If you could ask...

one question about prayer, what would it be? Next month we're going to be tackling a series of teachings on prayer but are beginning to outline the teachings this week....so I'm curious, what are the questions you'd most like us to try to address? No guarantee we'll have answers. After all, prayer is pretty mysterious. But, we'll dive in nonetheless. Drop your questions (anonymously is fine) here.

Comments

[Joe B.]

Does God hear the prayers of non-believers? Does he always hear our prayers?

Psalm 66:16-20

[Eddie]

If God already knows everything, then He knows what I need before I ask. So why pray?

[Eddie]

Richard Foster says that 'prayer changes things.' The 'things' that prayer changes include: 1) the content of our request, 2) the requestor. Seems like we're most focused on #1; God's more focused on #2. It would be good to talk about this, and give examples from real life of how prayer changes people who pray.

[Eddie]

It's easy to pray for things you know might happen anyway. But how do I go to the next level and begin to pray for the turtle on the fence post, the kind of mind-blowing things only God can do? Seems like this kind of prayer takes lots of courage? What if you pray for something big and it doesn't happen? What if our church had responded with $40K instead of $400K when we prayed for land for HCH? My prayers are too small...how do I begin to pray big?

[Tom]

How does God talk to me?

[Steve Duval]

Can our prayers influence God into changing the future ?

[Amy]

does God answer prayers that are not in his plan? Also, if everything is planned out, why should we pray? does HE consider our prayers, even if the outcome is decided? Are unbelievers prayers answered and children's?

[anonymous]

I was told once that a prayer wouldn't be officially "sent" if it wasn't ended with the phrase "in Jesus name..." or similar. What is up with that? Is it a matter of syntax, respect, or doesn't it really matter?

[anonymous]

To whom do you address your prayers, to "Jesus" or to "God"?

[anonymous]

what is best....asking for God's work or plan to be done OR asking for specific requests? I never know which to do

[Jeff Wing]

In Matthew 6:25-24 and especially verse 26 Jesus states that the heavenly father will feed/take care of his people. John 14:12-13, John 15:16 and John 16:23 seems to imply that if we are following God we will get what we ask for?

If a starving mother asked God for her starving child to receive food, it seems like this prayer would be in God's will? Why does the child die although God said in Matthew 6:25-34 that God will take care of us. By the way since over 100,000 die weekly (including Christians) from lack of water/food this is a normal event.

[Jen Chester]

If the Bible teaches that when 2 or more are gathered in prayer , then your prayer will be heard, then does God pay less attention to the ones who pray alone?

[Daniel]

I always wondered why we have to pray if God already knows our heart's desire. I have heard it taught that we need to pray in order to change our own hearts like David often did in the Psalms. I am sure that is true, but it seems somehow hollow to me. I also wonder why praying often (like Jesus suggesed in the parable of the unjust judge) or "nagging" God will make him more likely to answer a prayer than otherwise. We talk about how God is not a "slot machine", but it does seem a little like that in that context.

[annonymous]

Why am I so fearful of praying? Is it that I feel unworthy of being able to ask? Or am I fearful with the end result...potentially an unanswered prayer? I believe and trust in God but I simply just find it hard, I mean stop dead in my tracks...hard, to pray.

[stephen]

wow, good stuff.

my question - since we relate to God as father, friend, master, lord, brother, king, co-heir, etc. how do we maintain a balance among all this in the way that we interact with him in prayer?

i often find it difficult to negotiate human relationships where the nature of the relationship is multiple or complex like this. and that's even with the benefit of tangible interaction - the words, the body language, facial expression, etc.

[Judy]

In some circumstances, we really don't know exactly what we should be praying for. We can just ask that the outcome be according to God's will...but, does Satan ever come into the picture, tricking us into praying for something that he knows God would NOT want? How can we make sure we're not being intercepted in the course of Satan carrying out his evil agenda? Can you explain how the Holy Spirit can pray for us as mentioned in Corinthians (I think)?

[Gwenn Mangine]

What does a healthy prayer life look like? How often? For how long?

At what point should we "give up" praying for spmething-- in other words, should we stop at some point reasoning God's answer is no?

[Charissa]

This is also other people's but I wanted to say the same thing. Why should we pray if God already knows what's going to happen and has already ordained things to be the way they are. Can our prayers really change the outcome. I mean we are commanded to pray and even Jesus prayed but will it really change anything?

[anonymous]

What do you see as the difference between prayer and meditation?

[Heather McCollum]

If God has his own plan for all of us, it seems almost pointless to pray (although I do anyway)for help or protection. For example, if I get cancer and die early leaving my kids without a mom because it is part of the grand scheme, then all the prayers for me to live are pointless - or are they?