her all the time and she went in to talk to the doctor about her open heart surgery she was going to have and well all 3 holes were gone and the doctor has no explination for what happened and we believe it was prayer and then when my brother was born his heart rate dropped deathly low and they didnt know what was wrong and they didnt think he was going to live but we prayed and by the end of the day he was perfect adn today he is one of the healthiest 3 year olds ive ever seen i think its prayer and thats my proof but yeah

Answer 5

For a prayer to "work" it doesn't mean that the answer is "yes," sometimes the answer is "no" or "not now" or "I'll tell you later."

The point is for a prayer to "work" you only need for an open communication between a human and God to have happened. That's it.

Answer 6

prayer does work--I have prayed for people & seen them healed as a result of the prayer of faith & the power of God. I have bee healed of cancer. Prayer by itself isn't enough, you must also have faith. Faith is what moves the hand of God. Praying scripture is good, God said to put Him in remembrance, not that He forgets, He wants us to use His word as the basis for our faith. Sometimes, what people call prayer isn't really prayer @ all. Prayer isn't begging, whining or complaining.

Answer 7

You focus on all the times it does not work (it never does work all the time), but how about researching the accounts of prayer working.

I know prayer works...not all the time (obviously) and for various reasons. But I do know it works.

I can't prove it to you, nor would I want to...you need to find out for yourself.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 8

There is just no way anyone can convince me that prayer works with all the suffering in the world and to be honest, when someone tells me it does work, I doubt their reasoning ability.

Answer 9

prayer works i know cause im alive and kicking but as always.The good one does is easier forgotten than the bad events that happen are remembered,Satan would like nothing better than for every beleiving christian to take ur points into consideration all i know is God has been good to me better than i have been to myself

Answer 10

You should pay a visit to www.godisimaginary.com
That would answer your questions.

Remeber the God Zeus? People used to beleive in him, who does that now? Now we have our "Lord", in the future, who would beleive him? With all the atrocities going on in the world, I don't think there is one.