Do you believe in prayer?

I pray. Frequently and often in the loo where it's quiet (does God care where I am?!).

At the very least, and even for people without faith, prayer is a good way of focusing your thoughts on whatever is troubling you and meditating on it. Often it helps to find an answer or a way through. Whether you believe that the answer comes from God or your own efforts, the result is the same.

My faith in the Lord Jesus Christ involves prayer every single day. Through Him I have access to God the Father and I thank Him for my salvation every day. Jesus encourages us to bring all things to him and, whilst praying for cashmere jumpers seems trivial, it does show that the charity shop customer was doing just that! I agree that it is not easy being a Christian but compared to those who are persecuted for their faith in other countries, we are blessed here in the UK to have the freedom and choice to worship wherever and whenever we wish. I am writing this without trying to sound pious because that is not my intention. What I am saying is that I do believe in the power of prayer and I pray to a loving and kind heavenly Father.

I've been troubled for 4 years by my Grandson aged 18 (I even had to sell my house) & have prayed many times to God & my mum for help and the word 'Providence ' came to my mind, I was unsure what it meant until I looked it up. So yes I do believe in the power of prayer.

As a ret headteacher by law I was required to hold an act of daily worship (Christian based). Which I did for 25 years without any qualms although a devout atheist.
We sang appropriate religious songs joined together in a short prayer and shared thoughts for the day.
Apart from Bible stories and direct references to God it was a secular thought provoking assembly and all concerned (well most) enjoyed a thoughtful quiet start to the day.
But no I do not believe in god or prayer but I do believe in the power of positive thinking..

Ethel j she wasn't joking. She also told us yoga was unsuitable due to Indian gods.I shall avoid her next week.

Doodle, you summed it up beautifully.

One needs to believe in a god to pray, so no I don’t

I certainly believe in the power of prayer, but I would feel rather ridiculous troubling the Almighty with something as insignificant as whether a shop had or didn't have the thing I wanted.

I think it depends what age the child was whether not reading Greek myths was reasonable or the reverse.

If you are trying to bring a young child up to believe in God in whichever way his parents do, then it might not be a good thing to talk about other belief systems. Children can become confused as to what belongs in their own religion and what belongs in others.

If the child is ten or over, he should be able to realise that there are and were different religions and reading myths should do any harm.

Praying for an item sounds more like the 'Cosmic ordering' that Noel Edmonds believes in:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_ordering

What sort of God would 'save the child' of praying religious parents- but let another one die because it has no parents to pray or parents who don't? Can anyone answer?

Praying for a cashmere sweater seems rather trivial; I knew some church goers who said they asked God what they should wear each day - 'seemed rather cheeky!
I don't now go regularly, but find if I am in a church it is good to sit quietly and let cares go for a time. Prayer is calming, and the post from Doodle sums up how I feel so well.

Or 'I''ll save that one with Catholic parents who pray, but not Protestants (that would have been the case not very long ago in parts of the world) - or that one as long as parents are Christian, but the Muslim parents can pray all they want, I am not saving that one, etc.

What would make you think that God would save the life of one child over another jura. Some lives are saved and some not. Just because we pray does not mean all prayers are answered. All children belong to God and all are loved whether their parents pray or not. Also I think you will find that everyone in the world has someone who is praying for them. When we pray God requires our prayers to be for all. I pray constantly for my DGS but never fail to pray for other children with his problems and others with problems that I hope he never encounters.
I have neither the wit or the words to convince a non believer all I can do is say I believe. I pray every day for all those who are suffering and for all in pain.

Why is it people who don’t believe in God are often so angry with the God they don’t believe in.

No one can answer that jura 2 but I completely agree with you.

That question has occurred to me many times too.

I was interested in the psychological explanation briefly mentioned earlier, that the calm state often induced by praying produces more of a clarity of thought to enable the person to cope better or to see a solution to whatever is troubling them.

As for saving the sick, well that’s down to the skill of doctors and modern medicine isn’t it?

I do believe in prayer as a way of communicating with the Source/ Divine. It's been quite a journey. I agree that it is more about the relationship with God than a shopping list.

In answer to endlessstrife several posts back, I am not praying to anyone, what I said was that I think that prayer is akin to the mediation that I do. Buddhist meditation actually, and I do not personally believe in a supernatural God.
I believe that similar to meditation, prayer changes what is happening in your brain and can give you, peace, awareness, and motivation to live a better and more compassionate life.
Everyone has to find a way that helps them through life's difficulties.

I don't know if it's a remnant of my Catholic upbringing but in times of trouble I find it very comforting to light a candle in church (any church) and sit quietly for a while with my thoughts. I always come out feeling they have been heard.

I do believe in prayer. I love God and I like talking to him.

“Pour out your hearts to him
for God is our refuge.”
Psalm 62.8

I didn’t become a Christian until I was over 30, and I have much preferred life with a relationship with God to life without.

I was quite happy for my kids to hear stories from Greek mythology.

Jura2, there is certainly not justice and fairness in this life (whether about children being prayed for or other things). But when eternity is taken into account things look different. The Bible indicates that a child who dies goes straight to God and will be happy with him forever. Whatever they suffer in this life will seem like nothing then.

According to the Bible, God is perfectly just and in the end everyone will have justice. Or if they choose to trust him now and take the rescue he offers, they can have mercy. Because no-one has lived without breaking his laws and we all deserve judgement.

‘For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ... each of us shall give account of himself to God"
(Romans 14.10-12)

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life... Whoever believes in him is not condemned’
(John 3.16-18)

In answer to the OP question, Yes, I do.

Doodle, has summed up how I feel, much better than I could, thank you.
I find it hard to put my feelings into words that mean something to me, and make sense to others.
We have had prayers answered, and in times of stress, and/ or trouble, I put myself in God's hands.
Also I believe "Thy will be done".
Praying is something that can be done, wherever and whenever you feel the need. It soothes and heals.
The Lords Prayer is particularly calming, to me, anyway.

I have really enjoyed reading these responses, but was puzzled by the one from Ladymuck at 12.45.51. Is it God whose friendship that she wouldn't cultivate?

I think Ladymuck was referring to the friend with the cashmere jumpers mentioned in the opening thread Auntyflo.

Thank you JenniferEccles. Sometimes the answer to something, does pop up rather late ?

Lovely post Doodle. Sums up my thoughts totally. Thank you.

I think prayer itself is healthy-