13 yrs? Oh me gosh!
You have made my argument for me. Need I say more on this subject?

globexl:

@seyibrown:
You waited 1 year to get your prayers answered? That is laughable. I  could have done better playing kalukalu. I would have had a better chance of having my desires fullfilled in that same time. Why wont you just say that it took 1 yr for the odds to work in your favour regarding whatever it was you were yearning for.? Someone else ,who may have had the same desire as you did, would have equally had the same chances of fullfilment without recourse to prayer. Do you agree?

From what most of the faithful have posted so far, one discernable fact is very clear: THERE IS NO CLEAR CUT FORMULA for having our prayers answered. Right? That is why we have ordinary prayers ,and special prayers, night vigils, fasting, seed sowing(LOL), etc. All vain and futile attempts to circumvent the immutable laws of cause and effect.
Even for the most devout,  just try your luck and keep trying. If something good happens to you in the interim, then "Hurray", you give  god the credit.

God does not answer any prayers. If so, for all our prayers,don't you think that Nigeria would be a paradise for every faithful by now? If god answers prayers, who deserves to starve, suffer illness, and death? All the unpraying athiest should have all suffered misfortunes and died off long ago. Our hospitals should be filled with the unfaithfuls. Not so?

Out of habit, we just give god credit for whatever good things that happen in our lives , and conveniently, we have the poor devil to blame for all our woes.
I have no doubts though, that prayers have many psychological benefits for those that do it.
However, the root of all human suffering lies in the agony of unfullfilled desires.

Why do I love this reply? Great, reallly great

globexl:

13 yrs? Oh me gosh!
You have made my argument for me. Need I say more on this subject?

  If a 10 year old prays to become a Medical Doctor, do they become one at 10?    That prayer may be answered at 10 but it will manifest when that 10 year old has completed the relevant medical training. Hope this helps you understand why some answered prayers take ages to manifest!   

Congratulations.
DID you go to medical school or not to become a medical doctor?. Would someone who did not pray not be able to become a doctor in 10yrs just like you?. That is the real question. The psychological benefits of prayer may have given you strenght against odds, as it does to most people.
If you had decided to drink, party and hobnob with university cultist, I dont think you have made it through medical school no matter how fervent your prayers.

You made it through medical school to become a doctor, I asume, because you were driven and sufficiently motivated to do what was required to become a medical doctor and not by the mechinations of any diety in heaven or here on earth. That rules applies to everyone, prayerful or not. This simple rule is true for every individual as well as for nations.

^^^ It was an example of someone asking God for something that does not manifest immediately!

thehomer:

I don't know you tell me. One thing is for sure though he really didn't want to send the rain.

You don't know? i's beginning to think you were omniscient or something. So were you the one who prayed for rain and got fire?

seyibrown:

God does answer prayers. I know that for a fact. He has answered and done for me EVERY single thing I have asked in prayer over the last one year with the exception of one. This particular matter I have been praying about for exactly 1 year too. About six months ago, I got discouraged and a bit impatient about it and started confessing that God did not want it to happen, and now that negative confession has been manifesting seriously in the last month! Now I have gone back on my knees to claim back and re-confess what God actually told me about it! My peace is back on the matter is back and I know it is settled even though it's all like an earthquake right now!

God answers our prayers of faith!

What are the things? I just want you to know that there is NOTHING that is going in your life and NOTHING that you have achieved that is not going on in the life of those that don't pray, there is nothing that you have achieved that those that don't pray haven't achieved. . . . .

Yes, many people get things in life that they have not prayed for - good or bad - Jobs, spouses, children, good health, happiness etec! My life is not the same as everyone else's. I don't leave what happens in my life to 'chance'! When things are not going the way they should, I use my 'connection' to make them go the way they should! I get in touch with the maker of heaven and earth!

. . . . . they that know their God shall be strong and do great exploits! (Daniel 11:31b)    . . . . . by the power and authority that is in the name of Jesus!

Those who think that their prosperity, happiness and security come by 'chance' or purely by the work of their own hands will think again when 'chance' and the work of their hands fail them! The devil lulls many into a false sense of security, and they think they have no need for God! They are too blind to see that they are only being fattened up for the slaughter!

