Prayer

[Angell]

I have always been stymied by the reasons for prayers that are not gratitude based. This is certainly not limited to Christianity; I am not suggesting that it is, but I hear Christians do it regularly. Could someone explain the reasoning to me?

To be clear, a prayer of thanksgiving makes sense to me: i.e. Thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon our family. However, assuming that there is a God and that He is omniscient, all-powerful and loves us - why ask? Taking a Christian perspective here: God loves me and has a plan for me that is more amazing than I could ever dream of. He will, if I let Him, use me as He see's fit for His greater glory and perhaps even the betterment of all. How then can I pray that I do well in this interview or that I get this job? It seems that perhaps a prayer for His will, not mine, be done - and that only to remind myself. More serious, I see people pray for the swift recovery of their loved ones or to have them live through some tragic accident but again, how could what I think is best possibly trump what God knows is best?

I can certainly understand the human weakness that might beg God to save the life of their child - but even as a non-Christian, I can see how their death might lead to a new law that saves thousands of lives or how, in death, their passing with a smile on their face as they go home might inspire the doctors and nurses struggling to save their life and thereby bring even more people to Christ...then those people go home and influence their spouses and children who influence their ... etc.

I don't know the plan, or how one thing can influence things in a totally unexpected way. But I know that it can. To me, there is no grand plan behind events and yet... I find that I am unable to label events as good or bad because I don't know what will come of them. So I don't know if getting turned down for this job is a good thing or a bad thing. I can't even know if losing my child is a good thing or a bad thing. Anyway, I am just confused and don't understand the reasons people have for praying for specific things.

I have heard it said that God wants to hear from his children. He likes us to come to Him with our requests but as a father myself...my daughters will be better served trusting me rather than trusting in what they think they need for themselves.

Thanks for any attention you can give this post.

Angel

[Angell]

My other questions have gotten responses and so I'm not sure what went wrong in this one. If I asked this question poorly, please ask for clarification. Too, if I offended anyone with my question, please tell me how so I can apologize and learn from it. Thank you.

[Saved7]

I'm not sure why you haven't gotten any responses, but I'm here and will do what I can to help you along.
Why people pray the way the do is what I think you are asking.
Simply put, I don't know. But you seem to have a better understanding of reasons to pray certain ways than a lot of folks in the church. For some reason, they have been under the mistaken impression that God is all about making them happy. That's unfortunate too, because the truth is, I was counted among those for a long time and what time I have wasted! Through many years of studying the Word of God I have come to see the majority of our prayers should be focused around glorifying Him and TRUSTING that He knows which way to answer our prayers in order that He may be glorified. Because when He gets glorified, people get save. That's it.

Early on in my faith, I noticed something...John the Baptist would cry out "Behold, the Lamb of God!" whenever Jesus would show up on the scene. At the time I noticed this, the only thing I realized is that the more we look at Jesus, instead of each other's faults, the more humble we are and the more we are changed into His image.
What I didn't realize was just what THAT meant...being changed into the image of Christ.
To be made into the image of Christ is to bear the image of GOD!! What a glorious blessing! And not only that, but when we are changed like that, we know better how to pray because we know God well enough to know His mind. Therefore, if we know His mind better, we know His will and we can pray things in accordance with his will, having the confidence that Jesus had that our prayers will be answered! And I can tell you that since I've come to understand this, my whole attituded has changed for the better, there is peace when I should be offended, joy when I should be hurting...I am RICH! Spiritually rich and there is nothing in this world that I want more than to know God more for the joy that comes with it!
So really, God is trying to get us to be conformed to the image of Christ ultimately (who is the EXPRESSED IMAGE OF GOD) and it is in line with that goal that we should be praying.
Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve? God said he made man in his image, in his image, made he them. But we fell, and I think it was planned that way for the sole purpose of bringing us to this place where not only will we be physically in His image, but also spiritually in his image and so be given glorified bodies that will never perish, neither CAN perish.

So why do people pray like they do? I don't know, I'm not them, but I know why I pray the way I do. I hope that helps you.

[Angell]

Saved7 - thank you.

I am in complete agreement with your concept of riches and am joyful that you have so much bounty. I've been thinking about this topic in the eleven days since I posted it and think I may have come to an answer myself too. For the last ten years or so, I've called my father every day to tell him that I love him. He's three thousand miles away and who knows, tomorrow might be his last - or mine. I love to keep in touch with him and our relationship is closer because of it. During our daily talks, we talk about our day and share our hopes and plans for the day.

I can imagine that someone would want to give God a call every day (or many times a day) as well. Share their hopes and plans for the day and in doing so, perhaps get caught up in the moment and forget that He knows best what we need and ask for specific things.

That's just speculation, but it seems to make some sense to me.

Thanks again for responding.

Angel

[Dani H]

The reason Christians pray is very simple: Jesus told us to.

[Angell]

The reason Christians pray is very simple: Jesus told us to.

Yes Dani. And I know that He told us how to do so as well when He gave us the Lord's prayer. My question referred to the other ways people pray, i.e. 'please let me get this job'. It has been some time since I've read the Bible completely, but I can't imagine He gave us instruction to pray for our will be done.

I've just reread that and it sounds flippant. I am not being so.

[Dani H]

Yes Dani. And I know that He told us how to do so as well when He gave us the Lord's prayer. My question referred to the other ways people pray, i.e. 'please let me get this job'. It has been some time since I've read the Bible completely, but I can't imagine He gave us instruction to pray for our will be done.

I've just reread that and it sounds flippant. I am not being so.

Don't worry about it. I do get what you're saying.

It's ridiculous to think that some folk have nothing better to approach the infinite God of the unverse with, than their silly little first world problems that they can fix easily enough by doing some proactive thinking and jumping into action and making different decisions and doing some personal adjusting.

I got that.

Prayer is really about finding out what GOD wants, aligning ourselves with HIS thoughts and desires, and actually taking the time to LISTEN and reporting for duty. It's not about treating God as a personal vending machine or personal tooth fairy for our self-absorbed little wishlists.

If you read the Lord's Prayer, Jesus gets pretty specific how to approach God as Father, how to incorporate worship, how to ask for NEEDS to be met (not WANTS), how to give praise and thanksgiving, how to ask for personal conviction and transformation, how to ask for forgiveness, how to forgive others ... etc and etc.

The universe isn't about ME. It's about GOD. That's the approach to be taken in prayer. That's when we'll see actual ANSWERS (I know I do ... regularly).

Hope that helps.

[Angell]

Hope that helps.

It did and thank you. To be a little clearer, both you and Saved7 helped me to see that I am not alone in my thinking.

[Saved7]

You'll also notice that in many of the epistles written by the Apostles, they show us how they prayed and what God's desire is through their writings.
ie;
Peter said for the saints he was writing to to do this,

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Though he wasn't praying, it is instructional and it is something we can pray for.




We can also pray for the persecuted saints who are in bonds
30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;




And this is an awesome prayer to be praying...
Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,




And there's lots of good stuff in John to pray for too.


John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.


John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

And that's just the tip of the iceberg!!


Watch for things like that, and you'll find your faith abounding in Christ... you can pray that your faith abound in Christ too.