John Piper - Prayer Causes Things to Happen

[NekoNickKun]

Two hands working are better than a million clapped in prayer.

[tumamacantaybaila]

Your brain needs a tune-up.

[StrumstickJoe]

When I ask a christian if all cancers in the world could be cured with a prayer, he shuffles uneasily; he steals a glance into the empty sack of his faith as if to try to find something, then he begins, not to say that his faith has collapsed, or that he is sorry, but to claim that god moves in ways that cannot be understood by humans - an explanation that could answer any situation; for if I ask him why the cancer is there in the first place – lo! - the same answer!

[yapperdapperdoo]

Yes Jesus, Lord call us to call out to you.

But then I ask, what about the unanswered prayers.

I must be a collosal fool.

[guitarfreak1126]

@yapperdapperdoo, I believe you're implying that unanswered prayers are a bad thing. I don't believe unanswered prayers are a negative. God, understanding that answering our prayer would show Himself less glory than NOT answering our prayer, just (1) chooses the option in which He gets more glory,

[guitarfreak1126]

and (2) gives us that moment of disappointment in which our prayer doesn't get answered to bring to realization something that we didn't previously know. This, in turn, could boost our spiritual lives and bring us closer to him; resulting in Him being shown more glory that He deserves.

[guitarfreak1126]

@yapperdapperdoo, I say this to you out of love and not of wanting to prove you wrong. I don't mean to stir anything up, I just think that, by your comment, your interpretation of an unanswered prayer was not correct.

[yapperdapperdoo]

Yes Jesus, Lord call us to call out to you.

[Cashmoneyallstars]

Now that is some good theology right there. wow. I got my dosage of conviction for the week.

[kairo714]

See, if God is Sovereign over everything, then of course your prayers do make a difference because, by definition, your prayers being part of God's sovereignty are involved!

[mechanicalbu11]

now i know why satan and his fallen angles hate us so mush, WE will judge angles. that is a good punishment i think due to the evil they have caused us and is absolutely brilliant of God to decide that we should judge them the fallen angles.

[MsLuzhelena]

thank you, i believe, prayer is so important and powerful. God bless you. L.O.V.E.

[MyKingUponZion]

Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 17:21

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

[ndanatswa]

amen! prayer is so important

[737flyhigh]

Good word thank you ,i believe it .acted on it and Jesus brought to pass the exactly what i need to go foward in the fathers plan for my life in Him .

[effyleven]

Prayer has been tested very thoroughly in double blind trials, and it comprehensively failed to have any effect whatsoever. Indeed, of all the things we can be utterly sure of, the fact that praying is futile is top of the list.....

... and shouting out loud from the pulpit doesn't change that, Mister.

[someleili]

it really is a glorious previlage. Breathtaking.God is ... wow.

[klangsteiner]

This contention (prayer causes things to happen that wouldn't happen if one didn't pray) places the "infinite god" inside the finite universe of time and space and makes his actions subject to the laws of time, space, and causality.

[Anakrino]

I don't think that is Piper's point. He is demonstrating how wonderful it is that God allows the prayer, which he already knows will be prayed, as a tool to accomplish His will. While these things would not have happened had the prayer not occurred, the prayer could not have not occurred because God has both ordained it and used it as a tool to cause whatever His will is to come to pass.

[klangsteiner]

What sort of garbled thought pattern could possibly come up with such a twisted idea? That is rationalization taken past insanity.

[Anakrino]

You must be right. It is insanity and prayer accomplishes nothing. It is just "magic." Or perhaps, God is sovereign and He chooses that which shall come to pass as well as the means by which it does (prayer in the case of Piper's point). No one is claiming a word faith understanding of prayer here.

[klangsteiner]

god and magic are the same thing, totally imaginary.

[elvish85]

this guy is really steppin on my nuts, he's annoying as fuk.

i DID NOT pray for a snowboard, but i got one from my parents.

this fuk nut is saying for me to have gotten the snowboard i had to have prayed.. fuuukkkk offff.

[Anakrino]

No he's not. That would only make sense if your parents were God. Bad analogy.

[nielsjoklein]

The harder people scream, the more I start to have doubt. I mean, if it works so well for you, why do you need all this theatre? Just show the world how happy your convictions have made you! Happiness is much more convincing than this kind of proclaiming. Are you trying to scare people into believing what you believe? If your information would really convince other people, nobody would think differently, because everybody has heard this kind of bull before. So stop it, it's useless!

[MarylandJuly89]

it depends, do those who scream have the right to have their prayer answered? the bible says those who practice lawlessness(sin), despite their belief in Jesus, will not be answered. so the people your mention now, what category are they in ?

