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I know a lot of you pray a lot. Jesus will fix it. As I said before, show me a church that prays and people live longer than the national average and I'm joining the next day. But we all know that won't happen. Sorry.




John,
there are a lot of different CHristian denominations, and not all of them believe in divine intervention /healing in this life. I'm kind of like you.. show me the church full of old people who never died, and then I'll believe that way. But there remains a 100% mortality rate. Based on that, my conclusion is that God makes no PROMISE to intervene in the way we would like to see intervention. But the bible DOES say to pray :
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Phillippians 4: 6

I see prayer not as being a vehicle for me to boss God around, but rather as a vehicle for surrendering my will to His. The rest of the passage I quoted above continues as follows:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The function of prayer is peace and surrender. I would bet that not everybody here sees it that way, but I lay that on the table because it isn't that much different from what you already believe. I dare say, it is downright compatible.