Help with prayer

[Melchett]

Hi again, I have another question!

Although i don't have any doubts in my faith as such, I feel I don't really feel I have a proper relationship with God. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't really know when and where to pray or what to pray about. I do pray sometimes, but the problem is that it mostly feels very one way - it's like I'm only sending text messages now and again when really I'd like to be able to talk to Him on the phone.

I don't doubt prayer - it's through someone praying for me that a previously skeptical young man like me was able to experience God - but at the moment I need some help and direction with it. If I ask God for something, how do I know when God has answered it or if He has decided what I ask for isn't what He wants? Or if I'm thanking Him for something, how do I know if He's got the message? Of course in my mind I know He always hears it, but how can I help to remember day to day in my heart that this is the case?

PS Thanks for all the replies to my last post!

 

[ephraimanesti]

Hi again, I have another question!

Although i don't have any doubts in my faith as such, I feel I don't really feel I have a proper relationship with God. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't really know when and where to pray or what to pray about. I do pray sometimes, but the problem is that it mostly feels very one way - it's like I'm only sending text messages now and again when really I'd like to be able to talk to Him on the phone.

I don't doubt prayer - it's through someone praying for me that a previously skeptical young man like me was able to experience God - but at the moment I need some help and direction with it. If I ask God for something, how do I know when God has answered it or if He has decided what I ask for isn't what He wants? Or if I'm thanking Him for something, how do I know if He's got the message? Of course in my mind I know He always hears it, but how can I help to remember day to day in my heart that this is the case?

PS Thanks for all the replies to my last post!

MY DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST,

MAY OUR LORD'S BLESSINGS SURROUND YOU AS YOU SEEK HIS FACE!
What i would suggest, is that you do a "Word Study" in the New Testament regarding "PRAYER"--either in a good Study Bible such as the Thompson Chain Reference (which i think is the best) or in a Concordance. There is a wealth of teaching all through the New Testament on the subject of Prayer, and it would probably be better for you to sort out these teachings for yourself rather that have someone give you their opinion of what the Scriptures say. Discover it for yourself! A key teaching on Prayer by our Lord is to be found in Matthew 6:5-13, which might be a good place for you to start.
When you have finished your own word study, you might want to pick up a book on Prayer at your nearest Christian Book Store--there are many good ones available. Perhaps you could ask for book suggestions from your Pastor/Youth Pastor/Elder/Priest or who ever you are under Spiritual authority to.
In my opinion, the most important thing in your Prayer Life is FAITH--Faith that God hears every word you say; Faith that He answers ALL Prayers according to what He knows is in the best interests of those Praying; and that if you Meditate on Him in the quiet of your Heart, you will always be able to hear His Voice.
Your obvious zeal for the Lord will stand you in good stead. Remember our Lord's promise, "KEEP ASKING, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. KEEP SEARCHING, AND YOU WILL FIND. KEEP KNOCKING, AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU. FOR EVERYONE WHO ASKS RECEIVES, AND THE ONE WHO SEARCHES FINDS, AND TO THE ONE WHO KNOCKS, THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED."(Matthew 7:7,8) MAY YOU BE BLESSED!

MUCH LOVE IN CHRIST, OUR LORD,
ephraimanesti

 

[Shadowcat]

Hi again, I have another question!

Although i don't have any doubts in my faith as such, I feel I don't really feel I have a proper relationship with God. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't really know when and where to pray or what to pray about. I do pray sometimes, but the problem is that it mostly feels very one way - it's like I'm only sending text messages now and again when really I'd like to be able to talk to Him on the phone.

I don't doubt prayer - it's through someone praying for me that a previously skeptical young man like me was able to experience God - but at the moment I need some help and direction with it. If I ask God for something, how do I know when God has answered it or if He has decided what I ask for isn't what He wants? Or if I'm thanking Him for something, how do I know if He's got the message? Of course in my mind I know He always hears it, but how can I help to remember day to day in my heart that this is the case?

PS Thanks for all the replies to my last post!

Melchett my Brother in Christ, my experience is a relationship with God comes with spiritual growth - I'm not in any way saying you have to be a Christian for a long time to have a relationship with God but I am saying give it time (like any relationship). I know from time to time it does seem as though prayers seem one sided but I know God hears every prayer - how I know I guess it's because I feel a sense of peace whenever I pray. As to when and where to pray and what to pray about - let your heart guide you.

