I PRAYED FOR A SUNNY DAY…AND IT WAS !!
I’ve been thinking on the whole idea of prayer, and what exactly is it supposed to do. I notice that a lot of people who pray, treat the thing like a candy dispenser and simply pray for what ever they want. When they don’t get their way they put it down to God the devil or not enough prayer. –very convenient-
I’ve heard ridicules stories, from people who are considered spiritual giants in our country, who always get a car park when ever they pray for it. I wonder if there were two people praying for one car park who would get? Would it be the one who has been praying longer or the one God likes the most?
It seems to me that a lot of these things are left to random chance. In the past we would pray and fast for days, upon the instruction of our leaders, for someone with cancer. They would die and it would be put down to Gods will. I’m sure during the debate on the Civil Union thousands of fundamental Christians prayed it wouldn’t go through. It did and they put it down to the devil and an immoral government. If the civil union did not go though, I’m sure that it would be put down to the prayers of the saints.
This begs this question, why should we bother to pray and does it make one iota of difference on the random state of the universe?
I know that there are different types of prayer, for this I’m talking more specifically about intercessory prayer than that of personal prayer or meditation.
True true,
I guess im pointing to the much bigger problem of a consumer culture mixed with faith and how that can make all acts of 'faith' such as prayer and worship ads to the perception of God as a candy store.
Posted by
Chris |
1/20/2006 10:00:00 am
How do you mean “God is your mate”?
Are you talking about the almighty? Or an invincible friend?
Mike
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/20/2006 02:19:00 pm
Prayer to me see's pretty much the same as wishing for something at wishing pond - chuck ya coins + whisper "I hope i get that car/house/job/wife/husband/".
It's away of asking for stuff to come your way - when you can't be bothered paying the dues to make it happen.
Prayer is a easy street - Ill just ask for it and the Gods for make it so. To me it's just another way of giving up your control- giveup your power to make things happen - as choices are to hard for you.
But its nice to believe in magic... to make a wish - pray! its fun. Put a few bucks in the pond/hat/church. I'ts an investment. It might come true.
A.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/31/2006 06:57:00 am
Hey Ash, good comments.
Hey Doug,
I understand what you are saying but I have a few questions. I am not really sure what you mean by consulting God. I agree that when we have big decisions to make it’s a good idea to chat with friends you trust to get their take.
However, this is quite different when it comes to prayer. As much as people who pray like to portray their prayer time as a conversation, it is not. It is one way.
Sometimes a thought will float into the mind of the person praying and they often believe that this is God speaking. Maybe it is maybe it isn’t. Who knows? What disturbs me about people who come out of a time of prayer and say, ‘God said this or that,’ is that they don’t really know that God said it, and that can be dangerous.
Often people use this as a way to pass the buck of responsibility for their actions and to spiritualise an agenda, George Bush for example stated that God told him to invade Iraq.
Then it all falls back into this idea that God is our lapdog used for our bidding and as Ash said, 'when you can't be bothered paying the dues to make it happen'
I think the idea of prayer is a good thing. A time to stop whatever you are doing and focus on who you are and what you believe and where you want to go. If someone believes in the spiritual it is a time to centre on that and remember why they believe what they do.
But one someone comes out of it and gloats, ‘God told me to…’ it is dangerous and manipulative.
-Chris
Posted by
Chris |
1/31/2006 01:48:00 pm