DO YOU BELIEVE IN PRAYER?

I do and have had many prayers answered. How about you?
I know God is very good.
Never give up--God is just a prayer away!

Was the answer ever, "No?"

My spirituality is a constant feat of questioning balanced with faith. I talk
"God" and "Creator" and "Higher Power" and sometimes "feel the Hand of God" and the "will of God."

Yet, I can't fully grasp an afterlife beyond nothing, sleep without a dream. As we go to sleep, we enter death. We just don't wake up.

I pray all the time - my church has a song, "Every thought is a prayer." If there is a listening force that prayer does reach, then I believe that force is within and without every minute of every day. So I can pray at all times; and I do.

I have felt prayers answered with yes and no. Felt it. I've had my little miracles that seem beyond coincidence.

I just don't know. I don't think I ever will. I miss a short period in my younger years when I was certain I "walked with Jesus." Then, I learned there were many prophets and a big world of many beliefs and none of those people are damned in my estimation for differences in worship.

So, the learning goes on.........and so does the praying. I ask those I feel are spiritually evolved to pray also - and I have sent requests to Unity Village for 24 hour prayer for 30 days. I am praying constantly now because of many things that are troubles beyond my comprehension; only faith that some power greater than me will step in makes it bearable.

I have had many people who pray for me, people of all faiths. They come and visit and tell me they pray for me every day.

Sometimes my doubts creep in. Other times I hear from God that morning will come and I will live another day.

I love hymns. I love prayers and my appreciation of those who pray for me.

I know my husband and friends pray for me. I wonder how I deserve these prayers but know they mean a lot to those who pray. It amazes me they would do this for me.

I believe strongly in prayer.

Love, Carol

The Universal Source, I believe, has an awareness of all our thoughts, including those we call prayers, and that Source always responds in a way that will benefit the Whole, and each one of us is a vital and necessary part of that Whole. At the same time, no single part has the ability to grasp the Whole, so our perspectives are limited. We often do not recognize or understand the response.

Since Ultimate Reality is beyond our comprehension, we create our reality based on our experience of one little part of it, and that perceived reality always mirrors our belief. In that sense, we are what we believe we are, and our "answers" seem to fall within the parameters of our beliefs.

Just me.

One of the positives of open discussion is the expansion of our reality when we listen to each other with honor and the intention of widening our perspectives.

This is a good question, Alice.

Ann

Carol, I believe strongly in you.

Ann

Prayer is not so much for our desires. It is to find out what the will of God is in each of our situations. This way we walk accordingly. Yes I believe in prayer, but in a different sense. Some things which we don't understand will become clear if we ask their purposes. Then we can understand the whys of it all. This will bring us the desired peace in the matter.
God bless.

I think most people find it healthy and comforting.

I am so glad to hear your surgery went well. You were in many prayers and thoughts.





Still it is hard to explain to good people who suffer, pray, and seems their prayers are never answered.
I don't want to get into a debate over why some suffer and others don't.
I just think it is okay to believe in it and it is okay to not believe in it.

I believe in prayer, especially from others who say they pray for me. It is mysterious to me.

Little things seem to bring about prayer. I had a sore ear from laying in the same position every night. Yesterday I had it biopsied by a dermatologist and last night I slept in a little cocoon with my sore ear tucked between two pillows, not hurting at all. The doctor said she put some ointment on it when she biopsied it and my prayers for a comfortable night of sleeping in a little cocoon of pillows were answered.

I want to live a while yet. I have some writing to do and some reading. . .

I want to give others inspiration and encouragement, and on caringbridge I have a wonderful friend who is a terrific writer and my friends are sending compliments his way. Who knows what connections are made.

And my dear friend Alice is my everpresent friend. I love her as a good praying friend.

Love, Carol

I believe even more.

This is the 8th of October and I am recovering from my surgery instead of awaiting it.

I m talking better and at a lower setting--my battery will last longer and that is good--only God could have accomplished all of this.

I am very grateful for all of the prayers and know they made a huge difference.

Alice,

You are beautiful and your prayer life is way beyond any I have. I admire your courage, your love for others, and indeed you are more.

Only God could have accomplished what you have prayed for.

Love, Carol

Carol,

God can do what we cannot. Thank goodness He can fix you easily. He is the great Physician, He made us and He can do far better than the doctors--I know that is why you are still here--after the way the doctors messed with you. You are a miracle pure and simple.

Living is a prayer, a supplication to the universe to justify our own life and a plea for mercy for all creatures. It need not be voiced or collaborated.

