Will God answer my prayer?

Question

I am a firm believer in God. I pray all the time, but for little things (like keeping my friends and family safe, happy). Lately, I have been praying for something a little bigger. My friend just lost her brother to suicide a few months ago, and his birthday was last week. I cannot even begin to describe to you how much she is suffering from this. I have been praying to God to help her, and to take her pain away. I have been encouraging my friends to pray for her too, but some of them (all of them believe in God) tell me that God can't answer every prayer, and that some prayers are just too much to ask of him. Do you think that God would answer this prayer? And how do you think he would go about it if he would? Answers from people who are believers in God only, please. I don't need anyone telling me that God isn't real, I've already made up my mind.

Answer 1

If someone tells you "God can't answer every prayer, and that some prayers are just too much to ask of him"...I would seriously doubt they are Christians. God indeed does answer every prayer and he will answer this one. What we tend to miss is that God answers prayers in his own time and his own way. When we pray...that is why we say "Thy will be done". We must learn to accept God's answers and not tell him how WE want him to fix things.

In the meantime...spend time with your friend, take them out, LET THEM TALK about the suicide and their grief, help them to remember the good memories. That is from Peg, not God, lol.

The Skeptical Christian
Grace and Peace
Peg

Answer 2

Just keep on praying no prayer is too small or too big... I believe that god helps us in his own way...It will take her a while to mend from her brothers death...That's family a bond like no other... I will also pray for her...Loss is a hard thing. You ask yourself why and don't always get the answer you want. My friend was murdered on New Years day, so I understand how it feels to feel empty inside. There is a loss to the world. Let her know she's not a lone. I tell you what I have prayed every single day since my friend was killed and it really does help a lot... Pray with her and just grieve with her... I'm sorry for your loss...

Answer 3

All prayers are answered, but sometimes the answer is 'no' and sometimes the answer is 'wait' and sometimes the answer is "well do something so I can bless your efforts"

Your friend is mourning, and it will take as long as it will. She'll likely be in pain for a while (especially keen around his birthday). In addition to prayer I hope you are being a good friend. Let her talk your ear off and cry on your shoulder even after your sick of it. Get her out of the house and take her to lunch or to a movie or to the bookstore. Encourage her to get professional help from a pastor or counselor.

Give her time, be supportive, which is not the same as telling her to 'buck up.' Validate her feelings and realize that there's no magic turn of phrase (or prayer unfortunately) that will make her happy again.

Hope this helps (my prayers and thoughts are with you and your friend)

Answer 4

I have just slowly read through the answers that appear before me.
At first, I found it very difficult to believe that a grown person, who MUST have had some education, would be asking such an infantile question ... OF COURSE NOT!!! YOUR GOD IS FICTITIOUS!!!
Then, all the similarly-afflicted morons that followed up with equally as deluded answers ...
What IS this world coming to, when, in the 21st century, there are so many that are living the myth of two-thousand plus years ago?
I just find it so pathetic.

Look - listen carefully:
Ever since mankind was able to put two cohesive thoughts together, he has invented gods.
The early gods, in many areas of the world, were sun gods. Ra of Egypt is a prime example. Why do you not believe that Ra exists?
The ancient Greeks had a whole bundle of gods and goddesses - you know their names ... Zeus, Hypnos, Poseidon, Aphrodite, etc. Why do you not believe that Zeus exists, or Thor or Odin, both from Scandinavian folklore?
Whether you have made up your mind or not, it is so clear that all gods are man-made. If it comforts you and enables you to cope with life's difficulties because you think that there is an invisible, silent and apparently powerless supernatural entity loitering somewhere and whose powers include affecting the outcome of our lives, then fine. That's what weak-willed people need. It's called a 'crutch'.

Prayer is proven to be 100% pointless except in the psychological make-up of the person doing the praying. It is akin to meditation and it calms the person. There is no actual result but it seems to help in reducing stress.

To sum up:
God is fictitious
Prayer is pointless
Cope with it.

