Most of us have been told at some point in our lives that it isn't polite to discuss religion and politics in mixed company. Good advice. This isn't mixed company, though, and I am giving you fair warning that you might not like what I'm about to say. Promise me, though, that if you are going to read any further, that you will read the WHOLE thing. You don't have to like it and you don't have to agree but try to see the point I am trying to make.
I believe in God. I really do. As a matter of fact, I think I have more faith than the average person. I also believe I have a much more mature faith than many people because I really think about it. I have never been one to just blindly believe or agree just because some other human tells me to. I don't care if that person is a nun, a priest, my mom....I have to explore things for myself.
So here's the thing. I told my BFF that I don't believe in prayer, but I don't think I made myself very clear. It isn't that I don't believe in prayer, but I don't believe in prayer the way most people do it. I do not think that I can pray for someone to recover from a terminal illness or injury and God will make that happen. God has a plan for EVERYTHING, and He already knows how all this stuff is going to turn out. He isn't going to change the plan because I ask Him to. Not because He doesn't love me or care how I feel, but because His plan is greater than just my life or my feelings. Plus, God already KNOWS I don't want my friend or family member to suffer or die.
Think about it: anyone out there could be praying for the exact opposite thing that I am praying for. Am I supposed to believe that if I pray harder or have a bigger prayer circle that God will answer my prayer and not answer the prayer of the other person? Because I don't think it works like that. I think God sets things in motion according to His plan, and that's that. We have free will and might make a choice that causes a hiccup in the plan, but if God wants it a different way, it will end up that way. If my family member is dying and I pray for that person to live and he lives, it isn't because I prayed. It is because that is what God intended to happen in the first place.
Before you argue, think about the opposite. Would you say that if my family member dies, I just didn't pray hard enough? Of course not. You would say it was God's will. Well, guess what? I believe it is also God's will for the person to live...not a function of prayer. I might have OCD but it isn't bad enough for me to blame myself for someone's death because I didn't pray hard enough. And if my faith in God hinges on whether He lets someone live when I pray for it, my faith is awfully superficial and short-sighted.
So am I saying that God doesn't listen to prayer? NOT AT ALL. I think God hears ALL our prayers, and I think God answers real prayer. The kind in which a person prays for guidance, wisdom, strength, comfort, understanding, forgiveness, or enlightenment, either for him/herself or others. He answers all prayers that help me become a better person and a better steward of the world. I pray so often for these things, and I get them. If I didn't, I wouldn't be breathing today. I wouldn't be able to fight depression. I wouldn't be able to handle all the challenges of my life. I would collapse under the weight of all the stuff on my shoulders.
But I'm still here.
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