I have a question about prayer.\u00a0 I understand that the Bible states that when we pray, we are to let our requests to God be given in faith,\u00a0 believing that we will receive. So if I pray that God will help me through a difficult time or give me the strength to overcome some weakness, I need to pray with the belief that he will hear me and I will receive what I ask for, so long as it is His will.\u00a0 What I have trouble understanding, however, is this:\u00a0 Suppose I have a friend who is dying with cancer and I want to pray to God to heal him.\u00a0 How can I pray, believing I will receive, if I am not sure that it is God’s will that he be healed?\u00a0 I know that God has the power to heal, but I don’t know if he will choose to heal this person.\u00a0 So how can I obey this command to pray, believing that I will receive when I really don’t know if I will get what I am asking?\u00a0 I can’t know God’s will in every situation, so how can I pray with such full assurance that my prayers will be answered?\u00a0 I hope I am making sense. It is difficult to explain how I feel.<\/p>\n
Thank you so much for your time.<\/p>\n\t
You’re not the first or only person with such questions. There are a couple of articles which I would like you to read first which should take care of most, if not all, of your questions. See: “Unanswered Prayers<\/a>” and “Does God Answer Every Prayer?<\/a>“<\/p>\n The core problem is you are assuming that everything you ask for is best for you or those you are praying for. God answers our prayers, and we should act with faith that those prayers will be answered, but we should not be so arrogant as to think like the bratty child that everything I ask for I should get. Sometimes what we ask for isn’t best for us or for those we are praying for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: I have a question about prayer.\u00a0 I understand that the Bible states that when we pray, we are to let our requests to God be given in faith,\u00a0 believing that we will receive. So if I pray that God will help me through a difficult time or give me the strength to overcome some…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[1569,1510],"class_list":["post-19454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-doubts","tag-prayers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43134,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-god-heal-people-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":19454,"position":0},"title":"How does God heal people today?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How does God heal people now that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including healing are no longer given to people? I believe that God heals us still because He has healed me, but it wasn't instant like when the apostles healed. We pray for God to heal the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19463,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-answer-every-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":19454,"position":1},"title":"Does God Answer Every Prayer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes; Vol. 56, No. 3; Jan. 19, 2007. Question: \"I believe that when we pray for something, in faith, God will give it to us. If we are sick, we can pray and God will heal us. He is able to do all things. So,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/prayer-2-1-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13743,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/to-whom-should-we-pray\/","url_meta":{"origin":19454,"position":2},"title":"To whom should we pray?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: To whom should we pray? To the Father, or to the Son, or to the Holy Spirit, or to any of the three? Can we say \"you died for us\" during prayer? Answer: The majority of the prayers are directed to God in general or to God, the Father,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14448,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-i-pray-but-make-preparations-for-my-prayer-not-to-be-answered-is-that-a-lack-of-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":19454,"position":3},"title":"If I pray but make preparations for my prayer not to be answered, is that a lack of faith?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, First off, I want to thank you, and those who assist you, for your awesome website and the question and answer section. It's such a helpful resource for those who are studying God's word and looking for guidance. I have a question: I am currently going through a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35556,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-should-i-pray-for\/","url_meta":{"origin":19454,"position":4},"title":"What should I pray for?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am confused about praying. Say, for example, I really want to be signed up to a dance class, but I know the possibility of that happening is zero, or I want a job, do I pray to God and expect these things to happen eventually? I know you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37349,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-christian-believe-in-god-and-not-believe-in-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":19454,"position":5},"title":"Can a Christian believe in God and not believe in prayer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can a Christian believe in God but not believe in prayer? I'm a member of the church but I don't believe in prayer? How do I overcome that? Answer: Let's work backward. 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