Prayer?

[Xeno.of.athens]

Scripture implies that God knows what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

 

[Minister Monardo]

Scripture implies that God know what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

Pray for others, who don't know this truth.

 

[public hermit]

I think we should pray for God's will. Prayer is more about relationship and inner transformation than it is about directing the divine will according to our own desires. Besides, not all prayer is a matter of supplication. I mean, prayer can be as simple as being attentive to the ubiquitous, divine presence.

 

[Brother-Mike]

Scripture implies that God know what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

1. God tells us to.
2. Prayer changes you.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @Xeno.of.athens, while it's true that God has always known exactly what we need and want (or don't want) LONG before we could have ever hoped to, the ASTOUNDING/WONDROUS fact is that the Being who created us, along with the rest of the Universe, wants to have a personal relationship with us (thus His desire for us to speak and for Him to listen, as much as it is the other way around too, of course). IOW, He wants to know us, and He wants us to know Him too (not just know of or know stuff about each other).

He is, after all, planning on spending the balance of eternity with those of us who are His But even in the here and now, our ongoing growth in sanctification (or Christlikeness) is all about our growing relationship with Him (they cannot be separated from one another).

He told us the everything that He knew we needed to know, but now that He's done so, He wants to hear back from us/have a relationship with us (which requires an ongoing dialogue). In truth, He loves us and wants to be a BIG part of everything/every moment of our lives, yes?

1 Thessalonians 5
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.​

So, WOW

There are several other reasons as well, but I'll stop with that one (because it is so indescribably AMAZING .. at least to me anyway). See Psalm 139 as well.

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - BTW, did you know that God's love for you as His adopted child is just like He is, both from and to "everlasting"? IOW, there was never a time in eternity past when He did not love you (even before you were you), and there never will be such a time, now, and forevermore

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Hello @Xeno.of.athens, while it's true that God has always known exactly what we need and want (or don't want) LONG before we could have ever hoped to, the ASTOUNDING/WONDROUS fact is that the Being who created us, along with the rest of the Universe, wants to have a personal relationship with us (thus His desire for us to speak and for Him to listen, as much as it is the other way around too, of course). IOW, He wants to know us, and He wants us to know Him too (not just know of or know stuff about each other).

He is, after all, planning on spending the balance of eternity those of us who are His But even in the here and now, our ongoing growth in sanctification or Christlikeness is all about our growing relationship with Him (they cannot be separated from one another). He told us the things that He needed us to know, but now that He's done that, He wants to hear back from us, have an ongoing dialogue with us. In truth, He loves us and wants to be a BIG part of everything/every moment of our lives, yes?

1 Thessalonians 5
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.​

So, WOW

There are several other reasons as well, but I'll stop with that one (because it is so indescribably AMAZING .. at least to me anyway). See Psalm 139 as well.

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - BTW, did you know that God's love for you as His adopted child is just like He is, both from and to everlasting? IOW, there was never a time in eternity past when He did not love you, and there never will be, now, or forevermore

View attachment 320300

What do you make of the Lord's prayer?

 

[St_Worm2]

What do you make of the Lord's prayer?

It's meant to help us understand how to pray, to give us a pattern or model to follow when we do. Just like the Lord Jesus told us at the beginning of that prayer,

Matthew 6
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
​

There is a TON to talk about concerning the Lord's prayer. Are you asking for our thoughts about it in regard to the OP and OP title specifically, or in a more general sense?

Thanks!

--David

 

[bling]

Scripture implies that God knows what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

“How does God know miraculously the future perfectly?”

Does God at the end of time know historically everything that happened include your choice to pray or not pray and what you asked for? History cannot be change and everything you did becomes history.

Think about this: If I know perfectly a truly free will choice you made yesterday that choice is fixed and cannot be changed since it is history. The fact I know your free will choice of yesterday, does not keep it from being a free will choice.

History cannot be changed even if God was the only one to know about something that has happened, since it still happened. Since God does everything right perfectly the first time, there is no reason to do it over again.

