Repetitive Prayer

[Big Drew]

In another thread the subject was repetition in modern praise and worship music.

This got me to thinking about something I realized the other day in regards to my prayer life...something I've always struggled with is saying the same thing over and over...maybe not in a row, but I'll have the same basic daily prayer..."God forgive me, watch over my family, keep us safe..." That kind of thing, which I guess there's not much wrong with, at least I'm praying, right? But when I think of it as a parent, when one of my kids asks or tells me something multiple times I start getting annoyed and sometimes am like, "Okay, I heard you the first time!" I wonder if God is like this when we ask him for the same thing over and over?

Is there anyone here that can give advice on getting deeper into prayer, and it not being done superficially or in vain?

 

[grasping the after wind]

I'll repeat what i said in the previous thread and see what response that gets here.

You may well repeat things you have prayed in the past without being repetitive. Reciting the same thing over and over is different than asking God for the same things or saying the same things to Him you may have said in the past. In one instance you are just insincerely mouthing words in the other you are being sincere but persistent. God has invited us to be persistent. There are only so many ways to express an idea so reusing phrases or words from past conversations is fine. Prayer is a conversation with God. Just reciting something again and again is not a conversation at all.

 

[inquiring mind]

I do the same thing. It seems to be what we consider the most important things in our lives; probably why we concentrate on them so much.

 

[ImAllLikeOkWaitWat]

I would say when you pray speak from your heart. If you catch yourself repeating the same thing and that same thing is not meaningful or significant or doesn't need to be prayed about anymore or if you are just not really thinking but just going through the motions then just catch yourself and pray about something else. I notice a lot of people around me who pray say the same exact thing and it is annoying as you say. I don't think everyone prays about the same thing every time but some do and I don't know why they do. Sure what they are praying about is important but why must you pray about it everytime and these people have been praying about the same thing in the same way for years maybe decades. It seems thoughtless to me is all.

 

[brinny]

In another thread the subject was repetition in modern praise and worship music.

This got me to thinking about something I realized the other day in regards to my prayer life...something I've always struggled with is saying the same thing over and over...maybe not in a row, but I'll have the same basic daily prayer..."God forgive me, watch over my family, keep us safe..." That kind of thing, which I guess there's not much wrong with, at least I'm praying, right? But when I think of it as a parent, when one of my kids asks or tells me something multiple times I start getting annoyed and sometimes am like, "Okay, I heard you the first time!" I wonder if God is like this when we ask him for the same thing over and over?

Is there anyone here that can give advice on getting deeper into prayer, and it not being done superficially or in vain?

Excellent thread.

Prayer is "conversing" with God. It's our "heart" speaking, through our words, our expression. And the more "specific", the more it becomes a "conversation".

Many of the Psalms are prayers from a "man after God's own heart", and the "apple of God's eye" (David). He poured out whatever was in his heart at the moment, to God. His prayers were intermingled with cries of help (in times of dire-ness and desperation, to praise, and worship and thanksgiving, and sometimes sheer delight, in God.

This comes to mind:

"Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself as to others. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intimacy with God." ~Francois Fene'lon

 

[Miss Tardis Blue]

If you are praying for the same things daily, they are the same things you would ask prayer for each new day.....
Even though the day changes, you still ask anew for prayer for it.....
I look at it like the following----we are to be thankful for our food, and to thank Him for it before we eat.....
Is that being repetitive each time you eat to say "Thank you for this food"?....

To call God Father, and we as a child---just talk to Him.....
He knows what we need before we ask Him...
He knows what we desire without us saying a word....
But every parent loves to hear their child come up to them (without being asked) and hearing them say "Dad/Mom I love you".......
And "I'm going to sit down and read your Word (the Bible) because You gave it to us, and I appreciate It and want to hear what You had to say to us".....
And "I just want to sit still and think about you Father"......

It is the sincere alone time to talk to Him that is deeper prayer.....
It is not saying words "at" Him....
But honestly from the heart talking "to/with" Him.....

Some people see prayer as "pray for me because I had a bad day".......
or the following is deeper prayer.....
"Father, I had a really bad day...And I'm not sure what went wrong, but I started out wanting to have a good day, and I wanted to focus on You. But this happened and that happened, and I forgot and didn't react the way I should have. And maybe they had a bad day and that is why they took it out on me. I forgive them. And I ask that the next time I come across the same thing that You can give me the strength not to make the same mistake again, and how I could handle it differently. Because I love You and don't want to do things that are against Your Word. And after all that You did for us, I truly appreciate and am thankful for it. And I repent for doing wrong and am so sorry. I do want to do things to please You........"------------that is talking "to/with" God......

