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| Our son, Ronny, praying |
I was once told to pray but do not use the same words over and over again. I would bore God and it would sound like a fool's or pagan's prayer because I was unoriginal and just repeated the same old thing over and over. But I catch myself praying that same way often. I thank God for the blessings He has given us. I praise His name. I pray for our finances and any other thing concerning me at the moment but basically, it is often the same prayer. Is that okay? If it is heartfelt, won't God receive it with a loving heart? But then after I write that, I think, maybe sometimes I am just "going through the motions" and don't have my heart 100% into it. If that is the case, does God hear it anyway? I mean, I know God sees all and knows all but does He take my prayer as a prayer or not? Then I get back to the subject, that we should not say the same prayer all the time but what about the Lord's Prayer? Jesus said to pray that way....
What about asking for stuff or special requests? Some say you should not ask God for stuff. I am not saying necessarily asking for a new X-Box but how about a job opportunity or praying God will let you sell something so you can invest in your future with a new job opportunity? Is that okay? I always thought of God like your Daddy. You can ask your Daddy anything. Yes, He can say no but He wants us to come to Him. Is that how you feel?
What about Matthew 21:22 "and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (KJV)? If I pray for our finances or something and believe that God will answer and hold fast to that verse then is that okay? Or should you pray only for God's will as in 1 John 5:14 & 15 (And this is the confidence we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of Him). Or can we lean on Matthew 21:22 and Matthew 18:19 (Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven) and do a family prayer for a request? Some say we are using God but isn't that what our God is for? To come to Him with our requests and petitions? Yes, I know we are to praise Him but is it wrong or futile to use the verses to petition God to help us out or do we always need to pray for God's will? I want God's will to be done but do not always pray that way....
I do not know why I am worrying either. God is always surprising us and blessing us. There looks to be no way out and God provides a way and an answer. He is so good to us and we don't deserve it and I
I guess tonight I am just struggling for answers. We have been praying pretty hard about something and now late at night am wondering about it. I want to do right by my Lord. I do love Him and want to serve Him. Do you have times like this?
I am confident that God knows all, sees all and is all. I do believe He died on the cross for me and that I am saved. I am confident that His decision is the best decision and if He says no it is because He has something better planned. I do know the Holy Spirit speaks to God on my behalf. I guess what I don't know is why I am wondering all of these other things tonight? Guess I should follow the Good Book's advice from Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight".
Will you pray for me?
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What you've written is so honest and so full of questions that we all ask from time to time. and you come to all the right conclusions. Repetition is OK if it's genuine and heartfelt. God tells us to keep asking like the persistent widow. And we are to ask God for things we think are good for us, but He has the veto power over anything we ask. The hard part is trusting Him when what we asked for seems like the only good option. But He knows things we don't. Prayer is a mysterious and important aspect of our Christian lives and we will never fully understand it...but we should keep doing it. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful post full of good questions and good answers...but all humbly stated. thanks for sharing on B&BB. I pray a special blessing on you this week. May your prayers be sweet! Bless you, Gail
ReplyDeleteGail, I appreciate it. It was written from the heart and I felt very raw and open when I posted it but wanted to share it because that was what was on my heart and mind. I appreciate your friendship, your blog and especially your prayers!
ReplyDeletewhen I was faced with a great biopsy i asked my confessor if I should pray for a positive outcome or pray Gods will be done.....he told me to pray for both.
ReplyDeleteI am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
Momto8blog, thank you for your comments and for following me. It would be an honor to follow you back. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me!
DeletePrayer can be interesting sometimes. I feel frustrated sometimes while I'm praying and I'll just tell God that. I think you need to find what works for you- whether a prayer journal, a prayer list or just speaking to God- in your head or out-loud, walking around or sitting down, etc. And then know that God hears all of our thoughts, and when we don't even know how to pray, the Spirit helps us (Romans 8:26). I'll be praying for you!
ReplyDelete~Nicole, Working Kansas Homemaker
Nicole, I appreciate the prayers. I just love the Lord so much and want to do right by Him!
