A prayer request for the deconverted?

[Deidre32]

I’ve shared in different sections of this forum, that I was once a Christian. I was raised in the Catholic faith, and drifted away from that during college years, to a more ‘’watered down’’ version of Christianity. But, despite not reading the Bible daily back then, I still fervently prayed the Rosary, and went to confession.

I deconverted from Christianity about 4 years ago, and over the past nearly two years, I’ve considered myself an atheist. But, I’ve changed my status to ‘seeker’ as of late, because there is this void that I can’t quite explain. I try to satisfy it with dating men, or shopping, or accomplishments through work, or even through friends…but nothing takes away this nagging ache.

I don’t know what I’m asking for here really, but if you are a believer—perhaps you could pray for me. Logically, I don’t believe the Bible to be true, but emotionally…I miss how I used to *feel* when I had a ‘’relationship’’ with God.

I don’t believe any of us truly can know if a deity of some type exists, that created the universe…so, I stay open to the possibilities. But, I don’t feel I need to know like I once did, but the ache inside does seem very real.


Thank u in advance, for reading this, if you made it this far.

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

Ask the Lord to direct your path and reveal Himself to you.
Praying for your peace and blessing

 

[Jesuscares4u]

I'm Praying for you.

 

[Deidre32]

Ask the Lord to direct your path and reveal Himself to you.
Praying for your peace and blessing

I'm Praying for you.

It's odd to ask a prayer request, when my own beliefs have changed, but...I came here for a reason. Thank you so very much, both of you.

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

It's not really odd; it is the Holy Spirit nudging you
When we have an 'ache' like you described, only the LORD can fill it.
When we exercise faith, sometimes 'logic' must be cast aside so we can see the TRUTH.

Psalm 62[a]

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[b]

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”

John Michael Talbot - 'Only in God' - YouTube

​

 

[Deidre32]

(((Merciful Love))) Thank you for that above. Wow, I'm taken aback by your kindness this day. Appreciate it.

I feel a little better today.

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

(((Merciful Love))) Thank you for that above. Wow, I'm taken aback by your kindness this day. Appreciate it.

I feel a little better today.

You're welcome ~ glad to hear it
Just keep an open heart

 

[PopeSaintMatthew]

Dee we all have that ache.
In AA they call it a God hole. A void...an emptiness that only God can fill.
As Saint Augustine put it, "our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you oh God".

Human beings have been incessantly searching for God. THere is clearly a need there. Even ancient Cultures that had no exposure to Christianity or the Bible, were still deeply Religious.

For some reason, whatever it may be, human beings are spiritual creatures and have a need for God.

Maybe you can find a Spirituality that fits you better than the Conventual means of using the Bible or Some Dogma from a denomination.

Our emotions tell us that we are not purely physical beings and there is a need to go beyond the physical

In animal colonies, there is often a hierarchy of leadership however primitive, often with an alpha male at top or the Queen Aunt or Queen Bee.

Well with human beings...we have extended that hierarchy to a universal level including God and angels and Saints.

Whether there is any truth to this...you and I are very skeptic. But according to Scripture, "Seek and you shalll find, ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened unto you".

I believe you are asking, seeking, and knocking, so...according to Scripture...you will find....

But What the time frame is, I don't know. God bless you and I hope you discover the truth and the peace you are searching for.

Pax Tecum Dei!

 

[Deidre32]

Dee we all have that ache.
In AA they call it a God hole. A void...an emptiness that only God can fill.
As Saint Augustine put it, "our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you oh God".

Human beings have been incessantly searching for God. THere is clearly a need there. Even ancient Cultures that had no exposure to Christianity or the Bible, were still deeply Religious.

For some reason, whatever it may be, human beings are spiritual creatures and have a need for God.

Maybe you can find a Spirituality that fits you better than the Conventual means of using the Bible or Some Dogma from a denomination.

Our emotions tell us that we are not purely physical beings and there is a need to go beyond the physical

In animal colonies, there is often a hierarchy of leadership however primitive, often with an alpha male at top or the Queen Aunt or Queen Bee.

Well with human beings...we have extended that hierarchy to a universal level including God and angels and Saints.

Whether there is any truth to this...you and I are very skeptic. But according to Scripture, "Seek and you shalll find, ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened unto you".

I believe you are asking, seeking, and knocking, so...according to Scripture...you will find....

But What the time frame is, I don't know. God bless you and I hope you discover the truth and the peace you are searching for.

Pax Tecum Dei!

Thank you for your reply, Pope...
When I first deconverted, everything seemed free-ing. Clear. I was at peace. I don't miss religion per se, but I miss the way I felt when I believed in a deity. That something...some One would watch over me, and no matter whatever happened in my life, things were going to turn out just fine. When you let go of all of that, even though logically you feel you are doing the right thing...your heart doesn't immediately follow suit.

While I don't wish for anyone to have this 'ache,' I'm grateful that I'm not alone...so thank you.

 

[PopeSaintMatthew]

Lord God,
if you love Deidre, then it is your responsibility as her Father to speak in a way that she can understand you.

You oh Lord said, "ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you."

Behold she asks, she seeks, and she knocks. Now supply her Spiritual needs. Give her understanding so that she will no longer be confused about what the "Truth" is and who you are.

Any responsible Father would speak up if he saw a child in danger of perishing.It costs you nothing to give any amount of grace. So please give her the grace to see clearly and receive consolation and instruction from you.

You who said ask anything of the Father in my name and it will be done for you. So in the name of Jesus and by his passion, death, Ressurection, and precious blood, hear our prayer and be faithful to your word that you promised would not return void... Please!

