Why do i pray?

[aperfectsonnet]

Hi guys. Its me, natasha. I feel like i have no right to just, pop on and talk about my prayer requests.. It feels wierd.. But i'll try anything..

First off, i have a question. Im still a naked christian baby. brand new.. naive in a lot of ways but oh so willing to learn. My question is this. Each hair on our head has already been counted. Our days have already been planned. God has already recorded our lives in a book upstairs. If this is so, when bob says to me, please pray for my grampa earl because he has cancer, what is my prayer going to do? Whether Gramnpa earl dies tomorrow of cancer or ten years down the road of a car crash has already been decided... so what am i supposed to be doing?? i have no idea.. i dont.. and i have a really hard time with it. in the meantime, what i have been doing, is praying that earls family is okay. praying that when and if earl passes away, that they arent feeling alone. im praying that they know that god is there with them to help them grieve..... im praying for the people around them. im praying for the feelings that are bound to come up. and while that may not be wrong, id like to know what a prayer request is supposed to contain? i mean, if everything has already been etched.

okay..

now for my prayer request..
like i stated, im a new christian. and i dont have a whole lot of christian friends. and i need someone to walk with me. to hold me accountable... i need a church to attend. i need guidance and fellowship.. ive really been praying for god to bring me someone to hold me accountable. to keep me on the path i wish to follow and not let me get sidetracked.

I guess thats it.

Thanks in advance.

-Natasha

 

[BlackPanther]

Our days have already been planned. God has already recorded our lives in a book upstairs. If this is so, when bob says to me, please pray for my grampa earl because he has cancer, what is my prayer going to do? Whether Gramnpa earl dies tomorrow of cancer or ten years down the road of a car crash has already been decided... so what am i supposed to be doing?? i have no idea.. i dont.. and i have a really hard time with it.

i thought about something similar one time. i think i got it straight.

what seems to be a change in God's plan is only a change in our plan. say doctors tell you that someone has 2 months to live. you are expecting the person to die. but you pray with faith and the person is miraculously healed...this seems like it was God's plan for the person to die but His plan changed...nope...it was God's plan for you to pray and the person to be healed.

i hope that makes sense.

i will be praying for you.

PM me if you need to talk.

 

[devoted daughter]

Natasha
We pray because it is a sign of reverence that keeps us connected to our Heavenly Father. Prayer is a form of worship. We can also pray for forgiveness, or for things we need help with. We have free will to lean on the Lord, or not, and we must trust His will through our faith. He has a plan for us, but have the God given right to make choices. That is also part of His plan for our journery here...what will WE do with it. While I can pray for help for my depression, I'm accountable to take action on my own behalf to turn to professionals that God has blessed with gifts of guidence and healing. I don't get depressed because God's punishing me, it's my physiology, and he has a plan that we learn lessons here through our experiences. Prayer is also a demonstation of our faith, and we except that His will be done. When my brother was killed by a drunk driver, if I had said it was God's will, my family would be FURIOUS. I could barely understand. but I could except it. My brother is in a better place, going on with continuing his journey, but we as his family and friend's have lessons through his passing. It's a gift if we choose to accept it as such, and remain faithful, and prayerful, OR we can choose to be angry at God, or the drunk driver, or whomever. God will guide us, but me must be open to his anwsers. Have you heard this...
<<There's man in the flood and as the water rises, someone comes by in a canoe to help, and he says, "no thanks, God will save me". He moves to the rails on the porch as the water rises, and someone passes in a boat to help, but the man says, "no thanks, God will save me". By now the water is so high that he climbs to the roof, and a helocopter decends, but the man says, "No thanks, God will save me". The water continues to rise, and the man drowns. When he gets to heaven he says to God, "I had such faith that you would save me, why didn't you?" God replies, "Son, I sent a canoe, a boat, and a helocopter!">>
I am glad you have come to this forum, and I will pray for you to get the anwsers you seek. You mayl get many and varied anwsers here, but you will never lack for support. So may your heart be open to God's Spirit that you will be guided with His truth. May you also have peace and patience in your search for a church. Feel free to PM me if needed. Keep the faith, and keep reading your bible. (James 5.16, Col.4.2-4, Phil.4.6, 1Cor.7.5, Romans 12.12,
Mark 11.24-25)
My prayers are with you!

DD

 

[Gentle-Heart]

Agree with the other posts Natasha.

