OCD Doubting during prayer

[Tania11]

What helps you stop doubting you are forgiven after prayer? I know the prayer is nullified if we doubt.

 

[Dave G.]

What helps you stop doubting you are forgiven after prayer? I know the prayer is nullified if we doubt.

In Mark The father of the child prayed and the child was healed,see it here:
Mark 9:23-25 New King James Version (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “Ifa]">[a] you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”

 

[Amittai]

What helps you stop doubting you are forgiven after prayer? I know the prayer is nullified if we doubt.

This is a question beyond OCD only. Answers to prayer don't depend on superstition. Despite what some pushy personages impressed on us, fortunately it doesn't matter what we feel at all, because feelings weren't designed to be part of the "mechanism".

When I need an intellectual reminder, I hear myself say "I believe, but help thou mine unbelief" like that father who then went on his way.

Most forms of doubt aren't the opposite of belief.

Believing Thomas (with spectacularly bad timing) asked Jesus the best questions, and Jesus gave Thomas the best answers.

 

[subtlecollision]

God's promise guarantees it:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

You may feel like you have to keep confessing over and over again, but you don't have to. You only have to confess once for your sin. Unless you do the same thing again, then I would suggest you confess for it again.

 

[Mari17]

What helps you stop doubting you are forgiven after prayer? I know the prayer is nullified if we doubt.

Why is the prayer nullified if we doubt?

 

[Tania11]

Why is the prayer nullified if we doubt?

Because of these verses:

James 1:6
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.


"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:23-24

 

[Amittai]

Muddle headedness doesn't stop God's will, it simply may slow us from getting as much benefit as quickly. But God will make up the time to us after. Look at Believing Thomas - he was spectactularly late!

All God's plans are Plan A's. What we thought was going to be Plan A1 eventually turns out to be Plan A99!

So we can say "I can't get my head round this but I'm glad You can Lord - Amen" and attend to a task of some kind and smile at ourselves or nod off to a thorough sleep.

Eventually our emotions and our logic will get used to what God has done for us. It's taken me over six decades!

The bit in James by the way is (I think) about commitment to service and to the seeking of discernment: quite specialised things. Even then, our words can be taken by God as firm and He will deliver. It takes 20 years to get tall, 50 years to get grey, so give time time, read Scripture widely, ask God for all needs.

Doubt is seldom the opposite of belief.

Thus we've established that God definitely counts Himself in, and you can remember that you yourself wanted in. Our trust in Him is not an intense mood. God likes cool customers just as well as he likes the more "passionate" believers!

Your OCD (which you intentionally manage) and my perseverating with my ASC, and our respective talents and tastes, are to be grateful for because this is how I do me at the moment and you do you.

The stresses of our younger days (exams) can leave us crushed, dazed.

 

[Mari17]

Because of these verses:

James 1:6
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.


"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:23-24

I used to question doubt in relation to those verses, too. But now my opinion is that it's not really talking about obsessive doubt, because those of us with OCD have an illness that causes us to doubt. We can work on it, but we can't always help it. Even without factoring in the OCD, I think Jesus knows our weaknesses and has mercy on us when we doubt. Of course we should continue growing our relationship with Him and learning to trust more; but we can't be perfectly trusting all at once, and I think He understands that. After all, He dealt with a lot of doubters in His day: Peter (when he began walking on the water and started sinking because of fear), doubting Thomas, and the father who begged for a miracle and said “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” I think He loves our trust, but I also think that He understands that we're works in progress and not always perfect all at once. These things often don't come naturally to us; they're things we have to learn, as we continue to walk with Him.

 

[Nika80]

Because of these verses:

James 1:6
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.


"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:23-24

Because of these verses:

James 1:6
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.


"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:23-24

 

[Nika80]

When we pray we have believe. Pray with a pure heart. For example, last night my chest was hurting so bad and I couldn't go back to sleep. So I talked to God and he took it away for me. He is a faithful. He is loving. If he can do things for me surely he can do wonderful things for you. To God be the Glory.