Prayer
In Christianity and many other religions, prayer is the process of directly connecting to God, usually for the purpose of deliberate communication.
Through prayer our thoughts and hopes are heard and understood. Oftentimes, prayer will result in feeling God's presence or feeling like one is touched by God. This feeling of a connection is cited by many theists as proof of God's existence. It is through prayer that man can understand God's will in his life and ask God for the courage and strength to carry his message to the world. Prayer is common throughout the Bible in both the Old Testament and the New.
The capability of prayer are often misinterpreted as proof of the non-existence of God. In a common argument, a Christian may be asked to pray for something which cannot possibly occur through natural means, or which is so unlikely that the possibility of it occurring without supernatural intervention may be discounted - asking God to ensure that a fair coin lands on heads forty times in succession, for example, which has a statistical probability of approximately one in a trillion. When the prayer has no apparent effect - the coin lands on heads after a few flips - the argument is made that God as described in the bible cannot exist, as this God claims to be able and willing to grant prayer requests.
While God hears all prayers, it is His judgment that decides which are worthy of His intervention. There is no reason God needs to provide additional proof of his existence by flipping coins or holding 'publicity stunts' when His existence is already manifest in His creation. Similarly, there is no reason for God to aid or hinder in matters of medical survival - the patients' eventual destination is determined only by themselves, and their time of arrival there holds little importance. God grants the prayers of those who pray in faith and true need.
But, some argue that the Christian Bible promises answers to prayers. E.g.
Mathew 7:7-12 " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Praying in secret
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told followers how to pray and offered an ideal prayer (Mathew 6:9-13 ). He cautioned against praying hypocritically, such as praying in public to look good, and said that instead one should pray alone, secretly, and should not announce one's prayer. Some Christians interpret this as direct instructions and for this reason oppose prayers in schools, public meetings, or other non-religious meetings.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:5-7
Instructions for praying Sermon on the Mount.
Other religions, and even different traditions within Christianity have developed their own practices related to prayer.[1]
Praying in public
Various figures in the Bible prayed in public or otherwise not alone and in secret.
- Solomon prayed publicly in dedicating the temple (1_Kings 8:22-61 ).
- Daniel prayed alone in his room, but by an open window where he could be seen (Daniel 6:10-11 ).
- Jesus sometimes prayed with his disciples (Luke 9:18 ).
- Jesus prayed in public, such as in Matthew 19:13-15 when Jesus prayed for the children brought to him.
References
See also
External links
- Prayers Catholic Online.
- Mates, Nathan, Praying in Public 9th April 2000.