The logic of prayer

Fallen Seraph

I'm not entirely sure about the church's current stance on the subject, but isn't God supposed to be omnipotent and omniscient? If he is, then (with the exception of praying for the souls of those in purgatory) isn't praying heretical? By praying to God you're asking him to do something, but since he's omniscient he already knows about it and since he's omnipotent it's already going to happen the way that he wants it to, so by suggesting to him to do it your way you are saying that you know better than God? Or even if you're just pleading with him for something, isn't it futile if he knows all and everything happens the way he wills it?

archdukefranz

Its important for there to be a relationship between humans and God that we talk to him

juddd

I think that praying to God, is meant to allow you to have a personal relationship with God and to invite God into your heart and soul, it is not solely to ask for things, from what I can gather, hence free will.
Prayer is also another form of meditation, which can ease you of your burdens and bring light into your very being.
I think of it as a direct line to the creator of all things.
Thats my take on it anyway, and God knows I never pray for anything.

BrianCalgary

Fallen Seraph wrote:

I'm not entirely sure about the church's current stance on the subject, but isn't God supposed to be omnipotent and omniscient?

Yes He is and He knows ahead of time.

Fallen Seraph wrote:

By praying to God you're asking him to do something, but since he's omniscient he already knows about it and since he's omnipotent it's already going to happen the way that he wants it to, so by suggesting to him to do it your way you are saying that you know better than God? Or even if you're just pleading with him for something, isn't it futile if he knows all and everything happens the way he wills it?

This is why I love having kids, it helps me understand God. I know my kids, their wants and their desires and their needs.
I know that my son will always have an ice cream float. If I were just to bring him one he would be well pleased. But, we need to communicate, so guess what, he has to ask. I know he will ask, and I know what the answer will be before he asks, sometimes he knows the answer to, but he asks anyway, just in case.
In this case I'm omnipotent. My son and I communicate, it builds our relationship. He gets his ice cream float after supper before 8:00pm on weekdays and during the days well before dinner on weekends. I don't want him to spoil his dinner and the caffeine kills his sleep. When he was 5 he didn't understand those two truths. Now he's 13 he understands those truths of dinner and sleep that he knows when to ask when the odds are good that he gets a yes. He has learned that because we communicate.

In the same way when you communicate with God, you learn truths about what is good and not good, when it is good and not good and best of all how you can serve God to get the most out of life.

Puck

Communication is essential for any relationship. You don't have to tell God anything - He already knows - but it is good to talk. This is good because you don't have to worry so much about the words you use. You don't even have to use words. I even use my guitar sometimes, I'm not sure if that qualifies as prayer in everyone's book but it does in mine and it works for me.