Serious questions about prayer, what is the Christian viewpoint on the details below?

Question

When asking for something in a prayer, even if it is for world peace, protection from evil.... whatever.... isn't it a bit presuptuous? After all, if who you are praying to is all-powerful, why would he affect things to suit you better than what he would do without your asking? Don't you trust him to know what is best to do without you suggesting he change it to suit your desires? Even "Thy will be done".... isn't that almost like he needs your permission or something?

Even with a the death of a child at hand, what would have to go through God's mind? "Well, in my infinite wisdom, I thought it best to let the child die, even knowing how it would affect those who loved it. But they really prayed hard, so maybe I was wrong and need to change my mind".

How else could prayer work?

Answer 1

My children ask me for stuff they don't need all the time. Sometimes I provide them with it, sometimes I don't because I know what they really might need or enjoy and what they won't. It works the same way with God.

Answer 2

1) isn't it a bit presuptuous?
A) not when God has already invited people to pray, ask, request.

2) why would he affect things to suit you better than what he would do without your asking?
A) prayer is done according to his will. so it suits him as well as the one praying.
if one person didnt ask, another would.

3) don't you trust him to know what is best to do without you suggesting he change it to suit your desires?
A) God trusts us to desire his will, his best for us. so he designed prayer as a means to grant requests. if prayer is done any other way, it wouldnt work.

4) even "Thy will be done".... isn't that almost like he needs your permission or something?
A) no. that's a way of agreeing with his will to be done.

5) concerning the death of a child. and would God's will be for the child to die or change his mind if someone prayed.
A) if no one does anything it might be thought that it was God's will for someone to die.
there is scripture where Jesus raised people from death because a family member asked that he do it.
so that tells me that its God's will for a person to live out the full number of their days. which scripture says is 70 or more.

if prayer is given and the person still dies...
there is scripture where a child died even though much prayer was put forth.
that tells me that each case has to be considered individually.
so we can make the request, believe for the best and leave the results with God. as it also says, if they are not raised up.. we'll see them in heaven. and theirs comfort in that.
...

Answer 3

Though I am not a Christian, I feel I must contribute.

We believe that everything in this world was written for us before be were put here. If time was to be seen, we would be able to see ourselves in the future doing the things we would have been doing. But because we are obvious to the future occurances we are always in a state of anxiety and distress when things don't go well.

Because everythings is already written, there is little we can do do change it. That is why we accept events and problems whenever the occur, as it is a decree from God, we shall not contest. However, having said all of this, we are also told that supplication is the only thing powerful enough to change whatever is written. So we supplicate, and hope that it is answered. As God is above time and space.

Answer 4

Expectations. Faithfulness. Those words describe my answer to you. God does whatever He wants to, no matter what the prayer is.

I'll add another word to this explanation, Agreement. God already knows the outcome of a situation. What a person who is following God closely might find is that they prayed something that God agreed with. That even though the outcome was not known by the believer, there was agreement that God had prior, you merely find yourself getting your prayer answered because of that closeness.

The recent release of those British sailors was one of those for me. And the little boy who was abducted by the child molester, and the other boy who escaped from his captor, they returned home. Those were prayers that I saw answered.

As far as expectations goes, you have to commit yourself to God's will anyway. He's the one you are asking. Don't expect Him to agree with you all the time. Remembering that we are the one's that are troubled with sin is a good place to start when we can't figure out why things aren't what we want.

Faithfulness comes by being what I aready described. We remain dedicated to God. No matter what.

Answer 5

Well on the one hand, if you want to pray for world peace then you should pray for Jesus to come back soon because that's the only time we are going to have world peace. On the other hand, when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray one of the things that He told them to ask for was that they not be led into temptation but be delivered from the evil one.

God is a God of relationships. In the OT you see Moses interceding with God on behalf of the sinning Israelites and God didn't destroy them like He was talking about doing. In another passage God says that He was looking for a man to "stand in the gap" before Him but since there wasn't anyone He sent disaster upon the Israelites.

Answer 6

Saying "thy will be done." is an act of surrender, not the granting of permission. Yes, it is presumptuous to imply that God does not know what is best until we inform him in our prayers. But if you have a dying child, how could you keep quiet about it?

There is no logical justification for trying to "work" God. I guess a perfect being would just view everything with gratitude. But I'm only guessing.

Answer 7

A Christian knows that in the word of God...we are told to "pray without ceasing". Even Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven! Yes of course I trust Him to know what is best....but I also know that, as my savior is my example, and Jesus instructed us to pray, pray I will. I have seen incredible things happen through prayer.

God does not need my permission for anything. He does however, love to hear his children speak to Him and commune with Him. Prayer is to align ourselves with the will of God, not to bend His will to ours.

Answer 8

The thy will be done is a christian cop out. It means "I don't really believe you will do what I ask for I just want everyone hearing me to believe I do." Such prayers rarely get a positive answer.

To the last part of your question the text below addresses that question. Hagar did not cop out.

Answer 9

That could be said about everything. He does not need us at all to decide what to do. We need God therefore we ask for help. I would have to say from this starting point the field is wide open for discussion.
My personal belief is we are here to learn and do God's will.

Answer 10

It's not that God doesn't know what He's going to do for you. He knows everything that is going to happen from all eternity past and future. The major point of prayer is for you to establish a relationship with Him. You can't have a relationship with someone if you never talk to the other person so God wants you to pray so you will seek Him.
He doesn't just want you to ask for things, He wants you to ask to get to know Him better, to know what He wants for your life, to thank Him for everything-good or bad-because everything that He allows in your life is for a purpose and not a punishment. He wants you to acknowledge His holiness and thank Him for His mercy, grace, and love. He wants you to know Who He is-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Think about it, the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God of everything allows you, a created being, to seek to have a relationship with Him. He even wants you to have a relationship with Him. It is awe beyond words to know that this God wants to know me and have me with Him for all eternity. You too!