History Main / PrayerIsALastResort

Not always a case of TruthInTelevision, as people who pray regularly usually do so as a first response, and then try to resolve the issue if that doesn't work - and this is seen as normal among such people. However, it is a case of truth in television if the person doesn't regularly pray, and feels they have exhausted all other options. And then, of course, there are the people whose first response is to pray... for the strength to solve their problem themselves.

* Played with in the {{Discworld}} novel ''Going Postal''. Once when Moist von Lipwig, con artist turned postmaster, is in dire need of money to repair his post office which has just been burned down; he pretends to a) pray for divine guidance and b) get it before "discovering" his stash of loot from his conman days. Later, when he is dire straits again, another character semi-sarcastically suggests he should pray about it, which he eventually does -- which is the cue some potential allies take that he's serious about wanting to help.

** Of course, there is the response to that one: "That's not an argument against atheism, it's an argument against ''foxholes''."

* Played with in the opening [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation Kobayashi Maru simulation]] in ''StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''. After [[ProsceniumReveal Kirk enters the simulation room]], Saavik asks for his suggestions, and he drily replies, "Prayer."

* Lampshaded by HBeamPiper in ASlaveIsASlave. After a StrawManLiberal has misquoted the [[Foundation]] line about "the last refuge of the incompetent", the viewpoint character muses that it is true in that "only an incompetent waited until the last resort to use force, and by then it was usually too late to use anything, even prayer."

Not always a case of TruthInTelevision, as people who pray regularly usually do so as a first response, and then try to resolve the issue if that doesn't work - and [[AvertedTrope this is seen as normal among such people]]. However, it is a case of truth in television if the person doesn't regularly pray, and feels they have exhausted all other options. And then, of course, there are the people whose first response is to pray... for the strength to solve their problem themselves.

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Literature]]

* Quite a few ''LooneyTunes'' characters pray in hopeless situations, such as falling from great heights or restrained and awaiting execution.

SubTrope of GodzillaThreshold. If a character prays as a first response rather than a last resort, it signifies that the character is weak or has no initiative.

-->Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!

* ''{{Patton}}''. During the Battle of the Bulge the situation is desperate. The Germans are winning and Allied air support is grounded because of the bad weather. Patton calls in an Army chaplain and orders him to write a prayer to ask for good weather so Allied planes can smash the German forces.

* In FatherTed the title character is only ever seen praying when he wants something, usually to avoid getting into trouble. It rarely works.

* Referenced by Dean Winchester in season 5 of ''{{Supernatural}}''. As the Apocalypse begins, the heroes conclude that the only party powerful enough to stop both the forces of Hell and Heaven from destroying Earth is the [[HaveYouSeenMyGod long-absent God]], so they go looking for him.

* In the board game ''Tales of the Literature/ArabianNights'' some seemingly unwinnable situations can be salvaged or even turned to your advantage by selecting the reaction "Pray." It rarely ''hurts'' you and sometimes can pull out near-miraculous results like the evil Bedouin horde being chased off by a swarm of [[EverythingsWorseWithBees angry bees]] before they can attack you.

* Quite a few ''LooneyTunes'' characters pray in hopeless situations, such as falling from great heights or restrained and awaiting execution.

* In The (in)famous DC comics miniseries "JLAActOfGod", when all the magic/mythical power based heroes lost their powers, we see Diana(Wonder Woman) praying in a Catholic Church... did we mentioned Diana is more related to the greek pantheon than to the Judeo Christian one, or tha she lives on a [[FantasyKitchenSink World where supernatural creatures and Gods]] [[AllMythsAreTrue are known to be real]] [[PalsWithJesus and commonly seen around with other heroes in a regular basis]]

* Arnie also prayed toward the end of ''EndOfDays''.

* This also happened at least once on ''TheSimpsons'', in "Bart Gets an F".

* Subverted in Steve Earle's "Tom Ames' Prayer", about a bankrobber who finds himself "trapped in an alley in Abilene with all but four shells spent" and turns to God for the first time in his life... only to wind up remembering that time he saved himself from hanging and concluding:
-->"Yeah, but who the hell am I talkin' too, there ain't no one here but me."

* In The (in)famous DC comics miniseries "Act of God", when all the magic/mythical power based heroes lost their powers, we see Diana(Wonder Woman) praying in a Catholic Church... did we mentioned Diana is more related to the greek pantheon than to the Judeo Christian one, or tha she lives on a [[FantasyKitchenSink World where supernatural creatures and Gods]] [[AllMythsAreTrue are known to be real]] [[PalsWithJesus and commonly seen around with other heroes in a regular basis]]

* In ''TheDresdenFiles'' RPG, one of the faith-based supernatural powers allows you to do this. When your party's in dire straits, if you have the power, you can pray to basically have the god of your choice smite your enemies and save your ass.

* In the board game ''Tales of the ArabianNights'' some seemingly unwinnable situations can be salvaged or even turned to your advantage by selecting the reaction "Pray." It rarely ''hurts'' you and sometimes can pull out near-miraculous results like the evil Bedouin horde being chased off by a swarm of [[EverythingsWorseWithBees angry bees]] before they can attack you.

* IIRC there is a joke about an atheist praying to god when about to be devoured by a bear, asking to make the bear a Christian. [[spoiler:[[CrossesTheLineTwice The bear says "thank you for this meal I am about to receive."]]]]

* NetHack has this for all characters. If you haven't bothered your god too much lately, and you're in big trouble of some sort, there's a pretty good chance they will help you out.

* One of the {{Kaamelott}} comics has this. Father Blaise is brought along with the expedition, but since he's no good at fighting, they tell him to pray. Despite telling them [[ReligionIsMagic it doesn't work that way]], he keeps at it, and at the climax his crucifix unloads a KillSat against the monsters. When asked how the hell he pulled that off, he reminds them that he's been praying for the past twenty hours.