When all is well, praise and petition thy maker; when all is not well, still praise and petition thy maker!   

mazaje:

What are the things? I just want you to know that there is NOTHING that is going in your life and NOTHING that you have achieved that is not going on in the life of those that don't pray, there is nothing that you have achieved that those that don't pray haven't achieved. . . . .

Because we all look for basically the same thing genius.

Where are my manners?

MNwankwo, sir, I just noticed I did not thank you for that awesome reply to my question, so THANK YOU! I didn't reply then because I wanted to think and ingest properly. I spent a lot of time thinking about much of what you said and can say I have been blessed for it. Thank you for being such an incredible voice of wisdom in this section. I pray that God will continue to bless all that you put your hands to do. Amen!

---

Globexl, I find you to be an interesting dude . Thanks for providing an opposite viewpoint to further the discussion. In regards to God, faith and life, might I ask what are your persuations? thanks.

Thanks. I'm blushing.
I argue on the side of athiesm because it makes more sense than the theism. Since god, faith and life are mysteries, I prefer to approach them from positions of doubts while searching for certainty. I have been convinced by my fellow nairalander, Deepsight, that my viewpoints are mainly agnostic. I see no compelling evidence for the existence of god, but I cannot say with certainty, that god does not exist. God, infinite space and infinite time ,probably lie beyond the threshold of what our minds can comprehend. So I do agree, my leanings are strongly agnostic.
But whether athiest or agnostic, I strongly repudiate the Judeo-Christian concepts of divinity.
The oriental non-custodial religions like Buddhism offer broader and more sensible(In my opinion) understanding of the relationship between humankind and all that surounds us in the universe, both in the physical and spiritual realms.
I strongly belive that science and intellect is the BETTER arbiter of reality than religion and faith.

God answers your prayer for your wife to buy you new rims for your mercedes, he answers the prayer for your crocodile leather shoes to be shiny in the morning as you left them yesterday, he answers the prayer that your mum gifts you the while Ipad2 and not the Samsung Galaxy tab.

It is the height of arrogance.

People are dying but I am so so important that God will get me red prada shoes instead of preventing a woman from being raped. What a sweet God! He seems to have his priorities so it place right? my priorities come before anyone else in the world.

"Thanking God and saying prayers for yourself is arrogant and selfish. There are people in much worse situations than you. Why should you be a higher priority? Why are you so special? WHY? I'll tell you why. It's because your god is really nothing more than an extension of your own ego."
Ref:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IKkfBKLApY

You can watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IKkfBKLApY

God answers prayers.

Our job is to discern that our request is in line with his will; we have a duty to wait diligently until the result shows up. The waiting period varies from Individual to individual; some are immediate; some take 10 yrs; some take 25 yrs; some tak 30 yrs, Abraham had the promise of God since he was 75yrs old; yet Isaac was born when he was 100 years. Do the maths, thats like 25yrs waiting,

Equally, some prayers never get answers, thats why he is called God,

Sometimes I wonder what folks like Elijah, Enoch actually did for both of them not to experience death, while other top chart folks like Elisha(Elisha even died of sickness); David, Abraham; Moses cases went in the opposite direction,

@babaijesha it is selfish to want your prayers answered why there people with more pressing needs, good Christians should stop praying and let God focus on people with real problems,.

^Offtopic post deleted by me. Please do try and stay within the topic. Thanks.

---

Globexl, sorry for the very late response . . .

globexl:

Thanks. I'm blushing.
I argue on the side of athiesm because it makes more sense than the theism. Since god, faith and life are mysteries, I prefer to approach them from positions of doubts while searching for certainty. I have been convinced by my fellow nairalander, Deepsight, that my viewpoints are mainly agnostic. I see no compelling evidence for the existence of god, but I cannot say with certainty, that god does not exist. God, infinite space and infinite time ,probably lie beyond the threshold of what our minds can comprehend. So I do agree, my leanings are strongly agnostic.
But whether athiest or agnostic, I strongly repudiate the Judeo-Christian concepts of divinity.
The oriental non-custodial religions like Buddhism offer broader and more sensible(In my opinion) understanding of the relationship between humankind and all that surounds us in the universe, both in the physical and spiritual realms.
I strongly belive that science and intellect is the BETTER arbiter of reality than religion and faith.

Very interesting . . . particularly the bolded. I would challenge you (as a person of science myself) that both are necessary 'arbiters' of reality. If you don't mind one of these days I go take style open a thread and open floor for you sir .

Science does not necessarily disprove the bible. On the contrary science confirms a lot about the bible. As a matter of fact, I appreciated my God better during my Human Anatomy classes. Knowing how the human body is structured was a wonderful insight into the art work of God.

i do not think that unanswered prayers are something that one should worry about especially when it is for something that ones has wrapped ones mind around as the only thing that can better pr improve your life. then its a wrong reason and such prayers only get to second base, might even be sitting with one of the angels. if you are truly Christ-like then one need not worry when the prayers get answered, just concentrate on how it will be answered. for that frustrating times being, dwell on something else that will also be rewarding and won't let u feel depressed as depression will set in if we are not careful.

Most times, prayers that we feel are not answered are prayers we need answers to ASAP. We pray, fast and praise but yet we are so anxious to have the prayer answered. I remember when I was praying to God anxiously for a particular thing, He did not answer my prayers. I was losing hope but the funniest thing happened to me. My roommate was playing Celine Dion's "that's the way it is" one day and the song ministered to me. Yes it ministered to me. It says:

When you want it the most there's no easy way out
When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt
Don't give up on your faith
Love comes to those who believe it
And that's the way it is

The song touched me. That same evening I went for Bible study, the preacher spoke about God's will for our lives and letting God have his way. I decided to let God have His way concerning the same issue. The funny thing is that God did not answer that prayer. Right now I am so glad He did not answer that prayer. God's greatest gift is unanswered prayers.

"Its always a win-win situation for God. If we get the things we pray fro we thank him, if we dont get it, we justify his refusal and still thank him.
A fatal accident occurs, five people die and one survives. The survivor and is family sing praises to God for his survival. The family of the dead weep, mourn, blame the devil , say only god knows best and then thanks god for all his mercies.
If at the end, God will do his will(which may not always be at our advantage), then what is the relevance of prayer?
Let thy will be done should be the only valid prayer."
..Sorry that i was not able to quote who actually said this, but this is something that you have to keep in mind. i was born from a catholic christian family, but i have always had these doubts from day one and indeed, it helps cos its only those living in denial that cannot accept facts.
this also removes the essence of going to church and wasting your money paying tithes to a pastor who is already a millionaire and can continue to feed himself gallantly.
Why i do not believe in many churches is that no one of thos epastors really give up all their money.
Me saying this, i am not perfect, so if they actually want to practice what they preach, they wont deny that there is a beggar that goes every sunday to their churches, or the ones that live closest to their churches. Giving out just N100k, will not harm a ot of pastors, but will make ones life better.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN DENIAL, Dont be fooled, think deep. The solution to your problem is obvious and physical. Why not your pastor where in your church give you money to solve your problem and reduce excessive praying and saliva wastage. If that is what actuall happened, this world(nigeria) will be a better place

JeSoul:
Please religious folk, don't patronize the idea of the topic with catch-phrases, clichés and talking points of "God always answers etc etc". Obviously God does NOT always answer when you pray (just flip through the book of Psalms for some examples). I'd like to know how people have dealt with it. What lessons did you learn? Did it eventually work out for your good? or was it bad? Were you frustrated? Disappointed? Angry? Did you approach it as a test of your faith? If so, how do you think you fared? What is your advice to people who may be in a such a situation? Please do share. Thanks!

Scripture states that God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous; the pleas and requests and every petition of the unrighteous are tainted by their sins(disobedience/unholiness) and are hence an abomination to God. So, what is definite is that even your many pleas for the forgiveness of sins are not answered by God given that God made no special exemptions for that kind of pleas. No amount of praying can cause God to change His mind regarding that which concerns the unrighteous by the way. So if you are thinking of prescribing more prayers that only means you really don't understand or know God at all.

God, however, openly bragged about how He only answers the prayers of the righteous; He delights in granting them the desires of their heart meaning that they are those who are loved by Him. For this very reason, Jesus Christ urged His followers to seek first the Kingdom of God and God's Righteousness in order that all things— the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God(holiness), answers to prayers included—shall be added on to them. And as Jesus Christ explained in His Gospel, the only way to become Holy, and then also Righteous, is by way of continuous submission and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ, god's Truth and Law in the Kingdom of god - John 8 vs 31 - 36 & John 14 vs 15 - 23. Jesus Christ is the only way. Obedience to the Truth of God is the one and only path to righteousness. No amount of praying and other religious rituals can accomplish that.

globexl:
Its always a win-win situation for god. If we get the things we pray fro we thank him, if we dont get it, we justify his refusal and still thank him.
A fatal accident occurs, five people die and one survives. The survivor and is family sing praises to god for his survival. The family of the dead weep, mourn, blame the devil , say only god knows best and then thanks god for all his mercies. If at the end, god will do his will(which may not always be at our advantage), then what is the relevance of prayer? Let thy will be done should be the only valid prayer.