Love,
Betty

Betty Fasig wrote:

Living is a prayer, a supplication to the universe to justify our own life and a plea for mercy for all creatures. It need not be voiced or collaborated.

Love,
Betty

Amen!!

Ann

Another prayer according to Betty.

Beautiful my friend.

Love, Carol

Dear Carol,
There is no more powerful prayer than the one's you send up. You know, I wish that just blabbing the words or prayers would cure your body. If I could learn the perfect prayer that would do that, I would sing it to the world.


It sounds so simple.

What a lovely person your are. How kind, how gentle and aware of people. My life would be less if I never knew you.

I have on my shelf the Evening In Paris perfume bottle you sent to me. That was way back when. I think you were the first person who understood my need for lovely stuff.

Isn't it nice that we share that. The small stuff that makes one feel better.

My best love to you, my good friend.

Love,
Betty

Betty,

There is no perfect prayer. The power of the prayer belongs to the Person it is directed to--not to the person from whence it came.

God wants the very best for Carol and we do too.

We are all better for knowing both you and Carol.


You are very kind.

Love ya,

Alice

And Alice is SO right.

Ann

alj wrote:

And Alice is SO right.

Ann

Ann,
You are so funny and precious too--truly one of a kind.
We are so blessed to know you.

The belief in prayer has always been debated. Some say that life simply happens and that if "good" follows prayer, then coincidence preceeded the "Good." If that statements holds any truth, then I have been bombarded with "coincidence" all of my life. I was raised to believe in the power of prayer. I also know that by seeing evidence is often the only way someone might truly believe.
I have called upon heaven so many times in my life. So often in fact that one night, while my precious Sheila layed in her bed, sick and dieing, I asked the Lord how many answered prayers we were allowed. I asked him if there was a limit on how many Miracles one person, one family was allowed. I fell asleep, still waiting for the answer. The answer came to me in the morning when I woke. My "sick" wife had brought a cup of coffee to my bedside and simply smiled at me. She thought I was crazy for reaching out, tears in my still half closed eyes, and holding her to me. I told her it was just a little something between God and I. She smiled and walked away. For over a year after that, she was well again. God, had answered my question.
15 times in 24 years, doctors told me she would not live through the night. I prayed each time and left the end result in God's hands. Each time, she would defy everything medical and become well again. It was not jut my prayers, but the prayers of all that knew her. Prayer is powerful and real. It is not always answered in the way we might wish it to be, but it's strength and the healing hand of our Father God is without a doubt, Real.
Once... twice, I might even give you 3 times, one might call it coincidence. 15 times, watching my Love go from a fetal position with no strength left in her tired body, to returning home to me and our girls, is not coincidence. It is God and the power of prayer. Our story has so many precious memories of love and grace and pain and sorrow. But mostly, it has healing. The doctors gave to her a few years to live. God gave her 23 extra years.
She once told me she prayed for God to allow her to raise our daughters and take care of her husband, Me. Before she went to heaven, she saw both our daughters graduate and one go to college. She watched our oldest get married and was the best wife a man could ask for. She got exactly what she had prayed for. Coincidence?

What a wonderful tribute to prayer, Darrel!

It was also nice to see this thread revived and to read Carol's words again.

Ty Helen, for the kind words.

I always get my prayers answered.

There is a scripture that says…”You pray, and you pray, and you do not receive. It is because you pray for the wrong thing.”

That scripture opens the question; “What is the right thing?”

Answer…check one.

A) Because I already have one of those.
B) God created us so he could be the big Genie in the sky.
C) I like things to go my way.
D) God created us to serve him…Help, or give me what I need to serve you.

Perhaps it's the word "prayer" that keeps us from admitting that our prayers are answered.

There's a hymn we sing at church "Every thought is a prayer, God is there." I believe God hears every thought. Therefore, I am often in "prayer."

At this moment, I do believe Spirit is working with me.

I believe in prayer and for me it always seems to work. When I had breast cancer at just 30 I was told I would not live over a year. I went to God in prayer and nearly 3 years on I am still here and the cancer has gone!! the doctors are amazed and asked me what herbs I had been taking? and I said GOD!
Also my second book was due to be published and the publisher went out of business and I was left feeling very low in mood. I didn't have the money to self publish and went to God in prayer again asking him to help me and within a week some money came my way! and I was able to self publish. The second book meant alot to me after the bad experience with my first one and what the publisher did to me, so this second book was my way of fighting back and showing I could do a book on my own.(the first publisher was also my partner who left me when he knew I had cancer and decided to not pay me a penny for the book)
So I believe in God and prayer and I was always told my my Grab 'What is needed for the mind body and soul God will help with' and this is so true xx