A reader writes:
If everything that happens to us is by God's will or permission, then of what value are prayers that request things from God. For example, if a person is sick and you pray that they be healed, do our prayers really make a difference in the outcome of that person's final health? Can we really "change God's mind" about things?
I know that the Church, scripture, and the lives of the saints teach our prayers do make a difference, but I can't seem to get any light on how this might be the case.
Do you have any thoughts on this or books I might consult?
I don't have any books to recommend (though I'm sure there are some), but I can give you some thoughts.
The purpose of prayer is not to give God information or change his mind. He's already got all the information he needs, has no need to change his mind, and couldn't anyway since he's outside of time.
The real reason for prayer, therefore, is not for God's benefit but for ours.
How does this work?
Well, first off, when we pray for things we realize our dependence on God. It's too easy to forget that in the hustle and bustle of life. But when we turn to him to ask for something, we realize that we need him, that he is the source of all the good things we have, and that's important.
Second, we often pray for other people, and this builds up the Christian community--and the human family--in love. It fosters an attitude of mutual caring and concern. (This also extends to those in purgatory and heaven via prayer for the souls in purgatory and prayer to the saints in heaven.)
Third, by trying to figure out what to pray for, we exercise the intellects God gave us in a way that brings glory to God.
Fourth, when we succeed in figuring out what we should pray for then we in so doing align our intellects and wills with God's.
Fifth, when we fail in figuring out what we should pray for we may simply ask God to do what is best, thus confessing our own limitations and dependency on him.
Sixth, we are taught as Christians to ultimately subject our prayers to whether or not they are God's will (either by saying "If it is your will" or some equivalent or by leaving this condition unspoken), so even when we pray for the wrong thing we are conditioning our will to be subject to God's.
We thus see that prayer has a whole host of benefits, as it schools us in a variety of virtues, including humility, love, thoughtfulness, and holiness. Because of all these benefits that prayer has, God has chosen to make prayer effective.
That is to say, he has chosen that if we pray for certain things then he will grant the request. This is not changing his mind. (He knows from all eternity whether we will pray, leading to us getting what we're praying for.) It's triggering the condition on which he will grant certain boons to us.
Hope this helps!
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