It is such "praying" that gives religion a bad name as well as prayer. The old saying, "Prayer Changes Things" is grossly overused.

If we truly want gas prices to come down we will have to determine to use less. At least, that's what the oil men say: Demand equals price increases. Easier said than done, but more effective against such powers than prayer. Who considers that oilmen listen to our prayers? When have they ever listened, period?

Perhaps the prayer should be for a sound dollar policy first, then for environmentalist and special interest groups/congress to allow for oil drilling to increase domestic supply and then nuclear energy plants to decrease demand for fossil fuel since clean burning coal is also rejected.

The environmentalist have won the public debate for 20 yrs as far as limiting supply goes.

So...Till then...good luck with those prayers and "cross" your fingers it may be a "bumpy" ride especially for the poor and those on fixed income!

PS. The US using less in a world economy will make some difference in the rate of increases but China and India will soak up our use on their own development.

pat

In 2002 oil prices hit a 12 month low of just under $20 dollars a barrel. We have recently hit a peak of around $135. That represents an increase of 675%. In that period, even with China and India (representing 37% of world population), there is little evidence that this demand has increased by anywhere near that amount.

The price hike especially more recently has more to with speculation; this is like currency markets where 9 out of 10 dollars bought are by speculators.

No matter how many holes you drill, or miles you drive less, you will have no impact on these prices.

Dependency on oil is the major factor. Conversely, the high price of oil will make alternatives more viable (I agree, nuclear power stations make sense).

Praying for cheaper oil is like praying for sunny weather, nice for some, problematic for others. The high price of oil will be helping other countries around the world, in Africa for example. Cash rich Arab banks are a new source of liquidity and an increased source of competition in the financial services sector - good news for your mortgages and pensions of the future and for limiting inflation in future (probably one of the biggest economic challenges over the next decade).

If you are a supporter of the Iraq war (probably the catalyst which pushed the oil price beyond any historic psychological barriers), the increased domestic revenues of that country should help them to rebuild faster and create new markets for our industries to further exploit.

As an individual, you have more flexibility to win. If we can change our individual dependency on oil, then potentially we could be better off in this environment.

Instead of praying for cheap oil prices, why not pray for something useful such as real alternative to oil.

Andrew,

If the US dollar was now on Par with the EURO (from it's inception) oil would be about 75 US per barrel. The dollar is part of the equation.
No one is knocking alternatives they just are not in any position to maintain a world run by oil...that is just reality.

Regards,

pat

In the early 1970s, when gasoline cost about 20 cents a gallon and the Big Three American auto-makers dominated the market by competing to produce "longer, lower, wider, sexier" cars, a little unknown Japanese motorcycle maker entered the U. S. market selling a ridiculously small, awkward-looking, underpowered (35-horsepower), 2-cylinder car whose main selling point was that it got 40 miles per gallon, compared with the average 8-12 miles per gallon of its American counterparts.

Even after the 1973 oil crisis when gas prices skyrocketed to over a buck per gallon, and lines of cars at gas stations were 2 or 3 blocks long, and one could only buy gas on alternate days, based on whether your license plate ended with an even or odd number, people laughed at this crazy little car manufacturer. After all, petroleum was plentiful and there was a war going on in the middle east. Surely, when things settled down, the markets would stabilize, and pretty soon everyone would forget about this little car called a Honda.

Personally, I'd pray for wisdom, foresight and the flexibility to adapt my lifestyle to a rapidly changing reality.

Some good news. . .

Americans Driving At Historic Lows
Eleven Billion Fewer Vehicle Miles Traveled in March 2008 Over Previous March

WASHINGTON -- Americans drove less in March 2008, continuing a trend that began last November, according to estimates released today from the Federal Highway Administration.

“That Americans are driving less underscores the challenges facing the Highway Trust Fund and its reliance on the federal gasoline excise tax,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray.

The FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” report, produced monthly since 1942, shows that estimated vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on all U.S. public roads for March 2008 fell 4.3 percent as compared with March 2007 travel. This is the first time estimated March travel on public roads fell since 1979. At 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than in the previous March, this is the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history.

Though February 2008 showed a modest 1 billion mile increase over February 2007, cumulative VMT has fallen by 17.3 billion miles since November 2006. Total VMT in the United States for 2006, the most recent year for which such data are available, topped 3 trillion miles.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated that greenhouse gas emissions fell by an estimated 9 million metric tons for the first quarter of 2008.

The estimated data show that VMT on all U.S. public roads have dropped since 2006. The FHWA’s Traffic Monitoring Analysis System (TMAS) computes VMT for all types of motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks) on the nation’s public roads. These data are collected through over 4,000 automatic traffic recorders operated round-the-clock by state highway agencies. More comprehensive data are published in the FHWA’s “Highway Statistics” at the end of each year.

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/fhwa1108.htm

Pat

I think, if oil were denominated in Euros, I would agree with you.

Oil prices are not going to go back to $20, so no short-term fix by dropping oil prices.

Finding more oil and building new power stations is not a short-term fix either. The former will have very limited, if any impact anyway. Opec countries have plenty of oil, they just need to increase their production capacity - why would they when they can just get a better price.

So there is time for alternatives.

Neville has it right. There is no doubt that a change to more economical cars can easily halve gas expenditure.

Grouping tasks together for a single journey rather than multiple journeys will have a significant impact also. Perhaps this is part of what is behind the government data Alexander presents.

Utilising local shops, which are in walking distance (cheaper when you take gas price into consideration). Get into car-pooling schemes to get rid of the second car.

These are all short-term solutions.

People on low/fixed incomes can be the drivers for change.

Rather than being victims, take the initiative. This is a great opportunity.

Amos 2:6-8 6 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. 8 They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.

Amos 5:21-24 21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Somehow I find myself thinking: maybe when we stand up for the injustice done to others on our behalf ought we plead for this (minor) injustice of fuel prices to be ameliorated on our behalf. The hypocrisy is ridiculous.
Pray for the truly poor.
Pray for the truly oppressed.
Better yet, work for justice on their behalf.

It is such "praying" that gives religion a bad name as well as prayer.

---

I completely agree with the sentence above.

There are so many things wrong in this world and this is all you can do to help. How about praying for this war to end. Feed hungry children, protect them from abuse, give them proper shelter. Go out and do something beneficial to others. Gas prices are not in Gods hands. It is in the oil companies hands. Please stop embarrasing the Adventist church not to mention yourselves. Deliver meals to the elderly, volunteer at a shelter for battered women. Do something where you can actually make a difference. Stop making the Adventist church look ignorant.