I was reading an article a few weeks ago that begins like this: “Keep your thoughts and prayers to yourself.” When I read that article we were only one day removed from the mass killing in Las Vegas, so emotions were running high, the country was in mourning, I know, but, why was it okay to attack prayer?  Some people even equated praying with “doing nothing.” Senator Gillibrand was tweeting things like “prayers are simply not enough.” It’s becoming easier to see that society does not place any value on prayer, because society doesn’t place any value on God. It’s a conclusion I arrive at continually, whenever I watch TV, or listen to the radio, or walk up the block, or hear people speak… It reminds me that I’m a foreigner, not of this world. My “citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil. 3:20) 

22 thoughts on “On “Thoughts & Prayers””

  2. Very perceptive and well written. People find it easiest to blame God rather than the root cause. As a convicted felon myself, I know the reality of how all the good I have done means nothing. People feel that way about me, and they feel that way about God. May God bless you my friend.

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  3. Well written. Agreed! Imagine how worse the world would be without prayers raised to the Creator. God may just take our prayers and mold them into ideas of love and service in the hearts of others.
    Pray On!

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  4. I truly believe that we have turned away from our faith, or never really established it to begin with. I believe it is okay to pray, more than okay, I know only God can lift the tragedies away. I believe some of the individuals are saying that God gave us responsibility to do more than just pray. I believe prayer is for guidance or release that will lead to action. Many of the people that can do something, doesn’t want to change that make the situation small by offering just a prayer, instead of the mind & creativity God gave them. If you only have prayer then offer it because it is more than enough, but if you have power to change the direction of course, then, seek guidance through prayer, and be ready to take action when the time comes.

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    1. Hello. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I am always thankful when anyone reads anything I write.
      I wrote this piece in response to people mounting what I viewed as this all-out assault on prayer. Prayer has never harmed anyone, but it comes under attack quite frequently, even though the bible tells us to pray about everything. Let’s look at His word:

      EPHESIANS 6:18, And pray in the spirit on ALL OCCASIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and ALWAYS keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

      Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERY situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

      John 14:13-14, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

      Matthew 17:19-20, Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it (the demon) out?” Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

      There are 2 questions every person must, at some point, ask themselves:
      1)Do I believe in God and Jesus Christ?
      2)Do I believe that the Holy Bible is God’s true word?

      Your answers to these questions will determine how you feel about the topic of prayer. Everyone is free to feel the way they feel about prayer and God and Jesus. I respect everyone’s opinion but, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (JOSHUA 24:15). I believe what the bible says about prayer. I believe that God is enough. So many people have gotten to the point where their faith is in their own abilities, not in God’s ability. Each person has become his or her own god, no longer in need of the Almighty God.
      These are just my personal beliefs that I wanted to share with you, in response to your comment. Again, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
      Much love to you and yours.
      God bless.

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  6. St. Ignatius of Loyola has given us this dictum: “We should work hard as if everything depended on us; we should pray hard as if everything depended on God.” Perhaps the good senator implied that we are called to collaborate with God in making our world a better place to live in. Much good triumphed over the evil incident in Las Vegas. Many people risked their lives to help the fallen and save others instead of fleeing for their own safety. Charity and divine grace mastered their natural survival instinct. St. Paul also taught that we must place the interests of others before our own interests. Occasionally, God does provide the opportunities in mysterious ways.

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    1. Hello. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I am always thankful when anyone reads anything I write.
      I wrote this piece in response to people mounting what I viewed as this all-out assault on prayer. Prayer has never harmed anyone, but it comes under attack quite frequently, even though the bible tells us to pray about everything. Let’s look at His word:

      EPHESIANS 6:18, And pray in the spirit on ALL OCCASIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and ALWAYS keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

      Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERY situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

      John 14:13-14, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

      Matthew 17:19-20, Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it (the demon) out?” Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

      There are 2 questions every person must, at some point, ask themselves:
      1)Do I believe in God and Jesus Christ?
      2)Do I believe that the Holy Bible is God’s true word?