God is outside of time and omnipresent throughout time, so God at the end of time knows everything historically that has happened throughout time, making it unchangeable (fixed). Yet again just because God at the end of time knows all things that happened throughout time perfectly, does not mean human autonomous free will choice could not have been made.

God at the end of time is the same God existing within Himself at the beginning of time and thus God has historically all the foreknowledge of what happened throughout time, but again that does not mean humans could not have made autonomous free will choices.

God did not present this miraculous method of “how” He knows the future, but that is not unusual and communicates to man from man’s perspective is also God’s way.

There are other ways God can know stuff, but He is outside of time, so He also knows everything historically throughout time?

God is very much interacting with humans, but knows everything that has happened already in the future as pure unchangeable history. It is like God at the end of time sends all human history back to himself at the beginning of time, it is information and not like God is living it twice or constantly.

Jesus knew when He was teaching His disciple, what He would be going through on the cross as pure history, but that does not mean He was on the cross constantly.

 

[disciple Clint]

Scripture implies that God knows what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

How about praying to God and thanking Him for meeting all your needs, guiding you, and protecting you.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

How about praying to God and thanking Him for meeting all your needs, guiding you, and protecting you.

Nice idea but what if one does not feel protected?

 

[disciple Clint]

Nice idea but what if one does not feel protected?

Then one should reflect on what it would be like if they were not protected by God. This subject is well covered in the bible.

 

[fhansen]

Scripture implies that God knows what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

Anything good that is needed, for yourself or others. He wants us to know our need-and then to acknowledge our need for Him…to supply it.

 

[Hawkins]

Scripture implies that God knows what you need and everything you could ask before you ask in prayer for it. So what ought one to pray for?

It actually doesn't matter. What matters in the end is that it remains the only way for a usual person to maintain a direct communication with God. To put it another way, God maintains a communication channel with a person through His prayers. That's how a relationship is built.

To simply put, under normal circumstance if you stopped praying there's no other way that you can have a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Anything good that is needed, for yourself or others. He wants us to know our need-and then to acknowledge our need for Him…to supply it.

Of course, God will already know what good things are needed by anyone who is about to pray. Give us this day our daily bread; does that come close to asking for the good things that are needed?

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

To put it another way, God maintains a communication channel with a person through His prayers. That's how a relationship is built.

It seems to be a one-way communication channel. We pray in words and ask, praise, give thanks but does God speak in reply?

 

[St_Worm2]

Yes, in a number of ways, but here's the principal way that He does so.

 

[Hawkins]

It seems to be a one-way communication channel. We pray in words and ask, praise, give thanks but does God speak in reply?

No, it is the only two-way communication down to an individual.

It is more about
- building faith of an individual
- that person's individual capability on pattern recognition.

In the end, that person can recognize a pattern for him to maintain a true relationship with God. At the same time, he can't be deemed as "already knew God", he still needs faith to believe, he's faith is however growing in effect.

In effect, one's faith is strengthened while maintaining a true relationship with God. God doesn't always answer prayers as we sinners in today's world are far far away from God. However God has a way to maintain a true relationship with His sheep down to the individual level, it varies from person to person to achieve the same effect (i.e., keep strengthening faith while maintaining a true relationship).

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Yes, in a number of ways, but here's the principal way that He does so.

View attachment 320307​

Interesting, not exactly "speaking"

 

[fhansen]

Of course, God will already know what good things are needed by anyone who is about to pray. Give us this day our daily bread; does that come close to asking for the good things that are needed?

Well, yes, that's a most basic need. I think the main point, though is, don't ask for a pink cadillac; He probably won't deliver. Ask for more faith, ask for more love, for holiness, ask for deliverance from addiction, for healing, for peace, for His will to reign in ourselves and our world, for the Holy Spirit to bring truth where people bring falsehoods to benefit themselves.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matt 7:9-11

“ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24

 

[bling]

Interesting, not exactly "speaking"

Acts 2:17
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream"