Prayer, discussion one

Recently, someone asked me if it was stupid to pray for something. What he wanted was not unreasonable, but it wasn't the traditional things someone would ask for: food, health, a job, etc.
I remember when my Junior Church class was playing a game, the teacher told me, "If you want to win, just pray." I said, "Isn't that sacrilegious, asking for something so frivolous?" He said, "Nothing is frivolous with God. If you want something, He will answer your request."

Now remember that God doesn't always answer yes. He knows what is best for us and what is bad for us. He will do what is best for us, even if we don't like it. With God, nothing is impossible. I can't think of the passage now, but in the Gospels, Jesus was preaching about God's good will. "If your son asks bread, would ye give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give unto you?" Now I know that is a terrible paraphrase, but you get the idea. God gives only the best, and you have nothing to lose by asking.

Post here and say what you think about this.

Thanks for your thoughts. Would you guys like to join me in prayer for the growth of this board?

Well said, Kody. If we realize that we are talking to God as our father, we should have a better understanding of what to ask, and how he will respond.

Now, what your friend in Junior High class asked, Kody, still doesn't seem appropriate to me. I think that we need to remember that, as Christians, God must be first in our life. We must be focused on Christ alone, if we are not, we are not living out the Christian life. Is praying for victory focusing on Christ alone? I don't know about that, but I would say not, depending on the situation. Only if the victory is Christ honoring.

Indeed thought provoking, K1!

Regis wrote:Thanks for your thoughts. Would you guys like to join me in prayer for the growth of this board?

If you wish, you may pray for that Regis... but I also think we should be content. I for one am quite content with the board as of now! We have a fair number of users and we're like a little loving family! Yay for the EP!

Jellyfish11 wrote:Indeed thought provoking, K1!

Regis wrote:Thanks for your thoughts. Would you guys like to join me in prayer for the growth of this board?

If you wish, you may pray for that Regis... but I also think we should be content. I for one am quite content with the board as of now! We have a fair number of users and we're like a little loving family! Yay for the EP!

You do have a point.

Hannah wrote:Now, what your friend in Junior High class asked, Kody, still doesn't seem appropriate to me. I think that we need to remember that, as Christians, God must be first in our life. We must be focused on Christ alone, if we are not, we are not living out the Christian life. Is praying for victory focusing on Christ alone? I don't know about that, but I would say not, depending on the situation. Only if the victory is Christ honoring.

Obviously to me you misunderstood what I said. No friend of mine said anything in Junior Church (the second period on a Sunday morning). Besides, it is not inappropriate to ask God for things. He loves to give gifts to His children. Whether He says yes or no is up to Him, however. But asking never hurts.

I don't think that it is innapropriate to ask God for anything, however, I feel that, as his children, we should know his will and ask according to that. We don't ask our parents for something that we know is bad for us, or is against what they want for us. So we must keep in perspective that even though we can ask God for anything and he will answer as he wills, I feel that as christians we should ask for things that are definately in his will, fi we feel that it isn't ask someone what we trust is fully biblical, like a pastor for advice. However, ask God for anything, he is God, He knows what is good and bad.

He is also very, very understanding of us should we make mistakes.

A misconception that we have when we pray is that we are 'helping God out'. You know, letting God know what you want, need, or even feel. Praying draws us closer to God, right? Well, yes, but we don't see it in the right light. Prayer doesn't help God. God doesn't need our prayers to know what we need, God doesn't need our prayers to know us. He is omniscient and already knows everything.

Prayer helps us. When we pray to God it aligns us with him. It gives US a closer relationship with him. The more we pray, the stronger the tendency is for us to know his will. We say that we should only pray for the will of God to be done, and that those prayers will be the only ones that we can expect to be answered 'yes'. But how do we know what God's will is? By aligning ourselves with his will, with HIM, we will grow to know him better and will be drawn close to him.

What happens then? What happens when we are close to God... when our will is aligned with his? We will pray for His will! We will know him.

I have a challenge for all of you; try it! Try praying regularly. It's okay if you don't know what to pray, you don't have to say all the right things, just talk to God. Draw closer to him.

Psalm 37:4 says

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

What does that mean? If we 'delight' ourselves (which could include praying, reading the Bible, etc.) in the Lord, will receive all that we want? No! Of course not. But, when we pray, read the Bible and meditate on God's greatness, we are drawn so very close to him. What happens then? The desires of our hearts become the desires of His heart. The story of the Bible is the story of God's glory. EVERYTHING is orchestrated for it - everything. When we are 'in' Christ, our desires will become his desires, in essence, we will desire in our hearts, the Glory of God. What could be greater than that?

That, is my take on prayer.