Prayer: How does one KNOW it works?

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Good timing, Mr. Chronicles was a good guy.

This question truly comes from the heart. I wish i could give you all the answers but I'm not God. I will tell you up front that I know without a doubt that God knows your prayers. There are so many things I would like to tell you but in the end you have to truly believe. I know you have been told this so many times before and you're still lost as far as feeling God's spirit. You cannot believe in God just because me or anyone else tells you you should believe. You have to believe because you feel something inside. You then must open up your heart and mind to God and "Listen" for him to "Speak" to you. I highlight listen and speak because you will probably not physically hear God speak. But your mind will be opened up to communicate with God through the Holy Spirit. This will be a gradual thing. You must "Learn" to open up to God. As far as God answering prayers, can you imagine the amount of prayers God hears in one day? I know he is God but my mind could not begin to comprehend it.

I know you are worried about your friend and I will say a prayer for her recovery. I ask God "why is there so much suffering in the world". The thought that keeps coming to mind is when I was young the times when I got hurt how bad it hurt.Yet now, years later, I can't even remember the pain. I believe God is telling me that even though life can be unbearable now that in eternity it won't mean much. Only God can see the big picture. I pray that you ask God to heal your friend so that His name will be glorified through her healing. I pray that I didn't say anything that would cause you to stumble on your way to Heaven. May God truly bless your life from this moment on. Amen.

Thank you Gingee. That was beautiful, and so true. God bless you.

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No it's not possible.  Answer this question and you should understand where I'm coming from:  when Herod asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, what does Jesus (and therefore God) reply?

Here another very good answer from an email reply given by L. Ray Smith.

http://www.bible-truths.com/emails.html#whypray

Since God is in control then why pray?  Can we reason with him? Is it to ask only for strength to endure?

Thanks,

Kathy

[Ray Replies]

Dear Kathy:

I get asked this question quite often. Actually the fact that God is in control of EVERYTHING is a very good reason itself to pray.  We are totally reliant upon God for EVERYTHING!  Think about it. If there were a human being that you had to rely upon for EVERYTHING, would you not stay VERY CLOSE to that person and ALWAYS be in CONSTANT contact with them?  Of course you would.

I KNOW that I have had prayers ANSWERED, ONLY BECAUSE I ASKED!  But you might say, "How can that be if God predetermined to do it ANYWAY?"  But you see, Kathy, He did not predetermine to do it "ANYWAY."  That is OUR ASSUMPTION that is not true. Listen:  God predetermined to do something for us only AFTER we asked for it!!  And yes, it is true, that God predetermined that we WOULD ASK FOR IT, as well.  We just can't out-think, or out-guess, or out-smart God no matter how hard we try.

Let me give you another piece of wisdom. We are told that we are to "Work out our OWN salvation" in the Scriptures.  How can we work out our own salvation if God has already determined that we will be saved and He is going to SAVE ALL?  Same answer as your question to prayer:  "Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling [WHY? Next verse]...For [or because] it is GOD which works in you BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13).

It is inspired of God that we pray and that we work. Just because it is God doing it, does not negate the fact that it will be done in us and through us. In time of real and desperate need, we will be brought to our knees before God whether it seems logical in the face of God's total sovereignty or not!

Hope this helps your understanding a little better.

Sincerely,

Ray

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[another "Why Pray" email]

Mr. Smith,

I thank you for taking the time to share these truths with others. I have a question in regards to free will. 

Since God is in TOTAL control of everything, why should we pray and ask God for anything?  Since it is not our faith that causes God to answer our prayers, and since God does as He wills in our lives, then why bother asking God for anything we may need, desire or hope for?  Or even pray about someone else to understand these truths, because whomever He wants to understand it, will.  So why pray, or how do we then pray?

[Ray Replies]

Dear Shawan

I constantly receive emails from people who think there are obvious and blatant contradictions between the way we live and absolute laws of God.

The answer is contained in your own question. I realize that this takes a little thought. I have personally thought about all the possible implications of God's Sovereignty and our lack of free will, for thousands and thousands of hours.