      Your answers to these questions will determine how you feel about the topic of prayer. Everyone is free to feel the way they feel about prayer and God and Jesus. I respect everyone’s opinion but, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (JOSHUA 24:15). I believe what the bible says about prayer. I believe that God is enough. So many people have gotten to the point where their faith is in their own abilities, not in God’s ability. Each person has become his or her own god, no longer in need of the Almighty God.
      These are just my personal beliefs that I wanted to share with you, in response to your comment. Again, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
      Much love to you and yours.
      God bless.

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      1. Thank you for taking the time to craft such a lengthy reply, and one that was not confrontational. All too often I’ve found on the ‘net that differences of opinion do not engender discussion, only acrimony.

        I’ll just reiterate, albeit in slightly different terms, what I was getting at in my first reply. “Thoughts and prayers” are fine, for those who believe. And I say that as an atheist. I respect everyone’s chosen path, if it works for them and as long as it doesn’t encroach on the path of others. So those who want to pray SHOULD pray, unhindered and without reservation.

        My concern is that thoughts and prayers are not, have not, proven to be enough. Things which could be rectified are not being rectified because of inaction. Again, thoughts and prayers are fine. But they’re not action.

        All the best to you, and thank you again for the evenness of your response.

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      2. Faith isn’t only about believing, but also just as importantly about doing. And what we do should be in the name of the Lord as his “fellow workers” (1 Cor 3:15). True faith is faith put into action. A saving faith is one informed by charity and grace. James tells us in his Epistle that it isn’t enough to feel compassion for the naked and the hungry. Nor is it enough to just pray to the Father that He clothe the naked and feed the hungry. We ourselves are expected to do the clothing and the feeding with Him for His sake above all else, if we truly love Him. The amount of love we show for our neighbour is the measure of love we have for God. John teaches us this in his First Epistle. We shall all be judged for our deeds. However, we should always pray before we act that God gives us the fortitude and moral courage to act in His name and accomplish what He wills and expects of us. And what God doesn’t expect us to do is sit back and hope that miracles happen. This isn’t how divine providence works.

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    2. Hello and good morning. I finally have a chance to respond to your other post. I agree with you, we must actively extend our hands to assist anybody who needs help, but that goes without saying, if one is a Christian, right? Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself and, if you do this, you will naturally, automatically, keep all the other commandments. Plus, I’m familiar with James 2:14-17, which reads as follows:

      “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but no deeds? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food. If one says to him, “Go, I wish you well; Keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

      When I wrote this post, it was because I saw people attacking prayer from many angles, as if prayer was the culprit, as if prayer had somehow harmed them, as if praying is a negative act. There is no person that will ever convince me that prayer does not and cannot produce beneficial, helpful, noticeable results. I go back to Matthew 17:20 which states that with enough faith you can speak things into existence. This isn’t an excuse for inactivity because, as I said earlier, I understand that the bible instructs us to help those in need, but it is an opportunity for me to remind people to remember all of God’s word, not just a portion of it. We must act, of course, but we must also pray and believe in the effectiveness of our prayers. We must know that God hears and listens to our prayers, because it says it in the bible. We must pray and believe that our prayers have already been answered, because it says it in the bible. Who is the Christian who only believes in a portion of Christ’s teachings? Is it the Christian who says, “I believe Jesus when he says this, but not when he says that?” Society has people living out their favorite bible verses while dispensing with all the others.

      Thank you. I am enjoying this biblically based chat. I appreciate any time I get to engage in conversation about God and God’s word. Please, continue to share your understanding of scripture with me.
      Much love, and God bless you.

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  7. I agree that society has pulled away from its roots in faith and religion, but I also find myself agreeing with the senator you quoted. I don’t know anything about his politics (I’m a Canadian) but I do think that prayers aren’t enough sometimes. God calls us to be active in our faith, and I think that applies to life as well. Prayer and faith should be the foundation, but we also need to be active – promoting better programs for the mentally ill, offering support and help to those who need it, rehab and counselling for those recovering from traumas so that they not only survive it but also thrive in life after. But the base should always be prayer – for guidance and support and resources and (maybe the most important) understanding and compassion.

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  8. I enjoyed your piece, but I have to say I take a slightly different tact. “Thoughts and prayers” may indeed provide some succor to those saying it and those hearing it. The problem, as many people such as myself see it, is that that’s often the only solution offered. When an issue – any issue – repeats itself, and causes great harm each time it does, steadfast refusal to discuss the root cause(s) of the problem and enact potentially beneficial changes guarantees the cycle will continue. Platitudes without action will only insure that more platitudes will be needed in the future.