Loving God,

You have promised you will always hear Your precious childrens' prayers. I pray Your child Melchett may have the relationship with You he desires. I also pray that as he grows in his relationship with You he may come to know Your Perfect Love. May he allow his heart to guide him as to when and where to pray and what to pray about. I ask this through Your Precious Name. Amen.

I hope this helps.

Love & Blessings
Shadowcat

 

[pugby]

Prayer does not have to be elaborate, it just needs to be an honest, crying out to God. Tell Him how awesome He is, share with Him your struggles and pain, ask Him for what you need, thank Him for what He has done. Just be open with God and that is true prayer.

 

[millerrod]

when you wake up in the morning and see the sun it was God who raised it. if the wind is blowing to the south,north, east , or west it is God who pushed it that way. if you see a tree moving in the wind God is moving the tree. All around you is God. The Love in a childs smile, the sparkle in there young eyes. the air that holds the bird in flight, the sound of running water all is of God all is God, share your time with the Lord if the air smells of flowers tell him, a smile on the face of someone point it out to him, laugh with him cry with him, share your life with him, be with him at all times, this is prayer, share your life ALL your life with him, all you see all you feel all you experenice and then thank him. millerrod

 

[Rathvon350]

Never forget who you are talking to, your Father. There isn't some magic formula for prayer, just talk to God. One thing that I have found helpful is using the Lord's Prayer as a guideline.

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name"
Stop and fill in why you think God is wonderful and praise Him for His almighty power.

" Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"
Again fill in with your requests that His will be done

"Give us this day our daily bread"
Time for petitions

"forgive us our trespasses/debts as we forgive those who trespass against us/ debtors"
Confession time. This can get rather lengthy for me :-(

" lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil/ the evil one"
you get the point

This helps me alot and it is why Christ gave us this example. Saying the Lord's prayer first always helps clear my mind of thoughts of the day or the day to come as well.

Disclaimer: This is not the only way to pray!!! It helps me sometimes but there is not replacement for a humble and contrite heart when it comes to prayer. Also, there is not set time to pray. God can always hear us and we needn't have our eyes closed to do it. This would problematic for me as I often pray while driving down the road. Godspeed and remember prayer is you and God.

 

[SumTinWong]

I do pray sometimes, but the problem is that it mostly feels very one way - it's like I'm only sending text messages now and again when really I'd like to be able to talk to Him on the phone.

I love this analogy and to be honest I have felt the very same way. But now when I pray because I have been doing it for so long I know that He hears me from past experiences with answered prayers. All of my prayers have been answered in one way or another, and even though i would love to use the phone a friend with God option once in awhile, I am confident that His replies come.

I asked for many things when i was a new convert to the faith and God answered them all for my good, not necessarily for the exact things i asked for.

Give it time buddy, it will come.

 

[ILoveYeshua]

1) You can't hide from God. His hearing is just fine, no matter where you are or how you speak or even if you only pray in your heart or mind. He hears you just fine. He DID make the whole universe, with billions of galaxies and zillions of planets. So as for whether he hears your prayer, he is more than capable of doing so no matter how you utter it.

2) Christ taught us how to pray in Matthew 6. If you believe that Christ really knows everything, then you oughta listen to him and obey him in that sermon on the mount. In the Lord's prayer, some are not sure what "hallowed be thy name" means. it means that His Holy Name is set above every other name, that it is sacred and pure, that it carries with it strong power and good tidings, that it is a name to be revered and feared. It is a name that should strike fear into all, for the LORD GOD is very powerful. But as powerful as he is, he is just as loving. God is love. So as much as you fear God, love him back.

3) Ever have a lover who said they would die for you? Well Christ, our lover, has already died for us in a show of love that no other romantic man has ever done. His love for us was so great as to bleed exceedingly for us, to save us. I think you might be considering Christ to be some abstract thing out there, back in history. He's sent the Holy Spirit, who is right here, right now, around you, and in all believers of the Messiah Yeshua Christ of Nazareth our Lord.

4) If someone normal saves your life, a custom sometimes is that you "owe your life to them" and will owe them a favor or be indebted to them until you save their life. Well, we all know Christ has "saved our life", and not just this natural one but an eternal one, which comes with a mansion and an inheritance. He's present, able to hear you, loves you, and will return quickly. Be prepared for his imminent return. It could happen any second. Rejoice! Soon this old world will not even be a memory. God will erase the memory of our pain, or even better turn that pain into exceeding joy. All because you believe in His Son. All because he gave you the grace to do so, not by your works.

