Much to your probable surprise, I say it can. Not because there is some dude beyond the clouds granting wishes, but because of the power of the human mind and the Law of Attraction. Much in the way that a placebo works, prayer, I believe, can work in a like manner. When you send a thought, an idea, or a prayer out to the Universe and fully expect and believe that you will receive what you ask for, you are more likely to affect a positive manifestation of your thought than if you didn't believe.

 

You can, I believe, help heal your body, your mind, and your situation in life by believing that a positive change is on its way to you. Prayer for others is useless unless the person being prayed for BELIEVES that the prayers being prayed for him are bringing help to him. It is the person's BELIEF that help is on its way that brings about manifestations of prayerful thoughts. There's no Jeannie in a bottle somewhere. The power is WITHIN YOU. You think on it long enough, you believe it long enough, and eventually it will come to pass. What happens to you in life is directly related to the thoughts you think. A belief is just a thought that you have held for a long time. Some beliefs hinder us from getting the things in life that we want while some beliefs speed up the process.

 

Don't be disheartened that there isn't a space nanny granting wishes but be empowered by the fact that you, AND ONLY YOU, are responsible for what happens to you in this life. There isn't a supernatural Santa Clause dishing out good presents for the obedient and evil presents for the disobedient . God is not responsible for the terrible things that happen to people nor is God responsible for the answers to prayer. The power is within you and that's where it has been all along.

I'm not sure what you're beliefs are. I guess it's irrelevant to the point you are making.

 

I've always believed that there is power in prayer. I don't think that God is a magician or Jeannie up in the clouds granting wishes. I think a big struggle in faith is accepting the way God answers prayers. I think people struggle with the fact that "no" is an answer from God too. With faith and prayer, we can accept that reality and move forward with our lives.

Yes, I agree, prayers do work. They just are not always answered when we want and like ThrillVille said "no" is an answer too.

My view is, it surely can't hurt.

I've always believed that there is power in prayer. I don't think that God is a magician or Jeannie up in the clouds granting wishes. I think a big struggle in faith is accepting the way God answers prayers. I think people struggle with the fact that "no" is an answer from God too. With faith and prayer, we can accept that reality and move forward with our lives.

 

100% this.

I'm not sure what you're beliefs are. I guess it's irrelevant to the point you are making.

 

I've always believed that there is power in prayer. I don't think that God is a magician or Jeannie up in the clouds granting wishes. I think a big struggle in faith is accepting the way God answers prayers. I think people struggle with the fact that "no" is an answer from God too. With faith and prayer, we can accept that reality and move forward with our lives.

 

 

Then what is "He"? We had a whole thread on what God is and I must say cogent answers were in very short supply. If He is up there listening to all our conversations and granting wishes to some and causing great anguish and torment to others, then what else is He but a great wizard or sorcerer. I think the power that most equate to God is within us all. Rather than looking outward or upward for help, we should look inward instead.

I'm not sure what you're beliefs are. I guess it's irrelevant to the point you are making.

 

I've always believed that there is power in prayer. I don't think that God is a magician or Jeannie up in the clouds granting wishes. I think a big struggle in faith is accepting the way God answers prayers. I think people struggle with the fact that "no" is an answer from God too. With faith and prayer, we can accept that reality and move forward with our lives.

 

My like button isn't working. Nice post. :thumb:

Do you start threads about God just so you can mock peoples' personal beliefs? We get it - you don't believe in God.

Do you start threads about God just so you can mock peoples' personal beliefs? We get it - you don't believe in God.

 

Amen sister!

Do you start threads about God just so you can mock peoples' personal beliefs? We get it - you don't believe in God.

 

If you ignore the baiting the threads do pose some good questions and what I've found to be enlightening responses.

If you ignore the baiting the threads do pose some good questions and what I've found to be enlightening responses.

 

Yep, the trick is to ignore SF and read the posts that actually have value.

Then what is "He"? We had a whole thread on what God is and I must say cogent answers were in very short supply. If He is up there listening to all our conversations and granting wishes to some and causing great anguish and torment to others, then what else is He but a great wizard or sorcerer. I think the power that most equate to God is within us all. Rather than looking outward or upward for help, we should look inward instead.

 

There were plenty of "cogent" answers in the God thread(s)...just not to you. That is your choice.

I really try to carry a burden for those that are lost, but the flesh in me really struggles with that and I suppose I haven't died enough to self that I can keep from picturing in my head the day of judgement for some. There's a prayer that I promise isn't from within myself. Only the Lord can change/answer that one for me.

Science Friction since you are a person of "Science" maybe this will help with your question.

 

JAMA Network | JAMA Internal Medicine | A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit

Context Intercessory prayer (praying for others) has been a common response to sickness for millennia, but it has received little scientific attention. The positive findings of a previous controlled trial of intercessory prayer have yet to be replicated.

Objective To determine whether remote, intercessory prayer for hospitalized, cardiac patients will reduce overall adverse events and length of stay.

Design Randomized, controlled, double-blind, prospective, parallel-group trial.

Setting Private, university-associated hospital.

Patients Nine hundred ninety consecutive patients who were newly admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU).

Intervention At the time of admission, patients were randomized to receive remote, intercessory prayer (prayer group) or not (usual care group). The first names of patients in the prayer group were given to a team of outside intercessors who prayed for them daily for 4 weeks. Patients were unaware that they were being prayed for, and the intercessors did not know and never met the patients.

 

Main Outcome Measures The medical course from CCU admission to hospital discharge was summarized in a CCU course score derived from blinded, retrospective chart review.

Results Compared with the usual care group (n=524), the prayer group (n=466) had lower mean±SEM weighted (6.35±0.26 vs 7.13±0.27; P=.04) and unweighted (2.7±0.1 vs 3.0±0.1; P=.04) CCU course scores. Lengths of CCU and hospital stays were not different.

Conclusions Remote, intercessory prayer was associated with lower CCU course scores. This result suggests that prayer may be an effective adjunct to standard medical care.

 

This and many other studies have had the same or similar results. The fact that the patients didn't know they were part of the study and were not aware they were being prayed for kinda kills the placebo effect train of thought.

I don't know. I've been asking Him for help with a certain problem for years but I don't think I've been heard.