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    1. Hello. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I am always thankful when anyone reads anything I write.
      I wrote this piece in response to people mounting what I viewed as this all-out assault on prayer. Prayer has never harmed anyone, but it comes under attack quite frequently, even though the bible tells us to pray about everything. Let’s look at His word:

      EPHESIANS 6:18, And pray in the spirit on ALL OCCASIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and ALWAYS keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

      Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERY situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

      John 14:13-14, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

      Matthew 17:19-20, Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it (the demon) out?” Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

      There are 2 questions every person must, at some point, ask themselves:
      1)Do I believe in God and Jesus Christ?
      2)Do I believe that the Holy Bible is God’s true word?

      Your answers to these questions will determine how you feel about the topic of prayer. Everyone is free to feel the way they feel about prayer and God and Jesus. I respect everyone’s opinion but, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (JOSHUA 24:15). I believe what the bible says about prayer. I believe that God is enough. So many people have gotten to the point where their faith is in their own abilities, not in God’s ability. Each person has become his or her own god, no longer in need of the Almighty God.
      These are just my personal beliefs that I wanted to share with you, in response to your comment. Again, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
      Much love to you and yours.
      God bless.

      Like

      Reply

  9. I stopped watching TV over 10 years ago, movies over 20 and music in the 90’s. I don’t track most anniversaries of things, or label much.

    I write this repeatedly, but not anyone here reads what I write. My mother is Korean and lived through WWII and the Korean War. She attributes her FREEDOM first to Almighty God, then the United States (i.e. combat soldiers, Military, Veterans, etc.). She made a comment to me, that by removing the Ten Commandments from schools, children no longer know the value of basic Biblical structures and law to give an awareness.

    Parents certainly aren’t doing their part. Right?

    It made me stop and think. I took it all for granted, but she grew up with COMMUNISM. There’s a method behind what they do and how they operate.

    Good point, John. It takes me back to the thing I wrote on Paul Harvey . . . . There is NO turning back! It’s in video #2.

    Good day!

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    1. The Ten Commandments have been given to all humanity, not only to the Jews. So keeping the Ten Commandments in the classroom or any other public place isn’t catering to a particular religion. The only people who oppose the Ten Commandments from being publicly displayed are atheists, Their sinister agenda isn’t merely trying to keep the Church separate from the state, but rather keeping the idea of God out of the state. But they’ll never succeed in keeping God out of the hearts and minds of the faithful. These people are nihilists and make up the culture of death which is threatening the spirituality and moral fabric of the country. They are the seed of the Serpent, our adversary and enemy of God.

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      1. Thank you. We said it in two different ways. I’m viewing life from being reared by my Korean mother and it changes my search on everything. I hope that makes better sense, so few can comprehend such a life.

        We agree. I merely speak differently.

        Evil is evil.

        Have a really nice day!

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  10. I’m reminded of the allegory of the sole survivor of a sunken ship who is clinging to a wooden beam in the middle of the ocean. He prays to God that He will save him from drowning, Soon after a freighter passes by and the crew offer to rescue him, but he refuses their help because he trusts God will save him. An hour later another ship passes by, and the man tells the crew the same thing. Hours after having refused to be rescued by the third ship that passed by, the man drowned and went to Heaven. The first thing he asked God was why He hadn’t answered his prayers. After all, he did put his faith in Him. God replied: “I sent you three ships, but you refused to climb aboard.”

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    1. I remember when I first heard this, many years ago, when I was still inside actually. My cellmate told it as if he were telling a joke, and it sounded rather funny, at the time. Now? Not so much, i mean, you know, it’s unfortunate that so many will miss that boat.

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  13. Indeed. I suppose if someone is coming from a point of view that there isn’t a God then yes, prayer would appear absurd. As a believer myself I can at least understand that perspective. Why is it that we are not afforded the same understanding though? A more appropriate response instead of “Keep your thoughts and prayers to yourself” would be “I appreciate the thought, and I am grateful you are doing what you believe works in order to change the world.”

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