Is Prayer Pointless?

Introduction

        Back in November we talked about the use of social media in spreading the gospel. Today’s article has to do with a discussion that came about on social media. As I stated before, more and more people seem to become religious as the years pass. But there are those who have become more cynical or remain uninterested in religion because things don’t work out the way they want or expect them. While others become offended by the very nature of religion.

Three Little Words

        A friend of mine mentioned online that he wasn’t happy with the results of one of the election races and that he hoped things would still be all right. I chimed in and said, “There’s always prayer.” To which he agreed; being a fellow Christian. However, those three words sparked a debate which made us forget the election and made us defend what we believed (1 Pet. 3:15; Jude 3).

        The first comment as a reply to my statement was, “Prayer is the same thing as doing nothing.” He went on to say that if you want change you have to be active and get involved with what’s going on. I’ll agree there as even Jesus said in Mt. 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” And, also, James wrote, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (Jas. 1:22)

        He went on to say, “praying is a way of saying I care enough to involve a higher power but not enough to involve myself.” My conclusion to this response is that they think that I believe that if I just pray, all our problems would simply vanish at the hands of deity. That is not even remotely true. But prayer does have its place in the world. Before doing something, it’s best to have a plan of action. You know the old phrase, “Look before you leap.” If an individual is unsure of what to do or how to react, one can always pray to the Father for wisdom.

The Wisdom of Solomon

        Solomon as a young king prayed to the Father for wisdom (1 Kg. 3:1-12) and it was given him. He also received riches and honor (vs. 13) even though he didn’t ask for them. The only stipulation was that Solomon walk in the statues and commandments of God (vs. 14).

        The next day Solomon put that prayer into action using the wisdom he was given. He was approached by two women who claimed a child belonged to the one and not the other (vs. 16-22). Solomon put his wisdom to use in response to the situation (vs. 23-27).

Rubbing the Lamp

        Going back to the social media responses, someone challenged me with this comment, “So if I pray for unending wealth, but don’t work for it, I won’t get it unless God wants me to. But if I pray, work and get it, does it mean I shouldn’t have worked because I would have gotten it anyways?”

        My response to this was that you should pray to God for your needs not your wants. Nobody needs to be wealthy. She went on further to comment in regards to replace job, food, and shelter in place of wealth and the comment stands. My response to this was, “If I gave you the impression that God gives you whatever you pray for, I profusely apologize. Scripture does teach us to work (2 Thess. 3:10) You can pray for a job; a better job. Instead, you end up with a promotion and raise where you currently work. That’s the providence of God. Just because you work hard and deserve that promotion doesn’t mean you’ll get it right then. But through the avenue of prayer, perhaps a co-worker puts in a good word with the boss which could have you considered for promotion sooner than expected.”

        This kind of comment shows that people don’t want a deity involved in their everyday life. They may believe in God but to the point that he created everything and just sits back and watch life unfold; never to be involved in the lives of his creations.

But on the flip side, some view God as the genie in the lamp. That all you have to do is rub the lamp (pray to God) and he’ll answer your requests. We’ve already answered that in the article called, Sometimes God Says No.

Pray without Ceasing

        The dialog came to a conclusion when I commented, “You make it sound like I can’t pray for my leaders.” To which the response came, “You can, it just won’t accomplish anything.” And to this my response was, “Then you believe that God is wrong when He said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). This, in turn, brought the entire discussion to a close.

        So, what did Paul mean when he said, “Pray without ceasing”? Most will tell you it involves a constant attitude of a prayer-like manner. That every waking moment should be in conversation with God. If this were true, then we couldn’t work our jobs as it is “too worldly” of a place and there wouldn’t be time for prayer. Given that Paul also wrote, “…laboring night and day…” (1 Thess. 2:9); we can see that this isn’t the correct attitude.

        What Paul was talking about is when you pray on a daily basis, you should be consistent in doing so. The times that you choose; usually before a meal and before you go to bed. Do not skip these times but, also, add additional times like before leaving your house; whether going to work or on a long trip. When you come up with a routine of when you pray, stay in that routine. Other times are to be included as well: When someone is sick, when someone is in need of a job, when someone just got married, when someone has just graduated, and so on. Continue to pray to God for the good and the bad, for needs, and for thanksgiving of things you already have.

Conclusion

        Prayer is far from pointless as it keeps us in contact with God; our creator and benefactor. The things that we have; from the planet itself, to the air we breathe is all thanks to Him. Next week we will look at the purpose of prayer.