Accept a request to not pray for someone?

[Lee M]

If you friend or someone you knew was lost and you began to pray for them to be saved and they told you that they do not want you to pray for them, how would that make you feel? If they even became upset and tried to demand that you stop, how would that make you feel?

Would you accept the request and not pray?

If the answer is yes, then why?

If the answer is no, then why not and why do you feel entitled to influence their life against their will through the method of prayer?

 

[cerette]

It would of course make me sad to learn that a person was so blind and spiritually dead that s/he would ask me to not even pray!
I wouldn't pray for him/her aloud in their presence but I would probably pray even more than before by myself. Nobody can tell me I can't pray for them, that's between me and God.

 

[Lilly Owl]

If you friend or someone you knew was lost and you began to pray for them to be saved and they told you that they do not want you to pray for them, how would that make you feel? If they even became upset and tried to demand that you stop, how would that make you feel?

Would you accept the request and not pray?

If the answer is yes, then why?

If the answer is no, then why not and why do you entitled to influence their life against their will through the method of prayer?

I'd stop praying at their request. I figure anyone who makes that informed choice, knowing me and my values and my faith, is making their free will choice. And an omniscient God is not surprised.
How do you save someone against their will?

 

[Lee M]

Cerette

Do you think your actions in prayer are attempts to influence them? If so, why would you feel entitled to do that against their will?

 

[Lee M]

I'd stop praying at their request. I figure anyone who makes that informed choice, knowing me and my values and my faith, is making their free will choice. And an omniscient God is not surprised.
How do you save someone against their will?

good question!

 

[disciple1938]

point 1. you don't have the power to save anyone whether of their will, or not. Only God saves. point 2. Proper prayer is not meant to to change the person's will, but to influence and agree with God's will (who is not willing that any should perish). Example Abraham praying fpr Sodom. Point 3."Let God be true and every man a liar" You pray at the command of God not the whim of an unbeliever and spiritually dead man. Conclusion. Of course you keep praying. It shouldn't even have become a question.

 

[Sketcher]

I would ask them what they wanted me to do for them instead, and why they wouldn't want me to pray for them.

 

[cerette]

Cerette

Do you think your actions in prayer are attempts to influence them? If so, why would you feel entitled to do that against their will?

It is by the grace of God we are saved, and not our own works or decisions. I don't think my prayers would be attempts to influence them, I would rather say that my prayers would be my "telling God that I so wish for this person to come to faith".

I am assuming now that you'd feel that I was violating your will if I prayed for you--would you feel the same way if I didn't give your children all the candy they asked for or made them eat their veggies when they say they don't wanna?
If you don't feel that those things would violate someone's will, then why not? Or rather, why is the prayer so different?

Kind regards

 

[Lee M]

Cerette,

If I say I do not want to be saved, you pray for me to be saved... I tell you I want you to stop doing that and you refuse because want me to be saved, your prayers are way for you to try to get me saved... how is that not you going against my will?

and yes the examples of children you listed are violating their will, it's just that in the case of young children, being in a parent position makes that ok.

 

[Lee M]

point 1. you don't have the power to save anyone whether of their will, or not. Only God saves. point 2. Proper prayer is not meant to to change the person's will, but to influence and agree with God's will (who is not willing that any should perish). Example Abraham praying fpr Sodom. Point 3."Let God be true and every man a liar" You pray at the command of God not the whim of an unbeliever and spiritually dead man. Conclusion. Of course you keep praying. It shouldn't even have become a question.

Ok so that's a no you don't stop.

What makes you feel entitled to take this sort of influence in their life against their will?

 

[Lee M]

I would ask them what they wanted me to do for them instead, and why they wouldn't want me to pray for them.

well me for example, I don't like for people to pray for me because I feel like it is an active effort on their part to cause things (by praying for those things) in my life that they know I don't want to happen. It seems to be clear position of opposition against me and as a free thinking adult, I don't appreciate that.

 

[Sketcher]

well me for example, I don't like for people to pray for me because I feel like it is an active effort on their part to cause things (by praying for those things) in my life that they know I don't want to happen. It seems to be clear position of opposition against me and a free thinking adult, I don't appreciate that.

If you are not a Christian, why do you believe my prayers would make any difference at all? Especially if you are a deist, as your faith icon says? I thought deists believed in a god who was detached from the creation, and therefore would not answer prayer.

 

[Lee M]

It doesn't really matter what I think your prayers cause... it's the fact that you are trying to go against my will in my very own life and for some reason you feel entitled to do this, somehow what you want for me is more important that what I want for me and you are actively trying to do it and you feel like you have such a right... what that implies about how you feel about me is enough.
I'm just trying to explain the sentiment to you.

