When my dad was sick and in the hospital I prayed hard and often that God would make him well. I’ve done this many times for people I’ve loved and for loved ones of friends. Last night I was thinking about this and had an epiphany. I’ve believed for a long time that God knows when and how we will die. He knows when our work here is done and it is time for us to join Him. This, I believe all Christians can agree upon. So, why do we pray for the ill and infirmed?
By praying that God will spare someone’s life are we not praying that He will alter His plan and, in a sense, telling him that He’s made a mistake? Maybe so. Is it, then, silly to pray for someone’s well being? It makes us feel better to make an appeal for someone’s life but perhaps, even with all the praying in the world, we have no impact on His decision.
I think that maybe when we pray we should only be praying for one of two reasons:
- To ask forgiveness for something that we’ve done. We all do things that we know are wrong but in asking forgiveness and for help in not making the same mistakes again we can strengthen our relationship with God.
- To thank God for what he has given us. I do this every day. The opportunity to see the sunshine, the love of my wife, son, family and friends, the gift of logic and the ability to express myself in writing… these are all things for which I am thankful and I make it a point to let Him know.
I’m no theologian but I am a believer. I have made that clear in my previous writing (See: I Can Handle Death, Danny Fugate Died, etc.) that, while I don’t attend church services, I do have faith in God and a belief that I will be with lost loved ones again. In the words of John Lennon “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” In that song he says that we should imagine there’s no Heaven and no religion too. While I don’t agree with that notion, I do think that if we would hold our differences dear rather than using them as a reason to fight we could “live as one.”
What do you think?
Dan,
I am sure God forgives us for our selfish prayers , our prayers to keep a loved one with us. But God also grants us many prayers and comfort.
Huggs
Connie – I agree totally. We are flawed and, at times, selfish. I think that often prayers for someone else are actually for ourselves though. Just like at a funeral, we mourn but we do so for ourselves… not the body in the box. It is, after all, just a body at that point.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Dan,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on prayer. There are definitely a lot of questions to wrestle with when we are praying, particularly when we are praying for healing or other things that we have no control over at all. A few passages that come to mind are:
Matthew 6:8- God knows what we need before we ask, but he wants us to ask.
Psalm 5:3- when we pray, we are to pray expectantly
Lastly, Romans 8:26-27, when we pray the Spirit intercedes for us because we don’t even know how to pray according to God’s will.
I think we pray to show dependence and total reliance on God, and He incorporates those prayers into accomplishing His will.
Anyway, good thoughts to ponder.
Jon – Good to see you here. I had a poke around your site earlier.
Showing God that we depend on Him by means of prayer is good. Really, I suppose, every time a person talks to God; whether it’s to ask forgiveness, to thank Him or to say “Good to have you here”, it’s technically a prayer. The same principles are at work in our relationship with God as they are with friends and family. The more we talk with our loved ones the more we show them how much they are needed and appreciated.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a look around when you have time and leave some more comments.
Dan,
I agree, like most things in life we do it for us. Funerals are a good example. But I also think it is of some comfort to those we pray for if they know you are doing so.
chas
Chas – You make a good point. Whether or not we can actually intervene in God’s plan I’m sure that it helps the people for whom we’re praying to know that we are doing it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Dan,
This is a wonderful piece and so true. You’ve reminded me that I need to be grateful for every moment, of every day, even if it is a mediocre or bad one. Dan, you’ve got a God given talent. There are some people who go to Church but their hearts aren’t in it. You’ve got a good faith and a strong relationship with Christ. Thanks for reminding us of how we should view prayer. I’ve been having a hard time with it lately, praying that is. Thanks for the perspective. Succintly and insightfully put as always.
D
Dave – You know me and I don’t like to pontificate but this just seemed to make sense to me. I do try to be thankful for everything that I have and also for the things that I don’t have. I have known plenty of people who only attend church services in order to keep up a facade and it sickens me. I know I’m not perfect or even very near but I don’t judge anyone else for their decisions except when the decision is for them to judge others and disparage people. I don’t know if it has any real bearing on my beliefs but my name, Daniel, means “God is my judge.” I believe that His is the only judgment that any of us need.
Thanks for commenting.