Does Prayer Help?

What do you think about this question?

What I mean is, doesn’t God already know what will be? He is all-seeing and all-knowing.

So, when I pray, is it possible to change God’s decision? Let’s say that I have a family member that is sick. I pray and pray to God asking Him to heal my family member.
Will He, if I pray hard enough and long enough? Or, will He help us to understand why this family member must return home to Heaven?

As I have discussed this with some people in a Christian community, they helped me to gain better clarity on this important topic.

They unanimously agreed that Yes, prayer not only helps but is also key to having a relationship with God. The lesson that I learned from them is that God has a plan for this world, each animal, tree, insect, and of course each person.

When we pray to God about something that is going on in our life, we pray to seek ‘understanding’ of His plan and why things are as they are. So, that over time and through more prayer we will better understand the world that He has created.
Through prayer, we gain understanding by openly and actively communicating with God our Father. He is there to teach and guide us on His plan for us. He has a plan for you and you need to know it and how to follow it.

How do you follow His plan?

Pray for understanding why different things in life occur. If you have a sick family member, rather than only praying for a miracle, you should also pray for understanding of the situation and plan. So that if it is His plan to take your loved one, you will not only understand this, but you can do more to enjoy the time that you have together before they return home.

Prayer is something Holy and extremely special.

Prayer is our way of communicating with God our Father who is in Heaven and within us.
I think that it can be challenging to pray to God and not ask for things.
Because as humans, we feel more reassured that we are being heard if we say it out loud rather than trusting that God knows what we need.

As it says in Matthew Chapter 6
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

I think that is an important lesson for all of us and I ask that you reflect on this as I have and will.
Thank you for reading this and I hope it was helpful for you.
Thank you to everyone who gave me such great wisdom and support on this topic!

-Adam