Responding to Prayer Doesn’t Work, But I’ll Keep Praying by North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz
Plenty of people, many still of great conviction, pray without “unlocking” any real empathy, binding themselves to others, or being kind–and convince themselves in the process that they are actually accomplishing something worthwhile. Others pray to different gods and claim the same benefits.
And since we can express and develop concern for others in many ways that do not involve prayer, some of which have a more measurable impact on the world, it’s fair to say that these benefits, if real, are not unique to prayer.
I suspect that Mr. Pavlovitz has no need of prayer to be a kind and helpful person. What he brings to the table already is what he ends up getting out of it, just as it is for those who pray without kindness.
“And when healing doesn’t come, we second guess whether we’d prayed hard enough or we lament that we didn’t enlist enough ‘prayer warriors’…”
…Or contend that God has a plan that we just can’t understand. But to say that is to declare that your prayers have no effect, else you believe that your desires can sway the eternal plan of an omniscient, divine being.
I have always found it curious how quickly many religious people switch between believing that God is taking care of everything for the best and believing that they, with their comparatively limited knowledge, should somehow have the power to alter that plan.
“He didn’t get better. I refuse to try and figure out what that says about God’s character or about our prayers.”
That’s too bad, as it definitely says something.