On Prayer

This picture from Catholic Meme's started this fictional conversation. I've had bits and pieces spread out in real conversations, so here it is all condensed into the fictional character Jill. 

Me:...and that's why I think that's a bad idea. 

Jill: You should pray about it, bro. I did. 

M: What do you mean you prayed about it?

J: LOL! Don't you pray?

M: I do. But I think you revealed that you and I don't have the same understanding of prayer. So, what do you mean you "prayed" about it. How do you "pray about" something?

J: For example, when I pray, I feel God tugging me to do something. Like when I pray about sharing, I feel God pushing to go sharing my faith. Or if I want a job, I pray about it, and wait to see what God has to say.

M: So you mean to say that when you pray, you actually expect a response?

J: I do! Don't you?

M: No, I don't.

J: Hmm...bro, what was your relationship with your dad like? I know you're a former atheist. Maybe the two are connected. Maybe you don't pray because you don't know your dad.

M: Okay, that could certainly possible, and totally random, but what my praying habits isn't what I want to focus on at the moment. If you say you are getting revelation from God, that might be more important than my lack of prayer! Now, what kind of responses are you getting? Are you hearing voices?

J: No, I just feel his presence.

M: You feel it?

J: Yes.

M: Hm.

J: Problem?

M: Yes. Do you think that when you pray, most of your prayers happen to be coincident with your previously held wishes or desires, even if they were just an ember in your heart?

J: I wouldn't know. I don't keep track of these things.

M: Well, some people do. They keep prayer journals and I've heard many stories about how they look back and they believe that God answered these prayers. I think these sort of things assume a very wrong view of prayer. But let’s just take this case that we were just talking about. You wanted to move away. I thought that was a bad idea. Do you think it merits suspicion that what you felt so strongly about you also believe God answered you the same thing in your prayer?

J: I suppose it does. But all that shows is that I could be mistaken, not that I actually am.

M: True enough. But I’m trying to push an argument of probabilities. It’s inductive.

J: So what exactly is wrong with the stories you hear about answered prayer?

M: Well, have you ever heard the common phrases that "God did or did not answer my prayer"?

J: All the time.

M: Yeah, I think that’s wrong. For example, if I “prayed” for a billion dollars and did not get it, I know many people would say that God did not answer my prayer. But this would be incorrect. Maybe God did answer, but he didn’t answer it in the way I would have liked. Maybe instead of answering Yes, he answered No.

J: I see your point.

M: But do you see the danger of this mindset? What ends up happening is, they will only accept a God that will answer the way they want, that conforms to their will. They won’t accept a God whom actively opposes them. I submit to you that such a mentality encourages worship, not of God, but of the self. It’s projection. They want God to be made in their image, not the other way around.

J: Still, proposing this as a possibility doesn’t mean I’m actually doing that.

M: Maybe, maybe not. But I think you do share something in common with these people, and that is, you judge a response from God as a feeling. But scripture says that the heart is deceiving, and rhetorically asks who can understand it. If you just “feel” that God is telling you to get away, then I think you should reconsider. While it could be that you aren’t going as far as other people, I do think that what you have isn’t good enough to safely say God spoke to you and then use that as a basis for your actions.

J: Well, I would keep praying about it, but I’m not sure if I should anymore. What then, is prayer?

M: I think prayer is just communication with God.

J: Isn’t that what I was doing?

M: I think it’s a one way street. I think it is our communication to God, but not really God’s communication to us.

J: I really think your relationship with your dad is relevant.

M: Nope. It ain't. When you look at the New Testament, it doesn’t seem like God really communicates through prayer in the way you thought. Please, show me where it’s normative for God to do that. When Jesus tells us to pray, there is no indication to receive a response of the kind you speak of. We expect actions or non-actions playing out in our lives, which he already knows and plans ad part of His divine providence (Molinism!). When God communicates, it’s pretty obvious to the individual that they came in contact with the Deity or with another divine being. It’s never a merely subjective experience with no clear presence. When they wanted to confirm revelation, they tested it against what was clearly revelation, like the Berean’s testing Paul’s message against already confirmed revelation, the Old Testament.

J: And is me moving away contrary to scripture?

M: Well, revelation, not just scripture. I’m not one of those Sola Scriptura people. But even if I was, my answer is still yes. It is. But I suppose that’s another conversation.