All these prayers...

[DutchTickler]

As a non-religious person, I can't help but smile upon all the praying that people are allegedly doing here for each other. Whenever people write that they have even a minor problem, someone will step in and say that they'll pray for the person. There is even a special thread devoted to this!
Now I wonder, with all this praying being done, how long do people pray on an average day? An hour? Two hours? More? How do you keep track of all the people to pray for? Do you keep lists?
I wonder. And does it work? Or do people think it works?

 

[nosforatiop]

If I say I'll keep someone in prayer I say a prayer for them right them and there and be done with it. All I'm doing is making a request of my God, that doesn't mean he'll fullfill it, he might have a good reason not to. I'm not going to pretend to be any more enlightened then the next person and try to tell you why certain prayers don't get answered, because I'm not God. And I spend about a half hour in prayer normally, that doesn't include the little prayers I may or may not sat through out the day.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

As with KBA, I say a prayer immediately upon learning of a need. As I was taught by a 3rd grade teacher, that still includes praying that He go with, protect and aid emergency personelle (and those in whatever situation they're responding to) whenever I hear a siren. But, I also have a prayer list that folks get added to. So, when I go to spend time in prayer, I ask that He bless all on the list and do with them as He sees fit. Most of my prayer time is spent praising Him rather than asking for things. He knows what we want/need anyway.

Ann

 

[QBWeaver]

I do much the same thing. When the situation arises I pray at that time. Then during the day something will happen that I view as a gift from above.

It could be a rainbow or a flower. The song of a bird or a kiss from one of my doggies. It might be a laugh from a child or a nice word from a co-worker. I take a moment after that to say thank you through prayer and remember those that I have on my prayer list as well.

Yesterday I was driving down to the racetrack for a meeting. I came around a bend on the highway and there was a beautiful hill filled with wildflowers and a horse with her fowl grazing. That was a special gift from above and the thanks and prayers were flying.

Ah Life is so darned great! Thank you Lord!

 

[tommytikl]

My Mother was big on the pray when you see an ambulance too...

As I was taught by a 3rd grade teacher, that still includes praying that He go with, protect and aid emergency personelle (and those in whatever situation they're responding to) whenever I hear a siren.
Ann

Ann,

My mom used to always tell me to pray when I saw an ambulance...
I still do to this day...I never heard about it in my 12 years of Catholic HighSchool but my mom obviously heard about it from somewhere...

Anyway, yeah prayer works 🙂

 

[omega]

As a non-religious person, I can't help but smile upon all the praying that people are allegedly doing here for each other. Whenever people write that they have even a minor problem, someone will step in and say that they'll pray for the person. There is even a special thread devoted to this!
Now I wonder, with all this praying being done, how long do people pray on an average day? An hour? Two hours? More? How do you keep track of all the people to pray for? Do you keep lists?
I wonder. And does it work? Or do people think it works?

There have been studies done. One group of patients are prayed for by believers but the patients don't know that these people are praying for them. And of course another group of patients that are not prayed for by the believers in the study, (though they may be prayed for by others). The group of patients that are prayed for tend to die less often and get better more quickly than the non-prayed for patients.

I realize that studies of this kind can never be truly scientific, but they are interesting anyway.

 

[sole seeker]

I do much the same thing. When the situation arises I pray at that time. Then during the day something will happen that I view as a gift from above... I take a moment after that to say thank you through prayer and remember those that I have on my prayer list as well.

Yesterday I was driving down to the racetrack for a meeting. I came around a bend on the highway and there was a beautiful hill filled with wildflowers and a horse with her [foal] grazing. That was a special gift from above and the thanks and prayers were flying.

Ah Life is so darned great! Thank you Lord!

Great responses Ann and QB. I can't say it any better than that. I think I'll add you, Dutch, to my prayer list. (Please do not be offended - no offense is meant.) But going through life without the gift of faith... I can't imagine anything worse.

 

[BettyBoop2002]

I do much the same thing. When the situation arises I pray at that time. Then during the day something will happen that I view as a gift from above.

It could be a rainbow or a flower. The song of a bird or a kiss from one of my doggies. It might be a laugh from a child or a nice word from a co-worker. I take a moment after that to say thank you through prayer and remember those that I have on my prayer list as well.

Yesterday I was driving down to the racetrack for a meeting. I came around a bend on the highway and there was a beautiful hill filled with wildflowers and a horse with her fowl grazing. That was a special gift from above and the thanks and prayers were flying.

Ah Life is so darned great! Thank you Lord!

I pretty much do the same thing. Great responce QBWeaver and Ann.
I pray everyday but if there is someone that has ask for prayer for a specific thing I pray right then, and trust in God to do the rest.
I believe in prayers.

Good question brought up Dutch Tickler 🙂
Destiny

 

[kurchatovium]

I did not use to pray at all but now I pray everday and as situations arise that I feel strongly about. Perhaps I have a unique perspective in that sense. Do I believe it helps? Yes I do. Do I feel better after I do it? Yes again. How did I arrive at where I am?Well not too get all mushy but I rediscovered love (or WUV 😀 ) and somehow love brought me back to God and to Jesus. For me they are inseparable.