Americans pray for their friends, families, and sometimes their enemies.
They ask for divine help in times of trouble but rarely praise God’s greatness. And they seldom add politicians, nonbelievers, or even their favorite sports team to their prayer lists, according to a new survey from Nashville-based Lifeway Research.
“Most people pray when they need the red phone for help,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of Lifeway Research. “But their prayer life isn’t a habit rooted in a relationship with God.
The online survey, conducted Aug.7, 2014, asked 1,137 Americans about the frequency and content of their prayers.
For the entire story from Facts & Trends senior writer Bob Smietana, go to the Lifeway Research blog.
Christianity Today also reported on the survey.
When God answers prayer, he tends to do it in the South.
At least, so say Americans who participated in a new poll from Lifeway Research sponsored by popular pastor and author Max Lucado. Southerners (31 percent) are twice as likely as Northeasterners (15 percent) to say all of their prayers have been answered. African Americans (38 percent) also have a greater propensity to say this than whites (22 percent) and Asian Americans (19 percent).
Overall, one in four Americans report that God answers all their prayers, while eight in 10 say at least some of their prayers are answered. Protestants are just a tad more likely to sense a response: 30 percent said God answers all of their prayers, and 87 percent said God answers at least some. Only 3 percent of Protestants said their prayers are never answered.
Among the findings:
