Is it wrong to repeat prayers?

[christopher vickers]

Hi everyone, im new to this forum and have posted a little about my story in the new members section.

I am christian but i am very new to the bible and everything to do with christianity. I have a few questions if someone doesnt mind answering them.

1. I pray every night to God, I pray for my sons protection and i thank God for everything he does for us. I say the same things everynight and other things when they are happening in life. I read in another post today that the Bible says not to say the same prayers over and over. Is this true?

2. I intend to read the bible and i am wondering weather to read it from start to finish or read certain Psalms etc and just read it in sections over the years?

3. I want to join a church in my area, some of my family are catholic and others are christian. I know a few differences between the both but not into debth. My nan regularly goes to a catholic church and i could go with her due to my grandfather just passing away, but i am not catholic and i do not know if i would like to attend a catholic church. What is your purseption on the matter?

4. I want to have my son christened this spring and i also like the idea of being re-baptized as i feel as though i have now found God. Do you think it is a good idea?

Thank you for your help and advise in advance.

 

[YoungandUnashame101]

Praise God for accepted Jesus as your LORD and Savior!!! Welcome to Gods family. First you need to talk to God as you would your mom or father or a friend just keep it real with him...I repeat myself often time when I pray...I pray for myself most of the time and pray for others at times and Prayer really works i seen God worked in amazing ways he is truly amazing...becareful what you pray for Because God might not grant that prayer that you want so he might have something better you might get disappointed but trust in God because you want Gods very best!!!

Try to read the bible as often you have and spend time with Jesus...even taking a walk with Jesus in the park or holding his hand....spend time and talk to jesus as you would with a Girl you met ....start with the book of mark its a short book and read psalms if you need encouragement.....read proverbs to gain wisdom.....I'm sooo happy you decided to live for the Lord is very rewarding your have your ups and down in this walk is a journey with your creator and lover of your soul Jesus Christ.....just know Gods is under control....God bless you~~!!!

 

[christopher vickers]

Thank you very much, God bless you my friend.

 

[supersoldier71]

First of all, greetings to you, brother!

1: Matthew 6 is instructive: Jesus tells us not to pray so that other people may see it; in other words, don't pray FOR others. He goes further to tell us that we should no pray using empty phrases. Repetition for its own sake is the thing to be guarded against, and we can know this because in Luke 11:5-8, Jesus gives a parable that informs us that we SHOULD continue to lift up our continuing circumstances to the Lord with urgency and diligence:

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence [3] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. "

I pray for all three of my children's souls daily, as well as for their material prosperity and that God will grant them wisdom and discernment.

2. I think a good place to start would be Romans, because it contains a great deal of basic Christian instruction. Most believers I know re-visit Romans regularly because of this. I would also add that it would be beneficial to join with other believers and study as a group in addition to your individual study. Iron sharpens iron.

3. I would say that you should read the Bible and pray to find a fellowship of believers whose practices most closely align with what the Bible teaches. God WILL answer your prayers! Pray diligently as I mentioned above, and the Lord will provide for you!

4. I'm not a believer in infant baptism, but I see no harm in it. As for you being re-Baptised: was there some sin that you committed in the time since your first immersion that God didn't know you would commit? When we become Christians, we don't know all the sins we're going to commit after we're saved, but God does, and has known all these things since before time was time. Nothing you've done since is a surprise to Him. I would say no, it's not necessary, but as in all things, let Scripture, the Holy Spirit of God and your conscience be your guide.

Peace and God bless!

 

[heron]

Funny, I was watching the Catholic channel this morning, and thought how nice it was that they had some good prayers to repeat. (I don't agree with all of them.) I've been away from that, and miss it.

Sometimes our minds wander while our heart is in the right place. The pre-written prayers help guide us back to what we were probably wishing to say.

People asked Jesus how to pray, and He gave them one well-balanced prayer.

Luke 11:1-4
One of His disciples said to Him, Lord teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

And He said to them: When you pray, say,

Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name,
let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done on earth as it also is in Heaven.
Give us our needed bread day by day; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.

Matthew 6:11 - KJV - with Study Resources - with Context - Study Desk

That is probably similar to what you already pray.

4. I want to have my son christened this spring and i also like the idea of being re-baptized as i feel as though i have now found God. Do you think it is a good idea?

You might want to wait until you've found a church you want to celebrate this with, no? It seems a little awkward to do it with strangers, in a church you might not agree with. Not that these things should hinder baptism! Some churches also offer a dedication ceremony for children who are too young to make the choice themselves.

 

[aldar]

Vickers,

It is perfectly fine to repeat prayers just be aware that repeating prayers and words is something that goes on in pagan rites and rituals, the powerful part of it becoming their repetition and chanting... and christian prayer shouldn't become that way.

It's fine to repeat yourself but the repeating shouldn't become a "lucky rabbit's foot" for you, if it does it doesn't mean your evil, it means your praying ineffectively.
As the others have said, try to be conversational and personal. That doesn't mean you can't be structured either.

 

[heron]

You might be interested in this list of Hebrew prayers. Contemporary Jews repeat certain readings on holy days, and at other occasions. I would imagine most of these go back quite a ways.

Judaism 101: Prayers and Blessings

The book of Psalms was written for congregational singing, but their content is like prayer.

It is important to stay in communication with God throughout the day, but I see nothing wrong or unscriptural about repeating your intents and words, unless you are not thinking along with your voice.

 

[JCFantasy23]

1. I pray every night to God, I pray for my sons protection and i thank God for everything he does for us. I say the same things everynight and other things when they are happening in life. I read in another post today that the Bible says not to say the same prayers over and over. Is this true?

If you are referring to the verses I think you are, it's in repetitive words, empty phrases that hold no meaning to you/God in prayer, but rather for attention or recognition from man and such. There is nothing wrong with praying for the same thing over and over again. We are encouraged to pray to God with all our needs, hopes, desires and dreams. We are able to keep praying for the same things and keep hoping for the same prayers to be answered. Eventually we will get our answer. Praying diligently is praying well.

2. I intend to read the bible and i am wondering weather to read it from start to finish or read certain Psalms etc and just read it in sections over the years?

There are many ways to read the bible. I started when I was 14 and read from start to finish like a book. If you read out of order be sure to keep it together in your mind once you've read the whole thing, as it all really does tie together. There are many reading plans that help with this too. A good website is youversion, where they have many reading plan options (free of course) that you can choose to help with your bible journey. The bible is divided into books based on themes already, so this helps too.

3. I want to join a church in my area, some of my family are catholic and others are christian. I know a few differences between the both but not into debth. My nan regularly goes to a catholic church and i could go with her due to my grandfather just passing away, but i am not catholic and i do not know if i would like to attend a catholic church. What is your purseption on the matter?

We are all united by Christ, and this is a much stronger thing than the small things that divide us. That being said, there is a definite difference with many Catholic beliefs versus some other beliefs within their theology. Best bet for you is to know what you believe and what's the most important to you first. The subforum here, Looking for a Church, would be a good place to start with this. It's designed to help people pinpoint denominations and churches.

4. I want to have my son christened this spring and i also like the idea of being re-baptized as i feel as though i have now found God. Do you think it is a good idea?

Depends on the view you have with baptism. I think it's a good idea if you feel led to do it.

Thank you for your help and advise in advance.

No problem, that's what fellow Christians are here for Well, one of the many things anyway...

 

[Paxton25]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and have posted a little about my story in the new members section.

I am christian but i am very new to the Bible and everything to do with Christianity. I have a few questions if someone doesn't mind answering them.

1. I pray every night to God, I pray for my sons protection and i thank God for everything he does for us. I say the same things every night and other things when they are happening in life. I read in another post today that the Bible says not to say the same prayers over and over. Is this true?

A. There's a big difference between repeatedly giving thanks and petitioning our Lord and parroting a prayer without considering its meaning (that's what the Lord hates).

2. I intend to read the bible and i am wondering weather to read it from start to finish or read certain Psalms etc and just read it in sections over the years?

A. I would recommend first that you buy a Bible you can comfortably read. There are many translations and Bibles with footnotes and maps, if you like that sort of thing. Check out BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages. for different translations.

I would begin the day with a simple prayer, breakfast, and a short reading in one of the Gospels that you can meditate on throughout the day. At night, select some of the Psalms for light reading so you can go quietly to sleep after your bedtime prayer. You may even want to read some to your son.

3. I want to join a church in my area, some of my family are Catholic and others are Christian. I know a few differences between the both but not into depth. My nan regularly goes to a Catholic church and I could go with her due to my grandfather just passing away, but I am not catholic and i do not know if i would like to attend a catholic church. What is your perception on the matter?

A. If you want to go to a Catholic church and have your son Christened there, do so. Continue with this church for as long as it agrees with what you read in the Bible.

4. I want to have my son christened this spring and i also like the idea of being re-baptized as i feel as though i have now found God. Do you think it is a good idea?
A. Same as #3, except that I would hold off on your own baptism until you fully understand its significance from a Biblical point of view.


Thank you for your help and advice in advance.

''Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.'' (Proverbs 3:5,6 NIV)

 

[Aibrean]

I'm not entirely sure the Catholics would allow re-baptism considering they believe as Lutherans do that it's a work of God. Your first baptism was valid. To say it wasn't would be to belittle the power of God. Obviously he did work in you because you have found Him.

I don't think repetitive prayers are bad, especially if they come from an honest heart.

 

[onedreamergirl]

Scripture is very clear that you should pray, not only for yourself, but for others. He says to pray without ceasing, and to continue asking, bringing all things to Him. Jesus even tells a parable about praying without giving up.

Also, Abraham continued to ask him to spare people in the city of Sodom, and God did this. Remember that God already knew Abraham would ask, but it seems that He wanted the dialogue with Abraham just like He wants it with you.

God can change hearts, there are examples all throughout the Bible, so those who say don't pray to change someone because of their free will...that makes no difference with God. He is God. He knows everything, and can certainly change someone.

Prayers said with purity and love behind them matter. He knows your heart, so don't worry if people tell you not to pray for someone to change. Pray anyway. God knows your intentions and fervent prayers spoken in faith and love matter to Him.

I just wanted to say that yes, God wants us to pray without ceasing. Faith, and prayer with purity and love matter.

 

[michaelwriting]

First of all, I would imagine that we should all be very careful who we get spiritual advice from. I believe some of your questions might be best left up to you and God.

Concerning question 1 (prayers), I personally use certain prayers over and over. Particularly the serenity prayer and the Lord's prayer. I also pray for the basics quite often (strength, peace, comfort, serenity, wisdom, healing love, etc.). God seems to honor these basic prayers for me.

I'm thinking the main objection you are getting about those kinds of prayers is that it shouldn't just be a mantra or a script that doesn't mean anything. Am I just doing a religious exercise, or am I communicating with God? Does that make sense?

Praying is not just for God, it is important for me too. Scripted prayers like the full serenity prayer, the Lords prayer, Psalm 23, etc, have so much content that I need to remember or keep in my consideration. (Remembering that God's will be done, that there will be hardships in this world, that he will make all things right as I surrender to his will.) While I have plenty of 'free-range' prayer with God, I also say these time-honored prayers quite often, and I constantly learn new things through them. As the psalms says "Your testimonies are my delight, the are my counselors". Sometimes these prayers help keep my mind on track with what God really feels is important for my life. I definitely wouldn't feel condemned about it. Hope this helps. : )

[Full Serenity Prayer]
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.