First Foray Into Theology
After this crazy snowstorm, people have been saying "be careful what you wish for" as they tease everyone who hoped for a white Christmas. We got a white Christmas - and then some. Even though wishes and prayers are very different things, they share some characteristics. While we should also say prayers of gratitude and spend time listening for God's response, a significant amount of prayer is dedicated to asking God for things. In a way, we are telling God all of our wishes.
Does God grant wishes? More broadly, does He answer prayers? If He does answer prayers, when does He do so, and in what manner?
While our faith may provide clues to the answers, we obviously cannot know them with complete certainty. I have enjoyed many deep conversations with friends as we worked through our ideas together. Most of my thoughts on the matter are made up of questions.
If God does, indeed, address prayers directly and intervene in our daily affairs, does that mean tragedies occur because we didn't pray enough to prevent them? If my family gets into a car accident, for example, is it my fault if I did not pray for safe travels?
Many people say that God answers or does not answer prayers according to His plan for each of us. If He guides us so thoroughly, though, wouldn't He enact his plan regardless of our prayers? Let's say that someone is meant to be a doctor so she can save a lot of lives. She prays for good grades so that she can get into medical school. If it is God's plan for her to be a doctor, however, wouldn't He help her achieve those grades whether or not she prayed for them?
In college, I took a Philosophy of God course one summer. One of the sections was about prayer. The author argued that the more we pray, the more likely we are to start asking for things such as patience, forgiveness, and compassion. When we spend time in prayer, we are increasingly reflective and begin to desire goodness in our lives. We then ask God for grace to achieve that goodness. God already provides us with graces and fruits of the spirit, so in that respect, God is answering our prayers.
The above explanation made a lot of sense to me, so I can accept it as almost certainly true. When I ask God to spare me from an illness going around school, will He respond in that case? I don't know. I pray anyway just in case He does, though I have my doubts as to whether he operates in that manner. At the same time, I try to get better at asking for spiritual gifts. Instead of asking to be a good mom, I ask for the patience to be gentle with my children. As I pause to pray, I have already taken a step back from the anger and frustration, and God is beginning to answer my prayers.
Next I need to get better at saying prayers of thanks. There is a lot of evidence supporting the benefits of expressing gratitude - whether you are religious or not! For people of belief, however, it seems pretty clear that developing a relationship with God and thanking Him for the good things in our lives in turn provides benefits for our own well-being. It is like another instant prayer response.
Overall, I think it is safe to say that God answers prayers. Which ones does He answer? When does He answer them? How does He go about answering them? Those questions pose more of a challenge. Since there is no downside to prayer, though, and numerous benefits, I say - keep praying anyway.
Does God grant wishes? More broadly, does He answer prayers? If He does answer prayers, when does He do so, and in what manner?
While our faith may provide clues to the answers, we obviously cannot know them with complete certainty. I have enjoyed many deep conversations with friends as we worked through our ideas together. Most of my thoughts on the matter are made up of questions.
If God does, indeed, address prayers directly and intervene in our daily affairs, does that mean tragedies occur because we didn't pray enough to prevent them? If my family gets into a car accident, for example, is it my fault if I did not pray for safe travels?
Many people say that God answers or does not answer prayers according to His plan for each of us. If He guides us so thoroughly, though, wouldn't He enact his plan regardless of our prayers? Let's say that someone is meant to be a doctor so she can save a lot of lives. She prays for good grades so that she can get into medical school. If it is God's plan for her to be a doctor, however, wouldn't He help her achieve those grades whether or not she prayed for them?
In college, I took a Philosophy of God course one summer. One of the sections was about prayer. The author argued that the more we pray, the more likely we are to start asking for things such as patience, forgiveness, and compassion. When we spend time in prayer, we are increasingly reflective and begin to desire goodness in our lives. We then ask God for grace to achieve that goodness. God already provides us with graces and fruits of the spirit, so in that respect, God is answering our prayers.
The above explanation made a lot of sense to me, so I can accept it as almost certainly true. When I ask God to spare me from an illness going around school, will He respond in that case? I don't know. I pray anyway just in case He does, though I have my doubts as to whether he operates in that manner. At the same time, I try to get better at asking for spiritual gifts. Instead of asking to be a good mom, I ask for the patience to be gentle with my children. As I pause to pray, I have already taken a step back from the anger and frustration, and God is beginning to answer my prayers.
Next I need to get better at saying prayers of thanks. There is a lot of evidence supporting the benefits of expressing gratitude - whether you are religious or not! For people of belief, however, it seems pretty clear that developing a relationship with God and thanking Him for the good things in our lives in turn provides benefits for our own well-being. It is like another instant prayer response.
Overall, I think it is safe to say that God answers prayers. Which ones does He answer? When does He answer them? How does He go about answering them? Those questions pose more of a challenge. Since there is no downside to prayer, though, and numerous benefits, I say - keep praying anyway.
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