Just like to add, prayer is also a means for us to get to know God better to. Not just to offer requests for help or healing.
You see when we become a Christian and have a relationship with God. Then relationships deepen by spending time with that person. Prayer is one of those ways. All the prayers you've mentioned were great. Just keep talking to Him in a way that's comfortable to you.
Yes God has planned our lives and ordained things for our good. But as DD said we have free will, we have choices. Prayer brings the love and power of God into situations when we as humans can make mistakes or put ourselves or someone else in danger of harm, perhaps by choosing to be selfish. So as that as an example we can ask that God will turn things around and change someone to love instead of being selfish. You see we have an enemy also, the D*vil who places bad thoughts in people, tempts them to do wrong, to stray from God. We can pray against that too. Hope that helps.

Also I'll pray the Lord leads you into a good, caring Church for you to grow in understanding and as a Christian.
Oh and by the way welcome to CF and to the Family of God. It really is a joy to have you here. Keep posting when you're able.
Love & Peace Natasha, I'm praying.
Gentle-Heart

 

[aperfectsonnet]

Thanks for all your replies but im still in the same boat. Prayer itself is not something that im confused about. as to why.. what im confused about, is to why im praying for something thats already been set in stone.. why do i pray for so and so that has cancer?? when if she dies or lives has already been decided. I understand that when i pray im getting to know god and opening up my heart to him.. thats not the issue. the issue, is what ive been asked to pray about... and i really dont know how... and then i get all flustered and feel hypocritical and i have to stop. I dont know biblical facts. I dont know a lot of stuff. i dont even know fully what to believe because i dont know my options. whats out there for me to believe. So sometimes, im hesitant to come out and be like, hey, im a christian.. and then have them ask me abotu soemthing i believe or some fact of the bible, and have me not be able to stand up for my own beliefs...i dont want to give christians a bad name because of me. people already assume christians are hypocrites and i dont want to feed their assumptions...

bottom line, i pray. i pray like crazy. on paper even. and it a lot of times, makes me feel, alive....... line above the bottom- sometimes i dont know why im praying for something that my prayer has nothing to do with..

ugh..

im sorry guys. i feel so ignorant.

-natasha

 

[BlackPanther]

an example: Tom and Martha get married and plan to go hiking with some friends. Suddenly it rains. Their plan changes and they don't hike.
Points of view-
God: say God's plan is for them to get married and it to rain so they don't hike
Tom and Martha: were planning to hike but their plan changed

thats the key. their plan changed.

same with prayer. if you pray for that person with cancer and they are healed, that seems to us humans as if it was God's plan for the person to die and by praying, we changed it. this is not true. assuming the person is healed, it was God's original plan for you to pray and the person to be healed.

this is very confusing. i was confused too but then with the help of a friend i figured it out. i hope this helps.

 

[aperfectsonnet]

see, what you just said is EXACTLY my point.. EXACTLY. its not god plan that changed it was YOUR plan. which means, that prayer had nothing to do with it.... god already knew it was going to rain. thats has already been etched in a stone so deep that nothing could remove it. so why did tom and martha pray for it not to rain the whole month before their wedding?? It doesnt matter what they pray, because its GOING to rain. PERIOD.

ugh.. help.

 

[BlackPanther]

but other times it was planned for your prayer to...i don't know...i can't explain it...i will try to ask a friend i have. i'll be praying for you

 

[aperfectsonnet]

thank you
this is something ive been struggling with for awhile now..

 

[allieisme]

Ok, so this is my reply, God knows the hairs on your head as well as the days you live, but I think free will comes into place IMO. Maybe not free will, but with prayer, situations can change. You might have heard prayers are stronger in two or more, He might know the numbered days, but just because Bob has cancer, doesn't mean God doesnt already know your going to pray for Bob, so you might think one could die tomorrow, but God knows the circumstances of your prayers. Does that make sense?

 

[aperfectsonnet]

i guess i dont think the situation CAN change. because if it did, like stated above, our plan may have changed, but gods didnt....

maybe by confusing myself ive confused everyone else.... i just cant help but question. and its funny becuase i pray everynight reguardless and in my prayers, i pray to understand prayer. period.
this is making my head hurt.

 

[TheOriginalWhitehorse]

i thought about something similar one time. i think i got it straight.

what seems to be a change in God's plan is only a change in our plan. say doctors tell you that someone has 2 months to live. you are expecting the person to die. but you pray with faith and the person is miraculously healed...this seems like it was God's plan for the person to die but His plan changed...nope...it was God's plan for you to pray and the person to be healed.

i hope that makes sense.

i will be praying for you.

PM me if you need to talk.

Amen, BP!

 

[aperfectsonnet]

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[BlackPanther]

i'll pm you with details that might help explain it. Whitehorse helped with this.