The Prayer Question

Today is the US National Day of Prayer. My cyber-friend Chris wrote a post titled: Does Prayer Really Do Anything? Here is the comment that I left on his blog:
I guess what I read here Chris is that prayer works as long as we leave the results open to God. I kind of like that!

I think that people would pray differently if they embraced an idea where we present our needs and then somehow find the ability to trust God to answer or not answer the way that He wants.

Unfortunately the picture is often painted in the scripture is of folks like Elijah praying for rain and God answering his prayer exactly how he prayed. I struggle with this biblical picture because it presents a formulaic picture of prayer.

What do you think about people who pray for years for a specific (good) thing and never seem to get the answer that they pray for? Should we just say that Elijah got lucky or should we give them a cliche type of answer (like it must not be God's will) that makes excuses for God?
What do you think? Do you think that we should ask God specifically or generally when we pray? A few years ago I wrote about this idea in a post titled Letting Go of the Answers.. here is an excerpt from it:
So often I focus my prayers on answers and really don't put myself in a place of vulnerability and humility. I come to the Lord knowing what I want. I have a specific answer to my prayer in my mind and really don't want God to answer in any other way.
Prayer is so often so difficult when we are desperate, in pain and in need of God. Back to the question: Do you think that we should ask God specifically or generally when we pray?

12 comments:

  1. So often we act as though we're praying to Santa Claus or Tinker Bell rather than God. This is especially true of the "if-only-I'm-good-and-have-enough-faith-I'll-get-what-I-want" type of Christian. God isn't some sort of heavenly vending machine that dispenses what we want if only we put the right token in the slot.

    But back to your question...

    Should we ask God specifically or generally when we pray?

    I've learned to distrust my own judgment as to what's best for me and to trust God's opinion on the matter instead. He's pretty smart, God is. So for me, what I pray for is knowledge of God's will and the willingness and ability to carry that out. When the tough times roll around, I pray that he will create something good, something meaningful out of the situation. And when the good times are here, I thank him.

    (I think I'm supposed to thank him for everything, even the bad stuff, but I haven't gotten that good yet.)

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  2. I do pray for my own needs and I pray for other's needs but I also spend a greater part of my praying just thanking and praising God for His love, grace, mercy and thanking Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life and thanking the Holy Spirit that he is my comforter and guide. Our prayers must be laced with faith and knowledge of the SOVEREIGN God we love and serve.
    Susan

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  3. I don't see anything wrong with choosing one or the other. The Bible doesn't say that one is better than the other.

    I guess I would keep two things in mind: #1 I don't think prayer's end goal should be about results. I think about prayer as being a time to cultivate our relationship with God, and letting *him* reveal our heart's desires to ourselves. Which leads to #2... I think it's important for us to "name" things in prayer. Sometimes it's just as much about admitting to ourselves what our wants are, as much as it is about admitting it to God. Then, hopefully, if we can learn to listen, we can adjust our desires to his desires.

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  4. Hi K-Bob, good post. Been thinking even more about prayer/God than usual lately.

    One of your commenters said they spend time thanking God for his grace, mercy, etc. I don't feel those things anymore. I feel like God is simply not there but I know I am suppose to have faith and believe...I don't know. I don't know what I am talking about.

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  5. I think We should do both. I think if our prayers are specific it helps us look at what we are trying to achieve and hopefully we will examine our own motives.
    God is still God though and He decides what is best. I think I am sort of right there with Stephanie.
    I believe that the true desires of our heart are the ones placed there by our maker and we can be blinded by our own wants.
    We may be praying for something good or something that is good for someone else. But we can't really judge what is good or evil can we?
    I guess I mean, we are extremely near sighted; But He can see the end results.
    Peace

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  6. I hand wrote this into my prayer journal and with each word knew I was supposed to….no THINK I was supposed to share it with you here....


    So you see, when I start praying for somebody, it is nearly impossible for me to hate them...really, I don't see in scripture where we are "supposed" to hate anybody, let alone our leaders. So I pray for them and I hope that my heart would change because I don't understand so much of what is happening in the world today; sometimes I wonder if we are even permitted to. But I do know that we are called to pray, so that's what I do and that is why I can whole heartily say that I love our president and I back him because through prayer I believe God is at work.
    http://kristiapplesauce.typepad.com/

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  7. Bob,

    I love the thoughts you put out there in your blog. Thanks for the linkback love, by the way.

