Does prayer work?

[Lady Brave]

Originally Posted by jsarno

I don't mean to poo on your good experience of prayer, but she obviously didn't know that it was almost full, so how is this a work of prayer?

I have had quite a few major disappointments when it comes to prayer, and here are the biggest three on my mind right now:
1- I was abused by my father from when I was 2 til when I knocked his teeth out when I was 17. He would beat on me for YEARS. I prayed and prayed that it would stop, and it never did. It was not until I got violent that it stopped, then he just took it out on my sister and mother.
2- Jan. 30th, 2004 my daughter died after birth. I knew of the complications, and I prayed for several months before this incident, and I was convinced that everything would be fine. Well, it wasn't fine, not only did I lose my daughter, I almost lost my wife and she can't have children now and will forever take medication from the complications of birth.
3- I prayed before I quit my last job that He would take care of me and help me find something. I trusted in Him. I beleived that he would help me find employment and I had faith. It's been several months now, and I felt he was showing me a path to Denver...even travelled up there, spent several hundred dollars that I didn't have, and nothing has come out of it. I just had to borrow money (cc's) to make ends meet for another month. Where is He? I gotta say, my faith in prayer is not shaken, it's just about gone. What's the point of prayer if He won't be there to help?

She measured it before the guy came out. There was only two inches of oil in the bottom of the tank. No one knew about our situation, so no one else would have had it filled for us. I know my dad didn't do it for her, considering he told my mom he would enjoy watching her fall flat on her face after he left.

We all have hardships in our life. We're all tested. I don't know why God answers some prayers and not others. I do know that God is there and He never moves away from us. We move away from Him. Maybe it's because there are other things in our life that we haven't completely surrendered to Him. I don't have all the answers, but I do know that I have grown more as a christian and learned more about myself when I have gone through difficulties in my life.