I posted this one in another thread, hope it helps you too.
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Hi, try recentering yourself out of that fear and into his love. See, you still have your identity within yourself. You must crucify that old identity, and live the resurrection life. When people see you and the way you live, ideally they should be seeing Jesus. Now we all know thats hard and nearly impossible, but Christ himself has said, that everyone who learns from him and becomes fully instructed by him will be like him, though a servant is not above his master. We can become like him, to a point, according to the grace that God in his mercy has given us.

Our salvation is secure, rejoice for that. Christ completed his mission on the cross, and if you believe it you will never die. The sons of God are immortal, in the long run. Your problem is that you haven't properly seized onto the joy that not dying and conquering the devil should bring. the devil has caused many wars and rapes and thefts and cheating and fornication. he tempted, man went along with it. But Christ has judged the devil. The prince of this world is judged, and we as believers have authority to drive out devils even, by the name of our resurrected Lord Yeshua Christ of Nazareth. Or in the greek, Iesous Christos (ee-yay-sooce kris-tohs). You've been blessed with an inherited righteousness, given eternal life, a mansion in heaven, and you know full well that those who hate God and His Son will burn in the everlasting pit of fire.

What more could you want? Rejoice, be happy! Our great commander has won a great victory, even as David conquered Goliath by the power of the Most High God, Christ also conquered satan through his death on the cross. What satan intended for harm, God turned into good. If that's not something to rejoice about, I can't help ya.

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Peace be with you in your walk with Christ. If you ever need anything, ASK HIM!!! He gives freely. Ah, if we would only believe, our joy would be made so much more full.

 

[Glenda]

Good Morning, Melchett..

You've gotten some great advice here.. only thing else I can think of to tell you is to make sure you take time to listen..

I sometimes get so involved in "talking to" God that I forget to shut up and listen to what He is saying back to me.. Prayer (talking with God) is a 2 way street..

He has to bop me sometimes to get me to hear.. He gives me dreams & then he confirms His word to me in my awake time..

And He reaches me in the strangest places sometimes.. like in the shower.. or when I am blow drying my hair.. I think that He does that because those times are when my mind is not racing about .. thinking about work or my agenda for that day..

God Bless...

 

[Melchett]

Thankyou for the replies everyone!

I've been thinking about it, and I guess my main problem is that either my prayers haven't been answered or perhaps more likely I just don't know they have. I had very tangible experiences of God when I was initially prayed for and then when I prayed to Jesus for Him to come into my life. It's just that apart from those two occasions there's nothing I think of and put my finger on and say "Yes, there's a prayer that was answered, Jesus definitely helped me out with that."

 

[snoochface]

Sometimes the answer to prayer is hard to see because we take so much for granted.

For example, I've been so tired in the mornings the past few days that it takes me forever to get going and to get anything done when I first sit down to do stuff. Last night I said a prayer that I would wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start my day, and that I would be efficient enough to get some important items off my to-do list.

When I woke up this morning, I was expecting to feel really tired and want to go back to bed, but after a few minutes I realized I was feeling pretty good. And I got a lot done today too. I totally took this for granted. I just woke up feeling refreshed and worked hard all day. It took me to this afternoon to remember my prayer and realize that God answered it.

It's so easy to forget the little things, but they are there.

 

[Melchett]

Well thinking about it, there already have been a few things that i think God helped me out with. I was a bit annoyed about some stuff when i wrote my last post, so that's why I felt so pessimistic. I'm still quite a new Christian really, and have such a long way to go on my path with God.

 

[Funngrace]

I liked your text message reference-it's something that I can relate to in many ways. I've recently read a posting from my good friend Jayson45 who told me about fastext.t9.com and I learned to text faster- evidently by talking to him, and he is full of faith himself, I've also learned to have more faith--so he's helped my being able to communicate with God and others. Faith is something that you work on and it grows everyday you grow. Take heart--you'll know when you're doing right. Just continue to have faith and reach out, like you have, to those who are willing to help you along.

 

[millerrod]

the next time you pray, ask God to use you, this prayer seems to be answered quickly most every time.