    I responded to your comment on my blog by essentially saying that we are directly told to ask for God's will when we pray. How God's will manifests itself is really the mystery.

    Paul's thorn in 2 Corinthians is a great example of a seemingly unanswered prayer being answered in a way that at first glance wouldn't seem "good enough" for us using our limited human mindset.

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  8. Depending on the situation, both can occur. However the prayer I prayer most often is God, please help me to accept whatever comes and give me strength.
    It helps me to go with the flow of whatever is happening in the moment. And I know with this prayer, I have given it up and let God. Hard? Yes. But after awhile, it starts to become second nature.

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  9. Agreeing with all above that both should occur. Our relationship with our Lord is as human as it is divine, and would we tell our spouse "just love me and honor me and support me" without being specific at times about what form that should take? Even "please help me" needs more specifics.

    I go through stages of being very specific during the time of my prayer for intercession for others and for myself, ending those requests with "if they be Thy Will" and other times just trying to concentrate on praising His Name and thanking Him for Jesus Passion Death and Resurrection (especially this Easter/Ascension/Pentecost time of the year).

    I think we tend to feel "greedy" when we ask outright for something for ourselves or others, because we're human and we know that we might be considered greedy if we asked others for a great favor or something that inconveniences them. But God can't be inconvenienced!

    Good question. Not easy answers: too many miracles have happened in answer to prayers.

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  10. I read these comments as they came in and have been re-reading them now.. a few sentences popped out at me.. thought I might comment on them..

    ..I've learned to distrust my own judgment as to what's best for me and to trust God's opinion on the matter instead. (Sue)

    ++I think that is a great idea as long as it is simply rational judgment.. IMO the heart's judgment is something not to be ignored :)

    ..Our prayers must be laced with faith and knowledge of the SOVEREIGN God we love and serve. (Susan)

    ++Great point about sovereignty.. although I do wonder whether it is a way that I often give God a pass.

    ..I don't think prayer's end goal should be about results. I think about prayer as being a time to cultivate our relationship with God, and letting *him* reveal our heart's desires to ourselves. (Stephanie)

    ++I loved this.. not about results but about dealing with our heart desires.. I gotta spend some time thinking about that :)

    ..I feel like God is simply not there but I know I am suppose to have faith and believe...I don't know. I don't know what I am talking about. (Barbara)

    ++Have you been reading my mind lately.. seems that faith is what we really need when God does not feel "present".. but I have to agree that there are time when I talk about prayer that I too don't know what I am talking about.

    ..But we can't really judge what is good or evil can we? (Shaun)

    ++Such a great question! I think I know what is good for me (and especially my wife).. but I really don't know for sure.

    ..when I start praying for somebody, it is nearly impossible for me to hate them. (Becky)

    ++I guess prayer is simply another way to love someone.

    ..How God's will manifests itself is really the mystery. (Chris)

    ++It seems that this "mystery" idea (which I agree with btw) seems to give God a pass.

    ..God, please help me to accept whatever comes and give me strength. It helps me to go with the flow of whatever is happening in the moment. (Annie)

    ++I pray something similar.. I think that acceptance and giving up control are the difficult aspects of faith.. prayer seems to be a good way to start the process.

    ..ending those requests with "if they be Thy Will" (Therese)

    ++That is a good thing to do for the gray areas.. of course it is probably not a good idea to end all prayers that way :)

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  11. "++That is a good thing to do for the gray areas.. of course it is probably not a good idea to end all prayers that way :)"

    The smiley means you're kidding, right? Right? I think of St. Paul who asked three times that his physical burden (some say a stutter) be taken from him, but it was not. He seems to be okay about it, in fact, he says that he glorifies God most when he is weak and poor and in big trouble.

    Don't we have to leave everything in God's hands? Isn't He sovreign and we obediently humble?

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  12. Would you be comfortable with this prayer TZ?

    Father please forgive me if it be Thy will?

    Or how about:

    Lord help me to get off drugs if it be Thy will?

    I guess what I was trying to say is that "if it be Thy will" is not always an appropriate ending to a prayer.

    Sometimes not including that ending means accepting God's will (like Paul's thorn) and sometimes it means that you already know God's will (like forgiveness). Does that make sense?

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