Send her legions of Angels to comfort, to light , to guard, to rule, to guide, Amen!

 

[PopeSaintMatthew]

I'm glad there is a section for non christians to request prayers from Christians...This is definitely my area of CF. LOL

 

[Deidre32]

Thank you ^^ Pope, for your kinds words...means a lot.

 

[brinny]

I’ve shared in different sections of this forum, that I was once a Christian. I was raised in the Catholic faith, and drifted away from that during college years, to a more ‘’watered down’’ version of Christianity. But, despite not reading the Bible daily back then, I still fervently prayed the Rosary, and went to confession.

I deconverted from Christianity about 4 years ago, and over the past nearly two years, I’ve considered myself an atheist. But, I’ve changed my status to ‘seeker’ as of late, because there is this void that I can’t quite explain. I try to satisfy it with dating men, or shopping, or accomplishments through work, or even through friends…but nothing takes away this nagging ache.

I don’t know what I’m asking for here really, but if you are a believer—perhaps you could pray for me. Logically, I don’t believe the Bible to be true, but emotionally…I miss how I used to *feel* when I had a ‘’relationship’’ with God.

I don’t believe any of us truly can know if a deity of some type exists, that created the universe…so, I stay open to the possibilities. But, I don’t feel I need to know like I once did, but the ache inside does seem very real.


Thank u in advance, for reading this, if you made it this far.

Praying for you, that God mooooves as only He can and that His precious Holy Spirit ministers to you.

 

[grandvizier1006]

It seems to me that you recognize the void without God. I take it that something happened with your old religious life? You never really just "got it?"

I want to tell you that I was there once, too, and for a long time I didn't even know it. I was a cultural Christian, or so I told myself, but I lived like I had no morals at all save for the egotistic ones I made up for myself. Now, to the outside observer I was just eccentric, since my morals didn't involve hedonism or anything "sinful", at least outwardly.

But I was missing something, and it wasn't until circumstances in my life got worse and I had opportunity to be ashamed of myself and what I had become. Most people would probably not see me as that bad, but I knew my own heart and knew the corruption inside of me.

During this time, I had lots of doubt and worry and frustration at the church. I didn't like the way they were doing things--especially how the church seemed so America-centric, ignoring the suffering of Christians in other parts of the world (they didn't, but that's what I thought). There was so much stuff in the Bible that I just wasn't sure what to make of, and I was TERRIFIED of atheists for a while, afraid that they'd just tear me apart if somehow I mentioned I was a Christian (paranoia, I know, but I'm from the South, where no one admits to being an atheist. So I thought everybody outside the South was basically a potential danger.)

But at some point I entered a depression and felt worthless due to self-esteem issues. I prayed to God one night, hoping that He would take it all away, acknowledging that I couldn't get rid of my sin on my own.

And God responded, in a very subtle way which I still cannot understand. He basically let me know He was there and that He loved me, and would help me through the darkest time of my life. I wasn't a freak to Him.

I realized then that my sinful nature was not inherent in me; it could be destroyed, and even though I haven't been a legitimate Christian for a long time I already know that God has been destroying my old self. Furthermore, my doubt is almost completely gone. I had so many concerns and questions, and I wanted to lead unbelievers to Christ but had no idea how to set about doing it--but I guess that was because my faith wasn't strong enough to begin with.

I remember the day before that experience a Christian friend told me to just experience and feel God. I told her that I didn't think I could do that, even if I wanted to. I thought someone like me just couldn't have that experience. But I did. And I want you to know that you can, too. All you need to do is acknowledge your sin, admit that you cannot save yourself on your own or come to know God on your own, and that you would like God's assistance.

You must be sincere and willing about this. I was at my lowest point in my life and crying horribly when this was all happening, so I'm just saying that a mere utterance of the right words doesn't work. It has to be from the heart, and if you feel something--namely, if you feel that God has let you know that He loves you--then you've done right.

I hope you will be able to do this

 

[Deidre32]

grandvizier, that is a beautiful post, and thank you for it. I'm actually going to church service on Xmas Eve this year with my dad...so, we shall see. I'm not going 'for' him, but there is something inside me that wishes to just...go.

I appreciate your heartfelt prayer.

 

[PopeSaintMatthew]

grandvizier, that is a beautiful post, and thank you for it. I'm actually going to church service on Xmas Eve this year with my dad...so, we shall see. I'm not going 'for' him, but there is something inside me that wishes to just...go.

I appreciate your heartfelt prayer.

I hope you will film it with your phone. Wouldn't that be great. Your first youtube video is the birth of Jesus and the unbloody sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ on the Altar!

An Atheist going to Church! Agnostic rather....or better yet...Seeeeker!

 

[Deidre32]

I hope you will film it with your phone. Wouldn't that be great. Your first youtube video is the birth of Jesus and the unbloody sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ on the Altar!

An Atheist going to Church! Agnostic rather....or better yet...Seeeeker!

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

grandvizier, that is a beautiful post, and thank you for it. I'm actually going to church service on Xmas Eve this year with my dad...so, we shall see. I'm not going 'for' him, but there is something inside me that wishes to just...go.

I appreciate your heartfelt prayer.

That is wonderful
Praying the Lord fills your heart with His loving Presence

 

[Deidre32]

That is wonderful
Praying the Lord fills your heart with His loving Presence

Thank you so much...it means a lot to me to have people praying. I used to be offended by prayer, since I'm not following the faith, anymore. But, at the end of the day, we all express ourselves in ways that make sense to us...whether that be as believers, atheists, or...seekers. I am grateful tonight for a lot.

 

[Deidre32]

I'm going to Xmas mass with my dad this year, just an update to this thread.