Does that make anymore sense?

 

[Lee M]

But for the record I do believe your prayers have power though I do not understand where that power comes from, I do believe I have witnessed this power I just don't know what it is and I don't want it acting upon my life, especially not against me.

Also I don't really want to keep sharing about myself. I answered because you asked but I don't like telling my own views here anymore.

 

[Eric Hibbert]

If you friend or someone you knew was lost and you began to pray for them to be saved and they told you that they do not want you to pray for them, how would that make you feel? If they even became upset and tried to demand that you stop, how would that make you feel?

If the idea of someone praying for them made them upset, then I would be concerned for them, as that would indicate to me that they have an emotional issue that needs to be dealt with.

l don't see how I could, as any mention of their name or any expression of concern for them before God would be considered a prayer.

It's kind of like asking somebody to go through a day without using any words with the letter "E" in them.

If the answer is no, then why not and why do you feel entitled to influence their life against their will through the method of prayer?

How does my praying for somebody "influence their life against their will"?

 

[Lee M]

Eric Hibbert

If the idea of someone praying for them made them upset, then I would be concerned for them, as that would indicate to me that they have an emotional issue that needs to be dealt with.

Have you never imagined that someone disagreed with you? Have you never imagined that someone not want what you want? You think emotional instability is the only excuse for not wanting the same things that you do?

l don't see how I could, as any mention of their name or any expression of concern for them before God would be considered a prayer.

The concern stated in the OP is pretty clear and your decision to pray for them is in fact a choice right?

It's kind of like asking somebody to go through a day without using any words with the letter "E" in them.

Not really.

How does my praying for somebody "influence their life against their will"?

When you pray for someone, your trying to make something happen in their life, prayer is commonly used for petitioning God, that's why it's called petitionary prayer, their is also intercessory prayer, both are forms of trying to cause something, influence something, brings Gods will to pass on earth... if you are praying for someone you are doing that as a way to try to cause something good in their life. If that person doesn't want this to happen and doesn't want you to pray (for them, not in general) then you are opposing them at both points.

 

[cerette]

Cerette,

If I say I do not want to be saved, you pray for me to be saved... I tell you I want you to stop doing that and you refuse because want me to be saved, your prayers are way for you to try to get me saved... how is that not you going against my will?

and yes the examples of children you listed are violating their will, it's just that in the case of young children, being in a parent position makes that ok.

I understand your position, but from my Christian point of view I don't agree with it. First of all, everyone is an enemy of God before they come to faith, whether they feel/know it or not. So, a spiritually dead heart does not want to be saved. It is by the grace of God a heart is awakened, and a person comes to faith.
It is not my prayers that save you, it is God who saves.
You seem to agree with me that the examples with kids & parents make it OK for parents to decide against someone else's will when it is for the good of the child. The same thing goes for God & the unbeliever. God your Creator and Savior knows that it is for your own good that you come to faith. As a believer, I see that too and I wish to pray about it. (Sort of like an older sibling sitting by the dinner table telling the younger kids that "yes, you must eat your veggies and no you cannot have candy everyday for breakfast")

 

[Lee M]

I understand your position, but from my Christian point of view I don't agree with it. First of all, everyone is an enemy of God before they come to faith, whether they feel/know it or not. So, a spiritually dead heart does not want to be saved. It is by the grace of God a heart is awakened, and a person comes to faith.
It is not my prayers that save you, it is God who saves.
You seem to agree with me that the examples with kids & parents make it OK for parents to decide against someone else's will when it is for the good of the child. The same thing goes for God & the unbeliever. God your Creator and Savior knows that it is for your own good that you come to faith. As a believer, I see that too and I wish to pray about it. (Sort of like an older sibling sitting by the dinner table telling the younger kids that "yes, you must eat your veggies and no you cannot have candy everyday for breakfast")

Alright, thanks for answering my questions

 

[Eric Hibbert]

Eric Hibbert



Have you never imagined that someone disagreed with you? Have you never imagined that someone not want what you want? You think emotional instability is the only excuse for not wanting the same things that you do?

And once again, I got suckered into thinking you were sincere.

 

[Lee M]

And once again, I got suckered into thinking you were sincere.

Because I said someone could genuinely disagree with you and not want what you want and still be perfectly stable?

Just because I'm not like you, that doesn't make me a villain. I didn't even say anything about what you think. I just tried to describe to you how a person could be opposed to the idea of you praying for something you want to happen in their life.