It's often said God gives three answers to prayer - "yes", "no" or "wait".......we seem to be getting the bulk of the "no" answers at the moment and it really does make me think 'why am I even praying?' I thought I'd be really clever and prove my point by specifically not praying and then if what I would've prayed for went the right way - case proved - circumstantial!
Don't misunderstand me and think I am losing my faith, I completely know God is there and loves me and cares about what I need, but I am starting to think what happens to us in this life is very much down to our own control and circumstances, the thing is..........I can't not pray!
I have developed such a relationship that even if the answer is going to be "no" I still find peace in having had the conversation and I know I will look back at this period of time in the future and make sense of the "no's"!
So I still pray, but avoid the specific subject of our want/need at the moment! I know many of my friends are praying for the same thing for us so I leave it in their hands! Pressure!
I have found recently the easiest way for me to pray is to elaborate on the Lord's Prayer something like this:
"Father, you are the one true God,
the only God who deserves all my praise & worship.
I pray that your world will be filled with people who follow you,
& every day your work will be done.
Thank you for all you've provided & continue to provide for me & my family.
Please forgive me for the things I've said & done that've hurt you & others,
help me to think before I act & help me to forgive others who hurt me.
Help me to not be tempted by things that are not good for me
& keep me safe from things that can harm me.
In your son's precious name. Amen"
Why
pray? Because Jesus taught us to, and whether we believe it or not and
even when it seems like God's not there, He is, and He's listening and
it'll all be alright in the end, and if it's not alright, it's not the
end!
I'm increasingly thinking that the main purpose of prayer is to develop a deeper relationship with God and allow God to change us, even if those circumstances we want changed don't get changed and the prayer 'answers' seem to be mostly 'no'. Your elaborated personalised version of the Lord's Prayer is helpful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, yes I do think my relationship is deepening since developing my prayer time.
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