Your question is a logical one. If God is going to do exactly what He has predetermined to do, in every and all situations, then our prayers will CHANGE NOTHING!  Right? WRONG!

But HOW CAN THAT BE? That's a contradiction of logic, isn't it? No, it is not. Here is the answer: God not only brings about the result which He always has in mind for every situation in life, and in every situation in the history of the world, but He ALSO BRINGS ABOUT THE MEANS BY WHICH THAT RESULT IS ACCOMPLISHED!

Therefore, nothing is accomplished AT ALL, unless God brings about the MEANS of accomplishing it.

Example:  When Paul was sailing on a ship to Rome, they ran into a terrible storm. It appeared that all would be lost. An angel appeared in the night to Paul and told him that not one hair of anyone's head would be harmed, but that all had to STAY ON THE SHIP!   Some attempted to depart from the ship. Paul told them that if ever they should not stay on the ship, they would DIE! Now then, how could the possibly "die" when an angel of the Lord told Paul that NO ONE WOULD DIE? A contradiction? Absolutely not.

Since God had already committed Himself to SAVING EVERYONE, He also made sure that the instructions needed to accomplish that WERE FOLLOWED PRECISELY! And so those men CAME BACK ON THE SHIP, and they were ALL SAVED JUST AS THE ANGEL TOLD PAUL!

But isn't prayer effective only if it CHANGES GOD'S MIND to do something for you that He wouldn't have done for you had you NOT prayed? Again, absolutely not. God is not a man that He should "change His mind" about anything, ever!  Now, learn something about prayer that virtually no one in all Christendom believes or understands. First, let's look at Romans 8:26.

From the King James: 

"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

This marvelous Scripture, however, does not bring out the whole truth contained in the Greek manuscripts regarding this verse, in the King James Version. Here is a better translation.

From the Concordant Literal New Testament: 

"Now, similarly, the spirit also is aiding our infirmity, for what we should be praying for, to accord with WHAT MUST BE, we are not aware, but the spirit itself is pleading for us with inarticulate groanings."

"With WHAT MUST BE..."  There is the answer!  And here is the perfect application of this verse in the real world: 

"And He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed saying, O My Father, IF it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: [but that was NOT POSSIBLE! God had already PREDETERMINED that Jesus SHOULD drink this cup, and therefore, IMMEDIATELY recanted to the prodding of the Holy Spirit and said the following...]: nevertheless not as I will, BUT AS THOU WILL ['to accord with WHAT MUST BE']." 

Then Jesus prayed again, WITHOUT asking God to take the cup from Him: 

"He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if this cup may NOT pass away from Me, except I drink it, THY WILL BE DONE" (Matt. 26:39 & 42).

Clearly Jesus was CAUSED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT to pray "in accord with WHAT MUST BE."

And the same thing that goes for prayer goes for EVERYTHING in our lives. It will always be according to God's preordained intention. That is not to say that things do not got AGAINST HIS WILL, they often do. But... BUT, it is also often God's intention that we DO GO AGAINST HIS STATED WILL. Many times it is God INTENTION that humanity goes AGAINST HIS WILL. In Romans 9:19 were it says, "For who has resisted His WILL?" it should be translated: "For who has resisted His INTENTION." This is a different Greek word from what is normally translated "will."

People also often ask why I do what I do on our web site in teaching people the Truths of God, if God is going to save everyone anyway. Again, the answer is simple: This is HOW God brings about the salvation of many people. By teaching and preaching. He doesn't have to do it this way, but He has CHOSEN to do it this way.  Hence we read:

"For after that in the  wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God BY THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:21).

And, of course, we know that it is again, God Himself, Who gives us the faith to believe in the first place (Eph. 2:8).

Hope this helps your understanding a little better.

God be with you,

Ray

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I know its a little bit of reading, but Pro 25:2  "The glory of God is to hide a thing; but the honor of kings is to search out a matter"

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which when a man has found it, he hides it, and for the joy of it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

Peace,

gdriggs

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill