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Author Topic: Have You Prayed This Way?  (Read 4417 times)

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dogcombat

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Have You Prayed This Way?
« on: January 16, 2007, 01:57:59 PM »

Re-reading "Praying By God's Rules" had me revisiting Matthew 6:6 (KJV)


But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.


I wondered if anybody has felt led to pray for people with an admonision that you NOT reveal to them the fact that you're praying for them.  The only reason I say this is because, I often get uncomfortable when I tell someone I prayed for them.  Why the anonymity?  I'm not saying people shouldn't ask for prayer on this section, (as we ALL should) but if a particular request thread isn't  very long in replies that doesn't mean those requesting should feel slighted.

God ALWAYS moves us to pray for something or someone.  The reason I often don't tell people I prayed for them is so they will go straight to God as the Spirit leads them.  Otherwise, I'll likely be filled with so much pride that I'll advertise myself as a mediator instead of Jesus being in that role.

So that our prayers be to the Father in SECRET.  And His will be done.

Just my short babble or two
Ches

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gmik

  • Guest
Re: Have You Prayed This Way?
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2007, 02:49:46 PM »

I liked that.  Thanks.

Heres a related question.

HOW do you pray????  If everything is according to God's will what exactly do you pray for???

My son has 3 decisions facing him.  Stay at the community college he just started 1 week ago.

Go to Univ. of Mich in the spring (he has already been accepted ;D)  OR

Go to IRAQ 1 year as a security guard.  He needs to make a decision soon.  Now, whatever decision he makes won't that be the one God is dragging him to make.  So what is the prayer for??

Please pray for me to be accepting of the Iraq thing.  That scares me, but if I know it is in God's will then I should have peace.

I just don't know why I should pray since its a done deal, isn't it??   help!!!

gena
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Kat

  • Guest
Re: Have You Prayed This Way?
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2007, 03:26:39 PM »


Hi Ches,

I don't always tell people I'm praying for them.
But I think it gives them some comfort to know people are putting their pray request before God.


Hi Gena,

These are excerpt from Ray's article, 'Praying By God's Rules."


http://bible-truths.com/praying.htm -------------------------------

When God wants to answer someone’s prayer, the first thing He will always do is inspire (cause) that person TO PRAY. How can God answer a "prayer" if someone doesn’t "pray"? God can bless us and do favors for us, but God cannot answer our prayers, if we don’t pray. That is why I get excited when I feel inspired to pray, as I am encouraged that God is getting ready to bless or favor me in some way.

If you always pray, "not as I will, but as THOU will," all of your prayers will be answered too. Whether you always get what you desire or you don’t get what you desire, if your greatest desire of all desires is for "THY WILL be done," then you can rest assured that from this day forward, all of your prayers will be answered always. God’s will (that is His intention for the way He has preordained everything to go), will always be done. No prayer has ever changed God’s plan or purpose in any way whatsoever. (Read my series on "free will").

Now then, if it was God’s intention for you to be blessed by some particular favor, and God inspires you to pray for that favor then it will surely be given to you. If on the other hand, if it was not God’s intention for you to be blessed by some particular favor, then no amount of praying will cause God to grant it to you. Either way, God’s will must be done, and if that is the greatest desire of your prayer for God’s will to be done in your life, then whether you receive some particular favor or you don’t receive it, nonetheless, YOUR PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED.

I’m, personally, okay with that. Many of my readers may not be okay with that arrangement of things, but nevertheless, that is the way things are and that is the way things will always be—"THY will be done."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was thinking this might help you understand more about the purpose of prayer  :)

mercy, peace, and love
Kat


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Deborah-Leigh

  • Guest
Re: Have You Prayed This Way?
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2007, 03:29:54 PM »

Hello Gena

Univ of Mich. sounds the much better option. We know God will cause the direction though and we have to trust that He knows what is best for us and that He is in control. I think we pray because it is a way to firstly ask God for the desires of our hearts, to recognise that God gives us the desires of our hearts in the first place and to learn to let go and trust Him that all is already planned and that He loves us.

I have found the following from  http://bible-truths.com/emails.html

I know that Christ alone can give you peace and confidence in the future He has for your son.

Quoting Ray in email responses..........

Since God is in control then why pray?  Can we reason with him? Is it to ask only for strength to endure?

Thanks,

Kathy

[Ray Replies]

Dear Kathy:

I get asked this question quite often. Actually the fact that God is in control of EVERYTHING is a very good reason itself to pray.  We are totally reliant upon God for EVERYTHING!  Think about it. If there were a human being that you had to rely upon for EVERYTHING, would you not stay VERY CLOSE to that person and ALWAYS be in CONSTANT contact with them?  Of course you would.

I KNOW that I have had prayers ANSWERED, ONLY BECAUSE I ASKED!  But you might say, "How can that be if God predetermined to do it ANYWAY?"  But you see, Kathy, He did not predetermine to do it "ANYWAY."  That is OUR ASSUMPTION that is not true. Listen:  God predetermined to do something for us only AFTER we asked for it!!  And yes, it is true, that God predetermined that we WOULD ASK FOR IT, as well.  We just can't out-think, or out-guess, or out-smart God no matter how hard we try.

Let me give you another piece of wisdom. We are told that we are to "Work out our OWN salvation" in the Scriptures.  How can we work out our own salvation if God has already determined that we will be saved and He is going to SAVE ALL?  Same answer as your question to prayer:  "Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling [WHY? Next verse]...For [or because] it is GOD which works in you BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13).

It is inspired of God that we pray and that we work. Just because it is God doing it, does not negate the fact that it will be done in us and through us. In time of real and desperate need, we will be brought to our knees before God whether it seems logical in the face of God's total sovereignty or not!

Hope this helps your understanding a little better.

Sincerely,

Ray

[another "Why Pray" email]

Mr. Smith,

I thank you for taking the time to share these truths with others. I have a question in regards to free will. 

Since God is in TOTAL control of everything, why should we pray and ask God for anything?  Since it is not our faith that causes God to answer our prayers, and since God does as He wills in our lives, then why bother asking God for anything we may need, desire or hope for?  Or even pray about someone else to understand these truths, because whomever He wants to understand it, will.  So why pray, or how do we then pray?

[Ray Replies]

Dear Shawan

I constantly receive emails from people who think there are obvious and blatant contradictions between the way we live and absolute laws of God.

The answer is contained in your own question. I realize that this takes a little thought. I have personally thought about all the possible implications of God's Sovereignty and our lack of free will, for thousands and thousands of hours.

Your question is a logical one. If God is going to do exactly what He has predetermined to do, in every and all situations, then our prayers will CHANGE NOTHING!  Right? WRONG!

But HOW CAN THAT BE? That's a contradiction of logic, isn't it? No, it is not. Here is the answer: God not only brings about the result which He always has in mind for every situation in life, and in every situation in the history of the world, but He ALSO BRINGS ABOUT THE MEANS BY WHICH THAT RESULT IS ACCOMPLISHED!

Therefore, nothing is accomplished AT ALL, unless God brings about the MEANS of accomplishing it.

Example:  When Paul was sailing on a ship to Rome, they ran into a terrible storm. It appeared that all would be lost. An angel appeared in the night to Paul and told him that not one hair of anyone's head would be harmed, but that all had to STAY ON THE SHIP!   Some attempted to depart from the ship. Paul told them that if ever they should not stay on the ship, they would DIE! Now then, how could the possibly "die" when an angel of the Lord told Paul that NO ONE WOULD DIE? A contradiction? Absolutely not.

Since God had already committed Himself to SAVING EVERYONE, He also made sure that the instructions needed to accomplish that WERE FOLLOWED PRECISELY! And so those men CAME BACK ON THE SHIP, and they were ALL SAVED JUST AS THE ANGEL TOLD PAUL!

