![]() ![]() So why do we pray for others who are suffering? We pray for the suffering because the Bible tells us that God can offer comfort, peace, and healing. Especially in times of trouble Christians are instructed to pray, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) In prayer we can come before God with our praise, thanksgiving, and burdens. God in His grace has given all of humanity the opportunity to come before Him in prayer. Prayer is about aligning our will with God’s, not about trying to force God to submit to our will. In fact several times throughout the New Testament we find Jesus and His disciples criticizing people for using prayer as a means to puff themselves up or satisfy a selfish desire. God is not a genie in our service to grant us every wish. It has to be stated that the Bible does not describe prayer as a tool wielded by the righteous to bribe or manipulate the action of God. ![]() The primary difference between thought and prayer in the Christian worldview is that prayer is a communal activity involving the person praying and God, while thought is an internal activity only in the mind of the thinker. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells Christians to “pray continually”. Looking at the Scriptures we are repeatedly instructed to pray. The second part, “sending prayers” is a foundational belief in Christianity and a common practice among followers of Jesus Christ. Our thoughts have the ability to transform our lives so that we can become the type of people who can give aid and love to someone who is suffering. We are instructed to think godly thoughts in order that we can produce godly actions. We are not called to “send” positive thoughts to people who are suffering. Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” What we think about matters and has the power to influence the way we interact in the world. Matthew 15:19 says,ġ9 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.Įvil desires lead to evil thoughts and evil thoughts manifest into evil actions. That being said, thoughts do have a significant ability to influence the actions and behaviors of the thinker. The Bible does not say we can send positive or negative energy or that our thoughts can cover a suffering person with a telepathic feeling of peace. Nowhere in the Scriptures do thoughts have power outside of the life of the thinker. To begin with, I want to examine the statement “sending thoughts and prayers.” The first part “sending thoughts” is an idea that is foreign from the Christian faith. As Christians we need to take criticisms like this seriously and honestly evaluate the phrase, “sending thoughts and prayers.” Should Christians use this phrase and if so what are the dangers we should be aware of? In fact several others echoed Donnie’s concern in the same conversation thread. “It totally replaces any practical help and amounts exactly to doing nothing.”ĭonnie is not the only one who feels this way. ![]() And, why the believer wouldn’t say, ‘Fasting and praying about you’? This at least would involve action on the side of the ‘well-wisher’.” “Because, this is derived of any factual help and only strengthens the faith of the ‘well-wisher’ who believes they can ‘poke’ their deity because of the special position they have (‘In touch with the creator of the Universe’) without a shred of evidence that their religious ‘abilities’ are any real. When I asked why it was so upsetting he responded, “I can reveal what expression p***** off many atheists ‘sending thoughts and prayers” One of the comments that stuck out to me was by a man named Donnie. I received many great and insightful responses. Although at its face this phrase seems innocent, it recently has caused some people to express their outrage at the comment.Ī few weeks ago I posted on a Facebook group asking Atheists how they respond to someone who is going through intense suffering. ![]() A phrase that many people throw around without thinking. “Sending thoughts and prayers.” If you are on social media or watch the news you almost certainly have seen this phrase. ![]()
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