 

[Big Drew]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. Don't have time to respond to you individually right now, but I will later.

 

[Soyeong]

In another thread the subject was repetition in modern praise and worship music.

This got me to thinking about something I realized the other day in regards to my prayer life...something I've always struggled with is saying the same thing over and over...maybe not in a row, but I'll have the same basic daily prayer..."God forgive me, watch over my family, keep us safe..." That kind of thing, which I guess there's not much wrong with, at least I'm praying, right? But when I think of it as a parent, when one of my kids asks or tells me something multiple times I start getting annoyed and sometimes am like, "Okay, I heard you the first time!" I wonder if God is like this when we ask him for the same thing over and over?

Is there anyone here that can give advice on getting deeper into prayer, and it not being done superficially or in vain?

I think this article is relevant:

Annoying Things in Worship Songs

 

[Big Drew]

I would say when you pray speak from your heart. If you catch yourself repeating the same thing and that same thing is not meaningful or significant or doesn't need to be prayed about anymore or if you are just not really thinking but just going through the motions then just catch yourself and pray about something else. I notice a lot of people around me who pray say the same exact thing and it is annoying as you say. I don't think everyone prays about the same thing every time but some do and I don't know why they do. Sure what they are praying about is important but why must you pray about it everytime and these people have been praying about the same thing in the same way for years maybe decades. It seems thoughtless to me is all.

That was what struck me and got me to thinking about this...I've said time and again, "Lord forgive me for my sins," but that seems empty if I don't acknowledge what those sins are...then if I repeat the same sin, I'm obviously unrepentant, so I'm just going through the motions, in that regard...now, of course, there are some things we do that we may not realize are not pleasing to God...in which case I think we need to ask Him to reveal these things to us, so we can repent...but that's probably a subject for another thread.

 

[Big Drew]

Excellent thread.

Prayer is "conversing" with God. It's our "heart" speaking, through our words, our expression. And the more "specific", the more it becomes a "conversation".

Many of the Psalms are prayers from a "man after God's own heart", and the "apple of God's eye" (David). He poured out whatever was in his heart at the moment, to God. His prayers were intermingled with cries of help (in times of dire-ness and desperation, to praise, and worship and thanksgiving, and sometimes sheer delight, in God.

This comes to mind:

"Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself as to others. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intimacy with God." ~Francois Fene'lon

That quote was absolutely beautiful...thank you for sharing.

To be able to pray like David is exactly what I want. I feel so many times as if I'm just going through the motions...not to say that I have had those times where I pour my heart out to Him, but we seem to always do that when things are rough...in the good times, and the bad, I want to be able to talk with Him about everything...but I always feel foolish, or unworthy, or whatever, so I end up just saying what I always say.

 

[Big Drew]

If you are praying for the same things daily, they are the same things you would ask prayer for each new day.....
Even though the day changes, you still ask anew for prayer for it.....
I look at it like the following----we are to be thankful for our food, and to thank Him for it before we eat.....
Is that being repetitive each time you eat to say "Thank you for this food"?....

To call God Father, and we as a child---just talk to Him.....
He knows what we need before we ask Him...
He knows what we desire without us saying a word....
But every parent loves to hear their child come up to them (without being asked) and hearing them say "Dad/Mom I love you".......
And "I'm going to sit down and read your Word (the Bible) because You gave it to us, and I appreciate It and want to hear what You had to say to us".....
And "I just want to sit still and think about you Father"......

It is the sincere alone time to talk to Him that is deeper prayer.....
It is not saying words "at" Him....
But honestly from the heart talking "to/with" Him.....

Some people see prayer as "pray for me because I had a bad day".......
or the following is deeper prayer.....
"Father, I had a really bad day...And I'm not sure what went wrong, but I started out wanting to have a good day, and I wanted to focus on You. But this happened and that happened, and I forgot and didn't react the way I should have. And maybe they had a bad day and that is why they took it out on me. I forgive them. And I ask that the next time I come across the same thing that You can give me the strength not to make the same mistake again, and how I could handle it differently. Because I love You and don't want to do things that are against Your Word. And after all that You did for us, I truly appreciate and am thankful for it. And I repent for doing wrong and am so sorry. I do want to do things to please You........"------------that is talking "to/with" God......

I think this is a big part of it for me...I see Him as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, but to see Him as Father is hard. It's almost a foreign concept. I know what the Bible says, I know He is my Father, but I don't feel like I can call Him that...I've been a believer for several years, but this has always been one area where I have struggled. And I'm not really sure why...I had a great relationship with my earthly father before he passed away, so I know what a good father is...it's just a tough concept...