But isn't prayer effective only if it CHANGES GOD'S MIND to do something for you that He wouldn't have done for you had you NOT prayed? Again, absolutely not. God is not a man that He should "change His mind" about anything, ever!  Now, learn something about prayer that virtually no one in all Christendom believes or understands. First, let's look at Romans 8:26.

From the King James: 

"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

This marvelous Scripture, however, does not bring out the whole truth contained in the Greek manuscripts regarding this verse, in the King James Version. Here is a better translation.

From the Concordant Literal New Testament: 

"Now, similarly, the spirit also is aiding our infirmity, for what we should be praying for, to accord with WHAT MUST BE, we are not aware, but the spirit itself is pleading for us with inarticulate groanings."

"With WHAT MUST BE..."  There is the answer!  And here is the perfect application of this verse in the real world: 

"And He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed saying, O My Father, IF it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: [but that was NOT POSSIBLE! God had already PREDETERMINED that Jesus SHOULD drink this cup, and therefore, IMMEDIATELY recanted to the prodding of the Holy Spirit and said the following...]: nevertheless not as I will, BUT AS THOU WILL ['to accord with WHAT MUST BE']." 

Then Jesus prayed again, WITHOUT asking God to take the cup from Him: 

"He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if this cup may NOT pass away from Me, except I drink it, THY WILL BE DONE" (Matt. 26:39 & 42).

Clearly Jesus was CAUSED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT to pray "in accord with WHAT MUST BE."

And the same thing that goes for prayer goes for EVERYTHING in our lives. It will always be according to God's preordained intention. That is not to say that things do not got AGAINST HIS WILL, they often do. But... BUT, it is also often God's intention that we DO GO AGAINST HIS STATED WILL. Many times it is God INTENTION that humanity goes AGAINST HIS WILL. In Romans 9:19 were it says, "For who has resisted His WILL?" it should be translated: "For who has resisted His INTENTION." This is a different Greek word from what is normally translated "will."

People also often ask why I do what I do on our web site in teaching people the Truths of God, if God is going to save everyone anyway. Again, the answer is simple: This is HOW God brings about the salvation of many people. By teaching and preaching. He doesn't have to do it this way, but He has CHOSEN to do it this way.  Hence we read:

"For after that in the  wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God BY THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:21).

And, of course, we know that it is again, God Himself, Who gives us the faith to believe in the first place (Eph. 2:8).

Hope this helps your understanding a little better.

God be with you,

Ray




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gmik

  • Guest
Re: Have You Prayed This Way?
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2007, 10:44:42 PM »

Thank you Kat & Arcturus.  You gals are the "bestest" teachers.  That helped a bunch.

love,
gena
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rrammfcitktturjsp

  • Guest
Re: Have You Prayed This Way?
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2007, 01:38:04 AM »

To All who posted on this thread,

  Thanks so much for posting this.  I sure did learn a lot from this thread.  It has helped me grow.  Thanks guys for teaching the rest of us.

  Sincerely,



  Anne C. McGuire
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brothertoall

  • Guest
Re: Have You Prayed This Way?
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2007, 12:27:06 PM »

Ches,

 I look at this 2 different ways.

I do pray in secret for those asking at times

I also like to let those here on this forum who ask for prayer that I am praying for them. God knows my heart and everyone elses also. My response of letting those who ask for prayer is not to puff myself up but to let that person know that I am doing for THEM and the many times I have asked for prayer on this forum it is always such a comfort to know that those who respond are praying for me. Those that are praying and don't respond I also thank them.

 It is funny you started this thread because this thought had crossed my mind For many who are praying without responding to those prayer requests always makes me wonder just how many do or don't. I would think to myself that it is a shame that when prayers are asked for there usually are not a whole lot of responses and I would think that many just did not care and that bothered me but then I realized that many may feel that doing it in secret was scriptural and felt more comforatable doing it that way.

 Thank you Ches for starting this thread.

bobby
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