I noticed in the Southern Cross an article from the Bishop Reg Piper calling people to step forward to deliberatly pray into the mission.

I also saw that he included in that an area where he is encouraging that answers to prayer be posted.

I was wondering what our general attitude to answers to prayer really are.

*Do we really expect God to answer what we have asked for in a yes manner? or do we expect him to mostly say no.

*Is it arrogence to say “God has answered my prayers”? or is it a part of being humble by acknowledging so?

* Do we think of prayer as only being for a spiritual exercise benifitting our selves, and that we are to only ask for spiritual things? or is it OK to ask God for his hand in all aspects of our world including material - financial areas.

*What about being emotional in our prayer life, is it OK to be angry with God or the world or each other about issues when in prayer, should we be moved to tears when praying for the lost?

*Is our faith in God so great that we know that when we come into his presence that he is hearing our every petition? or do we suufer from doubt about is God really interested in what I have to say and ask? an ddoes he really hear my / our prayers?

*Have our past experiences good or bad hindered or helped our prayer life?

*Is it Biblical for us to cometogether and specifically pray together in large meetings or should we just retire to our closets and our prayer remain a private issue between us and God? perhaps a combination of both.

*How does prayer shape out theology of God? does it help us to know him better?

I would really be interested to know how we really view prayer.

craig

*Do we really expect God to answer what we have asked for in a yes manner? or do we expect him to mostly say no.

If I am honest, I probably just expect silence. And if not silence, “no”.

*Is it arrogence to say “God has answered my prayers”? or is it a part of being humble by acknowledging so?

I don’t know. The way things turn out sometimes when one has been hoping for a good outcome can be termed “an answer to prayer"… Or is it just natural processes at work? I am happy to chime in that God has answered prayer positively, thanks be. But if I am honest I suppose there’s always the nagging in the back of my mind that “things just turned out this way”. Doesnt mean you can’t give thanks for the outcome.

* Do we think of prayer as only being for a spiritual exercise benifitting our selves, and that we are to only ask for spiritual things? or is it OK to ask God for his hand in all aspects of our world including material - financial areas.

Nothing is excluded from prayer. Our whole lives are supposed to be prayerful - and I would’ve thought that that included most areas of life - spiritual and material. In good measure of course. And depending on motives. Eg. I could pray fervently for a BMW, a pool, a beautiful mansion. But I dont think having anyof these things would further either my relationship with God, or the spread of the gospel. (I suppose I could argue that if I had all these nice things I could use them for throwing bible parties… :P but I don’t think that would be honest!)

*What about being emotional in our prayer life, is it OK to be angry with God or the world or each other about issues when in prayer, should we be moved to tears when praying for the lost?

What about praying *when* you are lost? I think God is in relationship with us, with our whole selves. That means we should be involved with our whole selves. Put it this way, if we only pray when we are feeling pious or “in line” or reconciled to whatever has been “sent our way”, then we are trying to hide from God, trying to hide a part of who we are, and are acting something of a lie - if we bring unruly emotions to God honestly then he’s got more of a chance of doing something with them, hasn’t he. Part of being willing to change really, and conformed to the likeness of Christ.

*Is our faith in God so great that we know that when we come into his presence that he is hearing our every petition? or do we suufer from doubt about is God really interested in what I have to say and ask? an ddoes he really hear my / our prayers?

Doubt for me. He’s silent and solid as a ruddy (invisible) brick. *snort* I reckon he’s pretty impassive really. It’s that thing of how prayer doesn’t change God, it changes *us*.

*Have our past experiences good or bad hindered or helped our prayer life?

Bad spiritual experiences… yes.

*Is it Biblical for us to cometogether and specifically pray together in large meetings or should we just retire to our closets and our prayer remain a private issue between us and God? perhaps a combination of both.

Didn’t the disciples gather together for prayer? At least that’s the suggestion of how Pentecost came about. They were all together and then whoosh they all had tongues of flame on their heads.

*How does prayer shape out theology of God? does it help us to know him better?

Now which writer was it (*thinks*) who said that prayer is theology in practice? If you are praying you are a theologian…

I’d say the purpose of prayer IS that we know God better, it’s a formation process, a growing to be like him by communing with him. It’s also the way to union with him.

A few thoughts…

WOW!!!! Nunc, very impressive and honest.

I think you really went out on a limb to share with us here, I agree with some of what you have posted & disagree with other parts, but that was not and is not the intention of this thread to debate about prayer but to find out how we actually view prayer and I’m not so sure that many of us would be as honest as you were.

craig

Nunc wrote:

If I am honest, I probably just expect silence. And if not silence, “no”.

The way things turn out sometimes when one has been hoping for a good outcome can be termed “an answer to prayer"… Or is it just natural processes at work? I am happy to chime in that God has answered prayer positively, thanks be. But if I am honest I suppose there’s always the nagging in the back of my mind that “things just turned out this way”. Doesnt mean you can’t give thanks for the outcome.

I second Craig’s praise of your frankness Nunc - I think you have well expressed what is probably in the heads of many (including myself).

It is a complex thing with which I never cease to wrestle - persevering in prayer as Jesus exhorted us (parable of the persistent widow); knowing what is ‘right’ to pray for; checking if our prayers are self-interested (and therefore simply expressing to God our opposition to him - for to be turned towards ourselves is to be turned away from God) or faithful - that is, mirrors held up to the faithfulness of God that show we are as consumed as God is with the ultimate glorification of Christ and the subordination of all things under his Lordship (Eph 1). There is the conviction of Paul that his churches helped him by their prayers (2 Corinthians 1). There is also the intercession of the Spirit that bridges our inadequate wisdom in prayer to the heart of God. (Romans 8).

But a natural scepticism keeps emerging from the Adam within us, that makes us (me) lazy about prayer.  To counteract it I find I need to continually remind myself to ‘give thanks in all circumstances’, and to ‘bring prayers, petitions and requests to God with thanksgiving’, and to ‘ask in faith, never doubting’. And then I get frustrated because to do that I need faith. And so I plead along with the disciples, “Lord, Increase my faith”, or “I believe, help my unbelief!”

And then, astonished and turned towards God, I realise that my prayer has already begun. And my relationship with Him, stirred up as always not by my own faith but by His faithfulness, has endured - blossomed - for another day.

And then, astonished and turned towards God, I realise that my prayer has already begun. And my relationship with Him, stirred up as always not by my own faith but by His faithfulness, has endured - blossomed - for another day.

I love the way you expressed this Matthew. Thanks.