Asking for specific things when praying

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WarriorAngel

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One example of chastizement would be a rich person who loses everything and learns to love the poor. And stays poor for some time...

He learns to love.

OR a man who could walk, but is disabled and his trials force him to rely on God more.

Or perhaps he becomes a strong advocate against 'euthanasia'...

Sometimes, while we do not understand why He wont answer certain prayers...it is for the good of the person.

WE just do not know what it is.
 
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Angeldove97

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I look at it as if this person doesn't have enough money right now I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned. I'm hesitant to pray for money issues myself---I don't want to think that's all I care about---so I simply pray Lord provide for this person. That's all that we really need---to have enough to survive.

Your sis is right about asking---but we shouldn't start asking God for ponies and a new convertible just because we really would love to have those things :p
 
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WarriorAngel

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I think God wants to hear from us, so we should let him know what is on our minds. I can be very specific about what I want at times, of course I always know that if it isn't what God wants, I won't get it, but it seems to me that is always implied in a humble prayer anyway.
I often times try to relate my own fatherhood, to God's fatherhood as I believe he gave it to us as a gift, which helps us know him better, and his desires for us as his children. For whatever it is worth to you, I can say with certainty that I don't want my own children simply telling me "whatever you want, dad", but rather I want to get to know them, and what is on their mind. I want interaction with my children, and I think God wants that with us as well. If they want something specific, then I want to hear about it. I may ignore the request, or I may grant it, but either way I'll have an intimate 'parenting moment' with them.
Your own mileage may vary ;)

:) Amen. And as a parent you know better than they do many things.
Like you know what they are capable of handling and what will be beneficial to them.

You know their weaknesses and strong points.

You either accept or decline their requests.
IF they want to bungee jump, you may deny the request because it could be harmful to them.
Or you may accept a request for a bike because it will strengthen them... and help them somehow.

:wave:
 
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geocajun

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You're so smart, geocajun. :)
oooohh, I wouldn't say that. Too smart for my own good, perhaps...

I just keep asking for the same intentions. Call it perseverance, ignorance, or a deep-seeded hope that I can wear Him down. :)

I think thats a fair practice. We know it worked for Abraham (Gen 18).
 
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CounselorRich

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The God I know is One who is loving & cares deeply for us. I don't hesitate to pray about my specific concerns because I feel that God wants me to tell him whatever is troubling me or stressing me out. I don't feel that God will be angry if I tell him exactly what I want or feel I need. Of course--I add to that prayer the knowledge that His WILL is more important & that if it is God's WILL not to give me what I think I need or want--then I pray for the gift of strength & courage to endure whatever is necessary for the growth of my soul.
So--no--I don't feel that there is anything wrong with citing specific things in prayer.. We still get the benefit from the act of prayer itself--even if the specific wish is not granted.
 
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WordofGod

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My sister recently asked for prayer and told me not to just say 'please bless *her name*' pray for' --and then she specifically told me what to pray for, one of the things being increased income. I told her I don't tell God what to do , but I would pray that His will be done in her life. She responded back 'remember the Bible says, you do not have, because you do not ask' --to which I became very irritated.

So anyways. Thoughts?
You can just ask,pray, to God to grant you everything he knows we should ask him for.


This is my Father knows best inspiration.:crossrc:

P.S. I sometimes subtitute us for you.:groupray: :crossrc:
 
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Miss Shelby

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oooohh, I wouldn't say that. Too smart for my own good, perhaps...
Well, your advice helped me reflect a bit on specific intentions. That is, if we ask God for specific intentions, we are not only communicating with him as to what we want or where we are, if they are answered/unanswered, it helps us to see why he didn't answer or why he did. It was enlightening for me. So take a compliment already. :)
 
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I just keep asking for the same intentions. Call it perseverance, ignorance, or a deep-seeded hope that I can wear Him down. :)

LOL, I do that too. I remember that St. Monica prayed for her wayward son, Augustine - that he would get baptised and get his relationship with his female live-in checked by marriage or end it. She prayed for years and years and years and when her prayers were finally answered, WOW where they ever! She received so much, much more than she origionally asked for.

I read that the longer you pray for something before it is answered, the more fruitful the results. This gives me incredible confidence that I will one day be so incredibly sorry of my sins, so humble and have a love for God so intense that it will completely consume me.....


And I might even be a millionaire to boot..;)



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Carrye

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I read that the longer you pray for something before it is answered, the more fruitful the results.

Wow, I really needed to hear that. Really. I would love to read a reflection on that. I can imagine that offering one's reception of Holy Communion would produce beautiful fruit there too.

This gives me incredible confidence that I will one day be so incredibly sorry of my sins, so humble and have a love for God so intense that it will completely consume me.....

Just thinking about the fact that we are given an entrance into the divine life of the Trinity - the eternal perichoresis, eternal dance of love - is so completely beyond my comprehension. And to know that is that for which I was created ... simply overwhelming.
 
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WarriorAngel

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LOL, I do that too. I remember that St. Monica prayed for her wayward son, Augustine - that he would get baptised and get his relationship with his female live-in checked by marriage or end it. She prayed for years and years and years and when her prayers were finally answered, WOW where they ever! She received so much, much more than she origionally asked for.

I read that the longer you pray for something before it is answered, the more fruitful the results. This gives me incredible confidence that I will one day be so incredibly sorry of my sins, so humble and have a love for God so intense that it will completely consume me.....


And I might even be a millionaire to boot..;)



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:cool:
 
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Wow, I really needed to hear that. Really. I would love to read a reflection on that. I can imagine that offering one's reception of Holy Communion would produce beautiful fruit there too..

Remember also in Scripture, the story that I think Christ told, of the person who knocks on another person's door one night saying "please, open up , I am in need of a loaf of bread".

Well the owner of the house tries to ignore it but the person just keeps knocking away saying, "please, can I have a loaf of bread?"

Finally the owner of the house realizes there will be no peace until he does something, so he opens the door and gives not one, but 10 loaves of bread just so the person will stop the incessant knocking he can have peace and go back to sleep again.




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anawim

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My sister recently asked for prayer and told me not to just say 'please bless *her name*' pray for' --and then she specifically told me what to pray for, one of the things being increased income. I told her I don't tell God what to do , but I would pray that His will be done in her life. She responded back 'remember the Bible says, you do not have, because you do not ask' --to which I became very irritated.

So anyways. Thoughts?

The verse explains itself: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."

Jesus is saying that if you are asking for things to spend on your passions (and money would fall into that category), then that's why we don't get money when we ask for it. We get what we need, not what we want.
 
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