Answer 5

First of all God answers every prayer- sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait- however with your friend who just lost her brother to suicide- God is grieving right along with her. No prayer is too much to ask of Him- In Ephesians it says- "He is able to do more than we ask or imagine". I do not know exactly how God will answer your prayer for your friend- but I do know one thing- He will send her peace and comfort.Healing will take time- God's answering does not mean she will not grieve. Whoever said God may not answer this prayer has just negated the power of God. I am so glad to hear that you are a support to her- you need to continue to pray and be there for her, even it is just to sit with her and let her cry. God loves her- and continue to pray- God's healing will come!!

Answer 6

God hears every prayer and he answers every one, just not always how we want. He might answer it right away and do exactly what you want but he also might wait for a long time to take away her pain. He works on a different time table than us and it doesn't seem to make sense to us all the time but we will never understand all that God does. The end of the book of Job in the Bible (chapter 38 to the end) gives a great example of how we can't always understand what God is doing but he always has everything in control. Keep asking God to answer your prayer and I'll say a prayer for your friend tonight too. God Bless You.

Answer 7

Bob is not only right but Bob's answer is fully consistent with the current thinking in quantum mechanics that the mere observation changes the outcome of certain experiments. One of the biggest problems with statistics is that the vast majority of people who use them don't have a clue about statistics. You say "we" have done statistical testing. If you were involved as your use of the term "we" suggests where are your results? Since you have not written your results in the way a statistician would I'm suggesting you are using the term "we" to mean members of the human race of which you are also a member, or perhaps you are using "we" to mean you are making a distinction between those who believe in a prayer answering God and those who don't and you're including yourself in the latter group. Either way, you are making mere assertions that are not supported by real statistics. Your so-called experiment is reminiscent of a documentary I once saw where various religious people were praying for certain terminally ill people. This was a TV stunt that had no scientific significance I'm afraid. For an experiment to be scientifically valid you have to be able to control all your variables and this was nothing like a controlled environment.

Answer 8

God answers every prayer, though sometimes the answer is "no" and sometimes it's "not now." God will always do what is BEST, not necessarily what WE think is best. He knows what we best need, and will do it. Remind your friend that "All things work together for the good of them that love the Lord." This is an eternal promise that God makes to His children, and it's why the world will never understand why we go on believing in Him. They cannot understand how anything bad can turn out for their best, because they do not benefit from this promise.

Answer 9

The thing is God gives everyone free will. He will give that person every opportunity to love him which is the only way that person will get over their pain and anguish. So your prayers are not in vain. But ultimately that person has to choose to turn to Him and gradually her suffering can go away by His Mercy. It really depends on His big plan. You can ask God to make someone live or die or whatever but He will do His sweet will. My prayer would be dear Lord kindly bring this person closer to you because I know that is the only thing that can bring her true joy. (which is part of the big picture for all of our suffering) Hope this Helps. Peace to you and her and her brother who is now in a ghost body hovering around.

Answer 10

First off, it is hard to lose anyone to suicide. I have lost friends like that, and it still leaves unanswered questions in my mind. It still hurts sometimes. I know that she is suffering, and I am sorry that she's dealing with this. Prayer is one of those mysterious things. We don't understand God's ways of answering things. We don't get how God uses time, and frankly, sometimes we don't like the answers that he gives us. To say that God cannot answer some prayers means that someone is limiting the power of God and the power of prayer. God answers prayers; however, sometimes we do not like the answers that we get. Sometimes the answers take some time. Sometimes it's not what we were expecting. God does have a sense of humor sometimes. I was afraid one morning I wasn't going to get up on time. I prayed to God to get me up. I forgot to tell him what time. At 5am, I was wide awake. I laughed, looked up, and said, "thanks alot".

Jeremiah 29:11-12 says,
" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

When you call upon the name of God, he WILL answer you. He WILL listen to you. It never, ever says that you will like the answer. It says that he will be there to listen to you. Grieving someone's death is something that pretty much everyone goes through at some point. Life is hard sometimes and we were never promised a perfect life. Be there for your friend. She needs you. Pray that God gives her peace, but also, she does need to go through the process of grieving. That may take some time, but she's going to make it. Be there for her. Remember, God's answer to a prayer just might be you.