Prayer is an activity we do not understand. With all the praying for the sick and safe travel etc one would think they are our primary concerns. We pray differently than the early Christians but we do not like to think about that.
If God is in the healing business one would think we would see more healing, more positive response to our requests. Recently there was a story in the local newspaper about a couple whose child died. Instead of seeking medical help they prayed. And apparently God said "No." Apparently God did not see that healing that child as servicing his purpose. Or is it possibly that he is not in the healing business.
I have a book entitled: The 21 Most Effective Prayers of the Bible, by Dave Earley. Most of the prayers, I have not figured out Jabez's prayer yet, served God's purpose as much or more than the person praying. Healings recorded in the New Testament served God's purpose as much or more than the person being healed.
We need to understand prayer, not the corporate policy. Christians need to understand prayer and easy glib phrases do not help. We have convinced people that God will heal them and when he does not they get angry with God.
We quote Jesus "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" and then talk about how it is difficult to be a Christian.
I have another book entitled: All the Prayers of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer. Most of those prayers served God's purpose as much or more than the person praying.
The prayers in the books mentioned were answered. God responded. Why doesn't he respond to our prayers? Nothing happening in response to a prayer will not be understood that God answered said "No" it will be understood he did not respond.
We often say we believe prayer works. By what do we measure do we use to support that belief? James wrote "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." If we can pray wrongly what do we have to change to pray rightly?
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