I came across a few questions that I found difficult to answer. Maybe it is because I don't think I like my answer to a few of them? What do you think...
1. Are your prayers free from 'magic'? In other words, when you pray, do you expect something to happen, as though by magic? (ie. if you are 'good' enough it will happen or if you pray hard enough...or long enough?)
2. Do you have confidence in what Jesus can do? Do you have confidence in your prayer? We pray for it. So it must happen?
I was surprised mostly with my answer to #1. Because I have believed that if I pray long enough, and hard enough, that what I'm praying for will happen. But thinking about it now, I don't know why I thought that, because I also believe that God doesn't always give us what we ask for; that God sees the bigger plan and that what 'we' want isn't necessarily what is best for us, for others around us, or fits into the overall plan for things in general. So when do we quit praying for what we want? Is there a point when we should realize that what we are praying for is not going to happen after 11 years? Or do we keep praying for it anyway?
So to answer #2 I would have to say yes, I have confidence. Mostly, my confidence is in the fact that no matter what I pray for, regardless of the answer (yes or no) that the answer is what is best for me. That God answers prayers according to the bigger picture. But that sometimes, he just says "no."
What do you think? At what point do you think God has told you no? At what point do you stop praying for that particular issue to be resolved???
7 comments:
Wow Angel, you have some serious posts...lol.
Hmmmm....I have sought the Lord about a few things in my life, and I never stop praying to Him about them. I may change my prayer as time goes on though. I may pray that God helps me to accept things, or to help me know how to change it, or that if His will is for me to continue to wait, then please give me Patience and trust in Him. I end my prayers with God's will be done in my life in all things, that I don't know what is best but for me, but He does.
11 years is nothing to the Lord. He doesnt live with time, only we do. A day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day to the Lord. So keep praying meekly and with a willing spirit Angel. The Lord loves when we pray for wisdom too. With wisdom, you can have a better understanding of His will.
Trina...sometimes, I think I think too much. ;)
I am not sure that I pray for magic to happen. I just pray. I know that at times my prayers will be answered with a "no". (That's why that Garth Brooks song Unanswered prayers bothers me. I think they are always answered, we just might not like the answer.)
I pray to bring myself closer to God. I pray at stop lights, in the grocery store, I mostly give thanks for the blessings He has given me, and pray that He will make me more like Him.
Ah such depth for 7:30am! Sheesh Angel!
Jenn, I had a coworker who didn't like that song for that very same reason! She used to say that there are no unanswered prayers, sometimes God just says 'no'. ;)
Hi MOH,
I made a whole post on this subject. I hope something of what I have said there is helpful to you.
HUGS!!
Nan
Interesting post Angel. It's hard for me to accept sometimes that God has answered my prayers, but sometimes it isn't in the way I "wanted" or thought that I needed at that time. My prayers aren't always free from "magic", I need to work on that! Once our priest did a homily on prayer. He said he found it interesting how many people seek to pray with or receive prayer from priests, as if the priest has some special "sway" with God that enables his prayers to be answered more readily than a common parishioner. I hadn't realized until that day that I had sort of thought that way too, that prayer in church or w/ the Priest was somehow "stronger" than just praying at home or in your car or whatever. Ok, I'm rambling, just wanted you to know your post got me thinking about this subject again! Take care- Kari
I too, always pray for His will to be done. I have come to learn that not all things are answered by my will, and that even when the answer is 'no' I have usually found that to be the best answer overall. I guess I am just struggling with this particular issue and what His will is for it.
Nan...going to check out your post in a few. ;) But for any other readers not familiar with Nan's blog, you can check it out here http://writer-mom.blogspot.com/ I really need to get my blog links back up on here, don't I?
Kari...interesting point about the priest. I can see where a lot of people might think that.
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