Did/Does God answer your prayers?

song19

In my spiritual journey, which includes trying to decide if I still believe in God anymore or not… I am beginning to question if God listened to my prayers or even answered them. I think I had a track record of praying more when I needed something. Terrible I know. But I don’t think one was answered.

So… has anyone really had a prayer answered… something that couldn’t have just been coincidence but that you truly believe it had to be God and God alone?

logic&reason

no

compound complex

Greetings and welcome, song 19:

I feel my prayers have been and continue to be answered though I certainly don't have the confident and pat explanation that once served me so well. Starting from scratch on a new spiritual journey, I cannot explain the seemingly contrived assembly-type experiences that have been my so-called answers to prayers. It's largely subjective and anecdotal, to be sure. Coincidence? The universe? Serendipity? Providence?

Call it what you will, perhaps it's convenient for the unflappable true-believer to declare that his prayer was answered, but the answer was NO. Regardless of the invisible, true goings-on (if "true" at all), too many unrelated events aligning in proper sequence have benefited me.

After 50 years exposed to and involved with Jehovah's Witnesses, I still say, and largely believe, "Jehovah provides."

I'm not confused, simply no longer stubbornly convinced of EVERYTHING ...

Thanks,

CoCo

logic&reason

Try it out... pray for something, anything... make it completely altruistic, whatever.

Make sure that there is something quantifiable in the prayer, something measurable to prove that emotional bias, or plain zippity-do-da chance isn't a factor.

Then sit back and wait...

and wait...

ad infinitum.

siy

want to say YES dieing to say YES but its been so long since i prayed & as i remember it i have to say i dont think so

is that a lack of faith? its one of the things that guts me the most, it is very ambiguous....

Fisherman

Yes. It is true. YHWH is the hearer of prayer.

sweet pea

Having prayed every single day for the last 30 odd years I truly believed God was listening and occasionally answering my prayers. Last April I stopped overnight when the scales were lifted from my eyes and nothing has changed, in fact my life has got measurably better.

The dubs will say "that's the Devil taking care of his own" - I don't believe it has anything to do with a supernatural source and have a strong feeling that I was praying to a make believe friend. The way I reason now is surely if God is there/cares then he would let me know for sure I meant something to him. All I know is that everything in this world is a vibration, including thoughts and if you think strongly about something you can influence events (have you seen 'The Secret'?).

I had a very wacky experience of this a few years ago - I was thinking about something as trivial as the kind of spoons I wanted my newborn baby to use and decided I didn't like the idea of plastic or metal but had no idea what else there was - a few days later, out of the blue my neighbour knocks with a present from her travels - a Scottish deer horn spoon! She said to me "I thought you might like this because it's kind on babie's mouths...." We had never ever discussed spoons together. Funny coincidence - but if I'd actually PRAYED for one......... same outcome. All down to vibrations I reckon.
I really would still love to believe there is a God, don't get me wrong, but right now the silence is deafening.

Dagney

Well...all my years as a JW, my prayer was spotty, not a good pray-er. I'd start to pray about something for me then other people I knew that were more deserving or needy would pop into my head...then I would pray for them...then sort of fizzle.

Enter the day I left being a JW. I prayed like holy hell constantly...for wisdom, truth...strength. I think it was the most honest I have ever been and it seemed clear what to ask for, and I sure did ask, and begged, and cried and cried. Somehow, it seemed I was answered. I felt strength, peace of mind, wisdom when needed and it seemed I saw truth everywhere.

Eventually, I got pretty mad at god. Through personal study I just could not understand his cruelty, for everything...from Adam and Eve down through the ages the total horrendous death and destruction. Every Bible story I read without WT literature sounded so improbable: no grand challenge of universal sovereignty, no talking snake, no flood...oh so many things.

So I stopped praying. My experience since has been very similar to sp's. Life has been amazingly good and astoundingly happy since. Good things continue to happen, relationships are rich, no struggle to do what's right, serendipity continues. It's new territory for me. But it is what it is.

Superfine Apostate

some things you wish to come true happen, some don't. if you pray for those things, some prayers are "answered" and some are not. for those "unanswered" prayers, you've always got the "god knows better" exit.

things happen, but i highly doubt they happen because of someone crossing the fingers, throwing a dime into a well or praying to ones favourite god.

White Dove

After looking back at all the things that I prayed for and seeing how I actually answered them myself, my belief in prayer took a nosedive. I am my own goddess now and every prayer to myself gets answered

Any prayer that appeared to get answered when I prayed to God was actually answered by a person. Behind every answered prayer is a person. I don't pray anymore and I am still provided for by myself and others when I need it.

That is so stupid to pray to God, work in harmony with your prayer, and then watch when "God" answers it through someone else. No way! That someone else was going to help you anyway out of the goodness of their heart.

Did/Does God answer your prayers?

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