christian@topaz.UUCP (04/05/87)
Hi, 4/2/87 Some questions to start a discussion on prayer ... Why do you pray? (to get what you want, to get what God wants [hopefully the same thing], because you want to or think you have to, ...) When do you pray? (same time, whenever free, ...) Where do you pray? (same place, on-the-run, ...) What sort of things do you pray for? (situations, events, ...) Who do you pray for? (aside from family and friends) What do you do when `the well runs dry' and you feel God is distant, or no where to be found? What sort of prayers do you find yourself praying? (memorized, off-the-cuff, discussion type, petition, thanksgiving, sorrowful, hopeful, angry, joyfilled, contemplative, in tongues, ...) Do you believe God answers prayer? How? When? Has God answered prayers for you lately? For someone else? ****************** I'll start off --- Why: now that I think of it, it seems to be for what I want. Not a lot of thought given about what God wants. I can pray that He lets me know what to pray for. When: not as regularly as I used to. It has been hit and miss, on-the-run. Lately I've felt a need to get back to regular prayer time; time set aside just for prayer. Where: on-the-run for me includes while getting ready for work, driving the car, even while exercising [who said prayer was easy :-) ]. I've got a little stand in our second bedroom with pictures and small statues that I used to use to help me focus in my prayers. I knelt before it again today after some absense - it felt good. What: job situation, my marriage and relationship with my wife, safety for my little guy, solutions to problems, strength, guidance, direction, faith, greater ability to receive and share God's love freely, prayer requests made by others [when I remember to], the net itself, acceptance of the life God's given me and the realities of this world, ... Who: the president and the country on occassion, the pope and the Roman Catholic church and the directions and stances it takes, for my parish pastor that I have a difficult time with, the people on the net (both Christian and non-Christian), missionaries, ... When the well runs dry: I get angry with God, and let Him know it. Sometimes it leads me back to reading Scripture. Type of prayers: being Roman Catholic, I've got a ton of memorized prayers :-) . Over the last 7 or 8 years I've learned a lot about praying my thoughts and feelings, being honest with God. Lots of petition prayers, few trust and thanksgiving prayers, though. Sometimes angry, sometimes jubulant. I do believe in and exercise the gift of prayer in tongues. It just hit me to try to read Scripture as my prayer. It won't be the author saying the prayer to God, it will be me. I've read Scripture as prayer before, joining with the author in his prayer, but not as *my* prayer alone. I'll do it. I want to couple my prayers with imaging, and see what comes about. Does God answer prayers: YES! Always the way I wanted them: HARDLY EVER! (that is a `No'). Always for the best: sometimes I see it, sometimes I don't. How: usually thru a door I've opened with faith in Him, His abilities, His character, His strength. The faith in these situations usually arose after I came to a point where I knew there was nothing more I could do, even try to do. So in desperation I told Him He had to handle it. The danger I see with this is that at times I turn things over to Him when He wanted me to handle it with some tools of some sort that He had given me already. Frustrating! How do you handle this - telling the difference between what God wants to do, and what He wants you to do? When: as a friend of mine says - "at 23:59:59" - the last second. Answered prayer lately: healing my wife's back, my neck and back, and my son's eye infections and virul infection. ********************** These are just a few quick thoughts ... how about you? Are there some prayer aids you use? Any Thomas Murton (sp?) fans out there (contemplative type prayers)? There is also a Fr. Green, I think, who has written a book entitled something like "When the Well Runs Dry". Any other books or cassette tapes you can recommend? Involved in a prayer group? How is it conducted (format, time involved, methods of prayer, teachings, ...)? Looking forward to hearing from you. God Bless, Your Brother in Christ, Mike Andrews (PTL)
christian@topaz.UUCP (04/07/87)
I read your thoughts on prayer and I wanted to give you a short response. Prayer is your life! Prayer is BEING in Christ and living in Him. There is no set formula or right way to pray but it is BEING!!! The church has made prayer to be a formula or a set of dos and don'ts, whens and wheres, how tos and so on...law! God desires us to live and BE in Him, in His incomprehensible grace which He lavishes on us. HOW EXCITING! No more law, rules, and how tos in prayer but a living our lives as prayer and worship. God Bless you! Nanci