Prayer. Matthew 7 and a scientific study

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Treeoflife

Treeoflife

Banned
#1
Mar 13, 2010
57
1
0
#1
Ok.
So i have been doing a study of Matthew lately and i am pretty sure we all know this extract from Matthew 7.

Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

and the impression here is given is that God will answer all prayer since we are often taught that God is our father, and we are his children

however i have came across this study on prayer from the times online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1072638.ece

and it seems quite contradictory.
I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on it

Thanks in advance
 
S

Slepsog4

Guest
#2
#2
My first thought is to wonder if those who were prayed for were more likely to be cavalier about proper follow up and paid less attention to the details of nutrition and other recommendations of rehab.
 
phil36

phil36

Senior Member
#3
Feb 12, 2009
8,260
2,111
113
51
#3
Treeoflife said:
Ok.
So i have been doing a study of Matthew lately and i am pretty sure we all know this extract from Matthew 7.

Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

and the impression here is given is that God will answer all prayer since we are often taught that God is our father, and we are his children

however i have came across this study on prayer from the times online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1072638.ece

and it seems quite contradictory.
I was wondering if anyone could help shed some light on it

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
His just read the article, everything is set up even to the prayer you can't work God in a test tube, like science. It seems to me the study itself is flawed. I don' think testing God Like that is a good idea, its really mockery. (How the study was carried out).

Plus will God always grant what we want? the answer is NO not always.

Phil

Phil
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

Banned
#4
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
23
0
#4
And were the people being prayed for believers? The study is flawed because the person being prayed for needs to know that they are so that they can agree and mix the prayers with their faith, and it's very very unlikely that God will heal someone who is praying for a stranger at a distance who you dont know or have feelings for, but I bet if they got some Holy Spirit filled pastors or someone like that who knows how to pray and went and layed hands on each person individually they would recover. It's like praying for world peace it's never going to be answered at least it hasn't been yet. Also, Jesus's teaching on asking, seeking knocking, screams one thing - persistence. A few weeks of praying is most likely not going to cut it.
 
Last edited:
S

Slepsog4

Guest
#5
#5
Not only is it possible that the patients were not necessarily believers, but we do not know anything about those doing the praying.
 
C

Consumed

Guest
#6
#6
Slepsog4 said:
Not only is it possible that the patients were not necessarily believers, but we do not know anything about those doing the praying.
Click to expand...
we were all taught the same way that we asked seeked and knock, yet we can subtley turn it into "us, me,myself,I" to get something not in Gods plan or our immeadiate timing for other desires, We ask and have not because we ask amiss, according to the lusts of our flesh(paraphased), it dawned on me that maybe i was looking at the scripture the wrong way and make it all about Jesus, as we should with everything else yet we can struggle at times in doing just that in itself, to ask for more of Him in my life, seek more of Him and knock each and every day and persistant and relentless as the widow felt cheated in her life.(my walk with Him has changed to being even more closer than before)
the enemy come but to kill steal and destroyed which he already had over us from the start when we were born, into sin, killed my perfect relationship with God, stole my freely given inherintance from God and destroyed the assurance harmony peace and joy God intended for me since creation.

Now when the Father in heaven gives the good gifts to His children that ask, seek and knock, well just how much is He willing to give then.

His only begotten Son, Jesus who has redeemed us by His blood shed of the curse of sin, reconcilled us to our Father and sealed us by His Holy Spirit. How much more is given when its all about Christ Jesus, being made into His perfect image hidden in Him
Heaven on earth? His will be done?

if im off track, sorry, with love:)
 
M

mpaper345

Banned
#7
Feb 9, 2010
2,486
39
0
#7
God said He will supply all our needs if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
The Bible says that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much.
When we confess Christ we should always strive for righteousness and mean it.If we do not strive for righteousness our prayers will not be answered and our needs will not be met by God.
The reason I say this is because if we are not willing ourselves to seek righteousness at least we can seek righteousness in our life for other people because our prayers would be hindered if we do not seek righteousness.
That means people we love God would not heal them or bless them because our prayers would be hindered if we do not seek righteousness.We should clean up our act for the sake of our loved ones although we should seek righteousness for ourselves.
I know people who claim Christ but do not seek righteousness although they have toned it down a bit.

God said some people pray amiss because they pray to heap it upon their lusts.

Matt
 
T

Thaddaeus

Banned
#8
Jan 31, 2009
2,225
11
0
#8
someone has taken part of scripture and tried to tear it down, did they also tell that scriptures says that God will turn His face from them that do evil, so do we know that the ones that were praying lined up/righteous themselves,

1pe 3:12For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
 
HolyTriX

HolyTriX

Member
#9
Feb 24, 2010
99
0
6
#9
Testing prayer..

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test. -Matthew 4:7
We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. -Corinth 10:9

The fact that they are trying to figure out how god works is pointless. His ways are above our ways. His mind above ours.

Proverbs 3:5-6 <-- Memorize that!

Trust/Acknowledge/PUT him above ALL things & he will show you the correct ways. He Is the Way, He IS the truth, He IS the Light. Trust truth, Lean his Way, & let him guide you with his light. & You will be kept safe for eternity.

God Bless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.