 

[brinny]

I think this is a big part of it for me...I see Him as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, but to see Him as Father is hard. It's almost a foreign concept. I know what the Bible says, I know He is my Father, but I don't feel like I can call Him that...I've been a believer for several years, but this has always been one area where I have struggled. And I'm not really sure why...I had a great relationship with my earthly father before he passed away, so I know what a good father is...it's just a tough concept...

My Father was not a "good" one. He was horribly flawed and downright dangerous in more ways than one. He was also an alcoholic.

The idea of thinking of God as a "father" was repellent to me. I told Him so. YET, our God, "ministered" to me and coaxed me from where i had been hiding. He knew i needed to be shown what a "healthy" and "loving" father was like. And He did. Slowly-but-surely. It wasn't till after i realized what this verse meant, that i was able to "grasp" our God's "Father-heart" for me:

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." ~Zephaniah 3:17

He rejoices and SINGS over us!!!

Hahaaa! Can you imagine that? Our God and Father SINGS over us!! He SINGS!!!

This quote comes to mind, because this is what He did for me:

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." ~Zora Neale Hurston

 

[Tangible]

You might enjoy reading this: http://www.se.lcms.org/uploads/simple_way_pray_luther.pdf

Also, there is a way of praying that has shaped the prayers of the Church for centuries. These types of prayers are known as collects (emphasis on the first syllable). Many of them are aesthetically beautiful, and collects are regularly used in the services of liturgical Christians.

There are some basic guidelines for collect prayers:

Specifically address the Person of God having to do with the request of your prayer, or alternatively address God by naming his attribute(s) that best relate to your request - such as "God of all mercies" or "Loving Father who provides for all our needs", etc.

Next, give reference to God's actions, especially those we learn about through Holy Scripture. "You heard the cry of your Children in Egypt" or "You had mercy on the Canaanite woman."

Add your petition or request as related to the first and/or second parts. "Hear us when we cry out for mercy" or "Mercifully grant that we may see those around us through your loving eyes," etc.

Finish with an address to each Person and an acknowledgement of their Triune nature, such as, "Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Studying written collect prayers passed down through the ages of the Church will help you familiarize yourself with the form and formal type of language normally used.

Although these are normally very formal prayers, they don't necessarily have to be done that way. Simply using this form with everyday language will add a rich devotional quality to your prayers that focuses your attention on the Triune God and all that he has done for us and for our salvation.

The Anatomy of a Prayer: Using the Collect in Worship
A Pattern for Prayer
Collects
https://anglicanway.org/2014/04/26/the-form-and-structure-of-the-collect/

Daily Prayer Collects

 

[AACJ]

In another thread the subject was repetition in modern praise and worship music.

This got me to thinking about something I realized the other day in regards to my prayer life...something I've always struggled with is saying the same thing over and over...maybe not in a row, but I'll have the same basic daily prayer..."God forgive me, watch over my family, keep us safe..." That kind of thing, which I guess there's not much wrong with, at least I'm praying, right? But when I think of it as a parent, when one of my kids asks or tells me something multiple times I start getting annoyed and sometimes am like, "Okay, I heard you the first time!" I wonder if God is like this when we ask him for the same thing over and over?

Is there anyone here that can give advice on getting deeper into prayer, and it not being done superficially or in vain?

History's highly effective Christians all had something very important in common: superb prayer lives. And while I can write some lengthy description on how my prayer life dramatically changed for the better after completing an excellent course on prayer, I will just say a few things here to possibly help with your concerns.

1) God Almighty has chosen to work through he prayers of the saints.
2) Being repetitive is better than no prayer at all.
3) As Christians, we ask the Lord to lead us in most areas of our lives, but often this is not the case regarding our payer lives. We should ask the Lord to lead us in our prayers.
4) Incorporate your prayers in your devotional time and "pray Scripture."
5) A superb prayer life is learned and developed. Many new Christians do not fully understand this.
6) Bible-believing Christians should be asking the Lord to develop in them superb prayer lives. The development of a superb prayer life should be at the top of our lists due to the fact that prayer is foundational to, and precede, all other Christian ministries.
7) Lastly, we should regard prayer as a ministry. This positively alters our perception of prayer. Prayer is a ministry that even a person who is completely physically disabled can fully engage in with tremulous, worldwide impact.

 

[Big Drew]

Thank you for the advice everyone.

 

[FireDragon76]

In another thread the subject was repetition in modern praise and worship music.