What you describe is not of God but of religious madness.

tpia5:
sometimes prayers are answered but not in the way we want [or expect], so we consider them unanswered.

That is not God answering your prayer but rather God's mercy/kindness which God also pours out on all of mankind — the wicked and the ungrateful alike.

When God answers, He answers every single prayer in the affirmative and this only happens for those who are already righteous. The rest of us are at the mercy of, you guessed it, God's mercy which He pours out daily on even the unbelievers in the world.

jayriginal:
■ OP it says in the bible that God knows even before you ask. Why then bother. Again the point was raised about the win win situation. There are a lot of escape outlets for God such as lack of faith, or the prayer not being the will of God. In such a case wont it be better to just let things be according to his will ?
■ When does a prayer expire ? I make this observation. I believe most folks pray at night before they sleep and early the next morning. Now does the prayer cover one from night till morning and also from morning till niight ? I ask because it seems to be a habit of some folks (if they are telling me the truth). Inspite of prayers, some folks still die in their sleep or the next morning sometime after prayer. Does this mean the prayer expired somewhere along the line. A practical person like me would advocate only one prayer to cover a lifetime, afterall as the bible says, he knows s all before we ask it, so why bother, especially when over half the things will clash with his will.

Just some unorganised thoughts.

1. Those "escape outlets" where instead manufactured in the doctrines/theories and traditions of men in order to provide a reason for why their other lies regarding God do not work. The one and only reason for unanswered prayer is unrighteousness — God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous. Try-what-may, God says He absolutely does not answer the prayers of an unrighteous man. So, all those who claim God only answers some prayers or God answers only when God is in the mood are people who are unrighteous — not in good standing with God— yet refusing to accept God's truth.

2. The prayer of an unrighteous man expires even before it is uttered. This is the case since it is laced/made filthy with his sins and from inception an abomination that can't be accepted by God. The prayer of an unrighteous man however never expires since God guarantees him that even his heart's desires will be granted.

preselect:
God answers all prayers. His answer varies. 3 categories:
1. Yes child, here it is
2. No child, I have a better plan
3. Wait child, not now.
How do I know if it's NO or WAIT? I never know. My response? Frustration, abandonment, insecurity. Have I sinned badly? Did I say wrong prayers? I never know. But let me address some issues here:
1. Prayers are important. Yes, God know all we need even before we pray but he still insists that we must ask. Prayers is like tellin God that you depend on his help to solve a problem. Also that communication with God increases intimacy with HIM.
2. Unlike most Xtians, unanswered prayers don't make me stronger.(lol). They make me weak, I loose faith, get frustrated, blame God, once I almost said bad things about God( I've beenasking for forgiveness since then, the guilt is so heavy on me, and any bad thing that happens to me now I easily trace it to the bad words I used for God)
What do I do? No idea. Fortunately, I have no other God. So after all the cursing, I'll come back to my knees. Lol. I hope I helped answer our question( I don't think I helped though ) Have a great day

Please abandon religion and its many doctrines and traditions so you embrace God in all His simplicity instead.

You see, Scripture states that God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous; the pleas and requests and every petition, praise, offering, work, plea, sacrifice, etc., of the unrighteous are tainted by their sins(disobedience/unholiness) and are hence an abomination to God. So, what is definite is that even your many pleas for the forgiveness of sins are not answered by God given that God made no special exemptions for that kind of plea. No amount of praying can cause God to change His mind regarding that which concerns the unrighteous by the way. So if you are thinking of prescribing more prayers that only means you really don't understand or know God at all.