[x3brian187]

wow the world is fucked, there saying everything backwards and religion is taking effect. so a person that we think is real that has powers can help us when that god or super human is dead or in heaven or some how beside us is helping, so if im dieing i just pray and let that god do the work while i wait, why not i help my self and try to help my self to stay alive for another day or even years i try to help my body everyday and its hard work

[x3brian187]

.....then just pray and wait that will make me die faster cuz im getting help from a god that i never seen him in my life time or anyone in the past 1000 years. a child has a deadly disease and prays god and actually heals whos the one u heals them a rich hospital or a poor hobo

[silvercade]

Can anyone say crackpot? He's completely delusional it's almost funny. What a loser at life.

[snurplebeans]

Okay, I wanted to avoid commenting because I hate getting caught up in petty youtube comment-debates. But on almost EVERY video presenting a man speaking about God, and speaking the true word of god, why are so many athiests, unbelievers, skeptics, coming around obviously desperate for a challenge? If you don't believe, why are you watching?

Stop trying to debunk every human's statements about God, and cry out to God himself. If he doesn't exist, no harm done....right?

[yeewooihan]

snurplebeans, The Christian belief is based on the words of God which Christians believed contain the absolute moral standard/practice required by the Creator for His creation. No body can change or alter any of words no matter how convincing or reasonable the world humanistic views may be present. The Christians knew very well that Bible has the only correct and authority words of God, and therefore we do not need all these argument, debate, ridicules, potshots throwing at each other

[yeewooihan]

foul & cursing statement from the atheists, humanists, skeptics, Darwinists, etc. If they visit the video clip and comment, if needed, just plainly explain the salvation plan.

However if we continue it will normarly lead to nonsensical, meaningless, cursing and foul argument and may end up with hatred in the heart of either party. I have seen enough of all these. I believe if we have done whatever we need to say then we should stop no matter if the either party continues to converse and

[yeewooihan]

foul & cursing statement from the atheists, humanists, skeptics, Darwinists, etc. If they visit the video clip and comment, if needed, just plainly explain the salvation plan.

However if we continue it will normarly lead to nonsensical, meaningless, cursing and foul argument and may end up with hatred in the heart of either party. I have seen enough of all these. I believe if we have done whatever we need to say then we should stop no matter if the either party continues to converse and

[yeewooihan]

and make further ridicules in the comment. No point to engage. Save you time and energy for your other more useful activities.

But it will not be the same for them, they got all their beliefs, understandings, concepts, etc from school texts, school lecturers, friends, obscured science writers, even scientific finding reports which normally uses incorrect or half truth presupposition in the their experiments, or even from Dawkins, Sam Harris or Darwin whose teachings of which some have been

[yeewooihan]

erratic, debunked or outright ridiculous. Therefore it is obvious that the belief based on foundations of evolution, Abiogenesis and Big Bang is not solidly grounded.

As a result you will always see that these bunch of Atheists, Humanists, Skeptics they have to resort to belittle others in order to look good for himself, if not they will try all types of villainous attack, foul curses, personal defamation in order to intimate others and create hatred in order to make themselves look better,

[yeewooihan]

indirectly as a result, we could end up counter reply and react in the same manner as them.

I believe as a Christian, we will not need to fight out the issues vehemently since God will finally vindicate and be the Final Judge. I will leave it to Him. I hope by then it will not be too late.

[snurplebeans]

:-)

Sorry, I just got out of bed and can't think straight... but wanted to acknowledge that I read your comments.

Thanks for sharing some good points.

[yeewooihan]

snurplebeans, It is good to see you making your stand before you get too entangle with them, even before all the pointless accusation started. Do Canadians celebrate thankgiving day? Anyway to a Christian everyday is a thanksgiving day since God is a Good Father who give good gifts to His children. Happy Thankgiving day!!!!!! God bless you.

[Tobytrim]

The delusion continues ........and gets shouted ever louder.......

[b533419]

Mr.Piper, do you think that nobody has prayed for the starving of the world? Do you believe that parents haven't prayed for food for their children? Where is the love of your compassionate God in these situations?

I really don't expect an answer, but if you really want to preach you should make your 'logic' understandable to the unconverted.

[me2cool8]

its like that because they are neglect to themselves its there own faults, god is always trying to help.

[b533419]

Do you know anything about world economics and why entire nations starve? You think it is the poor of the world that are to blame for it?

[benitosuave]

This is amazing, especially from a calvinist!

[damildlyshreddah]

This series is great!