This got me to thinking about something I realized the other day in regards to my prayer life...something I've always struggled with is saying the same thing over and over...maybe not in a row, but I'll have the same basic daily prayer..."God forgive me, watch over my family, keep us safe..." That kind of thing, which I guess there's not much wrong with, at least I'm praying, right? But when I think of it as a parent, when one of my kids asks or tells me something multiple times I start getting annoyed and sometimes am like, "Okay, I heard you the first time!" I wonder if God is like this when we ask him for the same thing over and over?

No.

Is there anyone here that can give advice on getting deeper into prayer, and it not being done superficially or in vain?

Repetitive prayer can be a good thing, and it is not necessarily vain.

Imagine two people that have an ideal sort of love, and they love each other don't tire of hearing each other, even if the same thing is said repeatedly. It only sounds nonsensical because we aren't capable of that sort of love by nature.

I struggled with prayer a while when I learned about Lutheranism. I had an assurance of God's grace that seemed to overpower everything and turn my private spiritual life into passivity. But now I think I understand prayer better. It's fulfilling the priestly vocation that Adam was created for, so like has been said, it's a privilege, it's even something that is sacramental. But if you start thinking of prayer legalistically, it can become hard to understand why you should pray or how you should pray. There's no rules, just a lot of guidelines that Christians have figured out through the centuries.

My pastor has actually taught me about meditation, that I never really realized I was praying when I thought I was not . Just thinking about God and about the mysteries he has revealed to us is a kind of prayer. I remember listening to a lecture on Bonhoeffer over a year ago and when he was young he would lay in bed thinking about eternity for a long time. That's the sort of meditation many saints have done, it's just we are used to thinking of prayer as a one-way conversation with God, where it's far more dynamic than that.

 

[Big Drew]

No.



Repetitive prayer can be a good thing, and it is not necessarily vain.

Imagine two people that have an ideal sort of love, and they love each other don't tire of hearing each other, even if the same thing is said repeatedly. It only sounds nonsensical because we aren't capable of that sort of love by nature.

I struggled with prayer a while when I learned about Lutheranism. I had an assurance of God's grace that seemed to overpower everything and turn my private spiritual life into passivity. But now I think I understand prayer better. It's fulfilling the priestly vocation that Adam was created for, so like has been said, it's a privilege, it's even something that is sacramental. But if you start thinking of prayer legalistically, it can become hard to understand why you should pray or how you should pray. There's no rules, just a lot of guidelines that Christians have figured out through the centuries.

My pastor has actually taught me about meditation, that I never really realized I was praying when I thought I was not . Just thinking about God and about the mysteries he has revealed to us is a kind of prayer. I remember listening to a lecture on Bonhoeffer over a year ago and when he was young he would lay in bed thinking about eternity for a long time. That's the sort of meditation many saints have done, it's just we are used to thinking of prayer as a one-way conversation with God, where it's far more dynamic than that.

That makes sense. My wife and I have things we say to each other all the time...things that if someone else heard us say it they would think we're silly or childish...but, it means something to us, and it's just another way say, "I love you."

Everyone has had some really great advice, I do appreciate it. It's odd that I've never been able to grab hold of prayer...I like to talk, lol.

 

[FireDragon76]

I think this is a big part of it for me...I see Him as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, but to see Him as Father is hard. It's almost a foreign concept. I know what the Bible says, I know He is my Father, but I don't feel like I can call Him that...

I think God as Father can be a daunting thing for some people to deal with. It must have been unsettling to Jesus early followers as well. Much easier to deal with God through sacrifices and rituals.

When I was Orthodox, I focused on Mary and the saints- they seemed more approachable, after all. Sometimes I still do. The Lutheran focus on Jesus as a friend, and less of a "lord" has helped me. That's one reason I'm grateful that in my particular church tradition, God is mediated through sacraments and fellowship, and the friendship of God through Jesus is emphasized. It took a big burden off me.

In the Episcopal church I was attending before I became Lutheran, that wasn't emphasized as much. The focus was more individualistic and private.

 

[Meowzltov]

In another thread the subject was repetition in modern praise and worship music.

This got me to thinking about something I realized the other day in regards to my prayer life...something I've always struggled with is saying the same thing over and over...maybe not in a row, but I'll have the same basic daily prayer..."God forgive me, watch over my family, keep us safe..." That kind of thing, which I guess there's not much wrong with, at least I'm praying, right? But when I think of it as a parent, when one of my kids asks or tells me something multiple times I start getting annoyed and sometimes am like, "Okay, I heard you the first time!" I wonder if God is like this when we ask him for the same thing over and over?

Is there anyone here that can give advice on getting deeper into prayer, and it not being done superficially or in vain?

There is a big difference between repetitions and VAIN repetitions. It doesn't sound to me like your repetitions are vain. So long as in your heart you mean what you are praying, God honors the prayer.