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I realized when I linked this thread in another that I never followed up with the findings of my scripture study on prayer. I will probably come back tot he topic at some point because I limited this study to the Old and New Testaments and I moved on to other topics that caught my interest at the time. Prayer is not commanded in the Old or New testament, although it is clear that people did pray and several prayers are included in the Bible. Prayer seems to have been more “traditional” than “required.” There are not clear cut instances of prayers being answered in the BIble, although there are times when something that happened could be attributed to prayer. Kneeling in prayer did occur, but people also prayed standing and prostrate.
FWIW, my view of prayer was not really affected as the result of this study, but my prayers have evolved a bit of late. I was actually more impressed with this statement about ETB by GBH (in chapter 2 of the ETB manual):
Quote:His prayers were always interesting. Almost without exception, they consisted for the most part of expressions of thanks. He asked for very little. He expressed gratitude for very much. He thanked the Lord for life, for family, for the gospel, for faith, for sunlight and rain, the bounties of nature, and the freedom-loving instincts of man. He thanked the Lord for friends and associates. He expressed love for the Savior and gratitude for His atoning sacrifice. He thanked the Lord for the opportunity to serve the people.
When I pray about issues that are deeply important to me, and that go unresolved for years and years and years, I feel hollow inside. Kind of how you feel after you’ve eaten nothing but dessert, well beyond what is healthy. It’s an empty, dark feeling. I do pray when I’m about to make a big decision. Years ago, I was ready to leave my wife and had “real intent”. I realized I could have my life the way I wanted it in a very short period of time if I just initiated a divorce. After over a decade of suffering, a different set of circumstances was attractive, and I no longer felt upset about leaving.
As I prayed, I told God I was ready to leave That unless my circumstances changed within a “short period of time by my standards”, I was going to leave. It was real intent. I was dead serious. it was not an ultimatum — simply an expression of my intentions, and how much more time I was willing to devote to my marriage and its many surprises after the wedding.
Within about 3 days, the situation started changing, and two weeks later, there was sufficient progress that I stayed in the relationship.
I also pray for comfort now and then, and prayer helps. Often in the morning when I wake up and the latest trial has come over me. You know — when something upsetting happens and its the first thing on your mind when you wake up. During those times, I will often pray for peace. It kind of helps. I feel a bit calmer, but quickly leaves as triggers throughout the day remind me of the problem.
My belief is that God may care about the small stuff, but he rarely intervenes. It’s only when I am about to do something he disagrees with, and have decided I’m going to do it, and then pray before I take that step that he ever really intervened in this third quartile of my life. He’s very selective.
SilentDawning wrote:As I prayed, I told God I was ready to leave That unless my circumstances changed within a “short period of time by my standards”, I was going to leave. It was real intent. I was dead serious. it was not an ultimatum — simply an expression of my intentions, and how much more time I was willing to devote to my marriage and its many surprises after the wedding.
Within about 3 days, the situation started changing, and two weeks later, there was sufficient progress that I stayed in the relationship.
Wow. that is interesting.SilentDawning wrote:My belief is that God may care about the small stuff, but he rarely intervenes.
I agree with this. This has been my experience.
Prayers are good for me to express them, and offer them up. Like I offer tithes and offerings…it doesn’t matter where they go after I give it…there is value in my willingness to give it and my trust in who receives it.
Then I get off my knees and get on with life.
I too have found gratitude more a part of my prayer. Probably the most important part for me. I don’t really know what to ask for anymore.
I came across this quote that made me reflect on prayer and this thread. Quote:Once a man was asked, “What did you gain by regularly praying to God?”
The man replied, “Nothing…
…but let me tell you what I lost: Anger, ego, greed, depression, insecurity, and fear of death.”
Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not gaining but losing; which ultimately is the gain.Me personally, I think I lose a little bit of pride when I keep trying to reach and connect to God. And that is good for me. Prayer is good for me. Sometimes because what I lose, not what I gain.
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