ReplyDeleteGod just wants you to have a Relationship with him. So, the way i take it is, we should talk to him like we would our best friend, or our parent or spouse. He wants us to be raw & open with him. We don't have to impress him with big fancy wording or phrasing, He just wants us to be us. I believe it says in the bible "Come just as you are". So don't be afraid of repeating the same words or prayers. If you mean it from the heart & are being truly humble, the rest doesnt even matter. And as far as praying for specific things, God cares about EVERYTHING that involves us! My mom has always said "don't be embarressed to pray & ask for anything because He cares about even the smallest things!" He cares about the desires of your heart. Sometimes our prayers don't always get answered the way we'd like, but i believe he knows whats best for us in the long run. But no prayer ever goes unnoticed or unanswered. So i feel we should pray for what we want but ask him to let his will be done above all. God is an AWESOME, ALL POWERFUL, INFALLIBLE, EMINENT, EMPOWERING, & COMPASSIONATE GOD that LOVES YOU! Don't ever forget that! None of us are worthy of his grace but he gave it to us anyway! So be the best YOU that you can be & give him all you can in return! LOVE YA LOTS & PRAYING FOR YOU ALWAYS, Lady! =)
ReplyDeleteLauren, thank you so much. You helped me a lot and I appreciate it. You are such a good friend and I love ya!
DeleteThanks for this.
ReplyDeleteDenise, I hope it was a blessing for you. It is sometimes hard for me to bear my heart to others but everyone's comments have made it easier.
DeleteI believe strongly in prayer. There is no wrong way to prayer. A prayer is what is on your mind, in your heart and God wants you to come to Him with those. Whether you say the same words or the Holy Spirit leads you to new words or it is already written (hence the Lord's Prayer), God is listening. And its okay to ask Him for things, knowing He will answer according to His perfect will and timing. He cares about what you care about. I hope this helps some. And thank you for linking up at WJIM.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reassuring words. It is a blessing linking up with you each week!
DeleteOh what a beautifully humble heart!! Did you know questions are evidence of humbleness before the Lord... thanks for being a great picture of this!
ReplyDeleteLord, thank you for my sweet blogging sister. Thank you for her willingness to come to you with her questions and thoughts and share them with others. Lord, through her humbleness would You show Yourself to her through these questions that is just mind blowing. That you would answer her like you promise in Jer. 33:3 and she would have nothing to say but "Wow" at You. Give her a deep understanding to the truths of these verses that she would be filled with so much excitement to share them with others when these same questions come up in peoples lives around her. You are the great Teacher, please show that in a beautiful way.
Laura, thank you. Your kind words mean a lot. I really appreciate your prayer!
DeleteI sure hope it isn't wrong because this is something I do a lot. I like the way you compared it to a child asking his dad for something. Many times I ask for something, and then add "If it's your will." I don't really think I need to add that every time. He knows if it isn't his will I don't want it. Thank you for sharing this encouraging post.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Charlotte
Charlotte, I am glad you feel the same way. I just want to be humble for the Lord. I hope you will come back soon.
DeleteI find myself doing this kind of thing a LOT. I tie myself up in knots about what to say and the attitude I should say it in... Sometimes I find it helpful to remember the image of family as a paradigm for understanding prayer. Jesus says, when you pray, say 'Abba'. Whatever else prayer is, it's a relationship like father to child - one full of trust and love. I hope you are given some peace.
ReplyDeleteTanya, my prayers are coming easier. There are times I go through this and other times I am at ease. Just still growing in the Lord!
DeleteHave you prayed all those questions to Him? Whenever I don't know what to pray, I just pray what's on my mind. One of my favorite books on prayer is PAPA prayer by Larry Crabb. May God lead you to all your answers!
ReplyDeleteChristina, thank you for the book recommendation. I will try to get a copy of it soon.
DeleteYour post is filled with great questions about prayer. I also pray the same prayers again and again. One of the prayers I pray, is actually sung. I sing "How Great Thou Art" almost daily. It is a form of prayer, and form of worship, and it comes from the heart. I also pray very candid, "unscripted" prayers. ...
ReplyDeleteI love to say the Apostle's Creed and pray the Lord's Prayer.
I think it's about the heart. And right now, I pray that the Lord keeps our hearts tender and open to keep communicating with Him ... in whatever way draws us closer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jennifer, what a great idea about praying "How Great Thou Art". I love the idea and will do that. I appreciate your thoughts.
DeleteI think prayer is a very personal part of your relationship with God, and I don't believe there is one right or wrong way to go about it. I think you need to "cast all your cares upon God", including your prayer questions. Thank you for sharing your open and honest thoughts with all of us over at NOBH!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. I just love Him so much and want to do His will. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI pray for the same things as well, but they are the things that mean so much to me...the things that are closest to my heart, and I believe that God sees my heart and knows how much I love and respect Him. I bring to Him my open heart and lay it before Him, and He becomes more and more precious to me each day. It is like any relationship...when you spend time with a person, you get to know them...really know them. Each person is unique and each relationship is unique in it's own special way...so I don't think there is one certain way of communicating...just being honest and real:)
ReplyDeleteTammy