ReasonForOurHope

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

New Evangelizers Post: Prayer is Not Magic

I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com

“I prayed, but nothing happened.”

How often have we heard these words?  Maybe they came from someone in an argument about faith.  Maybe they came from a child trying to understand God’s plan.  Or maybe these words came from ourselves as we struggled with our faith.

We are often told about the power of prayer.  Christ told us to pray all the time.  He said that by prayer and fasting, demons could be expelled and miracles could occur.  And to be sure we can find stories of miraculous events occurring because of the power of prayer.
So why doesn’t it work all the time?  I mean, Jesus said that whatever I ask for in His Name, the Father will give me.  I once asked in Jesus’ name that a girl I liked in college would date me.  She didn’t.  So what the heck?

And I know that was a silly example.  Sometimes we ask for the health of a loved one or the return of a child to the faith.  Sometimes we pray for signs of God’s existence seem to go unanswered.  

Couldn’t God answer all of these prayers with His miraculous power?  Every time I ask for health, couldn’t God cure me?  

The answer, of course, is yes.

So why doesn’t God do it? If prayer really has power, then why doesn’t it work all the time?

The simplest answer is this: prayer is not magic.

You can read the entire article here.

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