God, however, openly bragged about how He only answers the prayers of the righteous; He delights in granting them the desires of their heart meaning that they are those who he loves. For this very reason, Jesus Christ urged His followers to seek first the Kingdom of God and God's Righteousness in order that all things— the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God(holiness), answers to prayers included—shall be added on to them. And as Jesus Christ explained in His Gospel, the only way to become Holy, and then also Righteous, is by way of continuous submission and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ, god's Truth and Law in the Kingdom of god - John 8 vs 31 - 36 & John 14 vs 15 - 23. Jesus Christ is the only way. Obedience to the Truth of God is the one and only path to righteousness. No amount of praying and other religious rituals can accomplish that.

God deals indirectly with the unrighteous, the same way He deals with the unbelievers including the wicked and the ungrateful and that is by pouring out His mercy and kindness on them daily. So every time as an unrighteous you feel that God has answered your prayer know that at that same moment, or moments before that, God also provided the same mercy or similar to someone else across the world — or maybe just across from you— who does not even believe in God, nor asked God for anything. So, if answers from God are what you seek, then do what Jesus Christ said you should, which is to seek first the Kingdom of God(holiness), and then God's righteousness, in order that all these things —the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God(including answers to prayers) can be added to you.

Joagbaje:
■ Whatever you're praying for had been given in christ, how strong is your faith in christ to revive it. There are things we can't recieve until our faith matures to lay hold on them. The question is about our RECIEVING .

Well, it actually does not depend on your faith but on whether or not God has approved one righteous. God made clear that He does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous; their every plea, praise, prayer, offering, gift, work, etc. are an abomination aka filthy rags to Him. So the key is in getting rid of the unrighteousness status, and not in how much faith you can claim to have. Faith is important but it's value only manifests when one is no longer a sinner— when one achieves holiness at least.

Kobojunkie:
Please abandon religion and its many doctrines and traditions so you embrace God in all His simplicity instead.

You see, Scripture states that God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous; the pleas and requests and every petition, praise, offering, work, plea, sacrifice, etc., of the unrighteous are tainted by their sins(disobedience/unholiness) and are hence an abomination to God. So, what is definite is that even your many pleas for the forgiveness of sins are not answered by God given that God made no special exemptions for that kind of plea. No amount of praying can cause God to change His mind regarding that which concerns the unrighteous by the way. So if you are thinking of prescribing more prayers that only means you really don't understand or know God at all.

God, however, openly bragged about how He only answers the prayers of the righteous; He delights in granting them the desires of their heart meaning that they are those who he loves. For this very reason, Jesus Christ urged His followers to seek first the Kingdom of God and God's Righteousness in order that all things— the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God(holiness), answers to prayers included—shall be added on to them. And as Jesus Christ explained in His Gospel, the only way to become Holy, and then also Righteous, is by way of continuous submission and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ, god's Truth and Law in the Kingdom of god - John 8 vs 31 - 36 & John 14 vs 15 - 23. Jesus Christ is the only way. Obedience to the Truth of God is the one and only path to righteousness. No amount of praying and other religious rituals can accomplish that.

God deals indirectly with the unrighteous, the same way He deals with the unbelievers including the wicked and the ungrateful and that is by pouring out His mercy and kindness on them daily. So every time as an unrighteous you feel that God has answered your prayer know that at that same moment, or moments before that, God also provided the same mercy or similar to someone else across the world — or maybe just across from you— who does not even believe in God, nor asked God for anything. So, if answers from God are what you seek, then do what Jesus Christ said you should, which is to seek first the Kingdom of God(holiness), and then God's righteousness, in order that all these things —the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God(including answers to prayers) can be added to you.

Kai Kobojunkie, after 12yrs you replied this message

preselect:
■ Kai Kobojunkie, after 12yrs you replied this message

It is never too late to learn to truth.

Joagbaje:
■ Whatever you're praying for had been given in christ, how strong is your faith in christ to revive it.
■ There are things we can't recieve until our faith matures to lay hold on them. The question is about our RECIEVING .

1. Oh, this happens to be a big lie! According to Jesus Christ, the only way you can get answers to prayers is if and only if you become righteous. Yes, God said He does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous; the prayers, pleas, praises, giving, offerings, works, etc., of the unrighteous, are made filthy by their sins and hence an abomination to God.

2. There is no maturing of faith since you are required to continue to live by faith — continuous submission and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ — until the very end in order to be saved - Matthew 24 vs 12 - 13 & Mark 13 vs 13. Also, rather, as Jesus Christ instead said, it is only when one attains God's righteousness by seeking first the Kingdom of God(holiness), and God's righteousness, that all these things — the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God— shall be added to one.