A Reluctance to Pray
Over the past few months I have had God answer my prayers in ways that has challenged me. Often I think that God will simply answer my prayers with a "yes" or a "no". But rarely do I think outside of these two options.
Recently, God has answered my prayers with a "Yes, but im going to rebuke you at the same time". Or "Yes, but you will learn some humility as well". (for example)
Now throughout the years, on occasions (all to often) I have been "too lazy to pray" or "too busy to pray" or "too tired to pray" or whatever sad reason there is. But never before have I been "reluctant to pray" for fear of not knowing how God will answer the prayer.
Am I alone in this battle? I know this is a bad attitude to have, but the feeling is real. And I know prayer is about the relationship.
I guess the irony comes in the fact that to overcome this, I need to pray about it.
Jim
Recently, God has answered my prayers with a "Yes, but im going to rebuke you at the same time". Or "Yes, but you will learn some humility as well". (for example)
Now throughout the years, on occasions (all to often) I have been "too lazy to pray" or "too busy to pray" or "too tired to pray" or whatever sad reason there is. But never before have I been "reluctant to pray" for fear of not knowing how God will answer the prayer.
Am I alone in this battle? I know this is a bad attitude to have, but the feeling is real. And I know prayer is about the relationship.
I guess the irony comes in the fact that to overcome this, I need to pray about it.
Jim
posted by Jim at
9:20 AM
3 Comments:
The power of prayer is an amazing thing.
I dont think we realise just how powerful it is often enough.
So Jim, I too have been humbled just from these words.
I will be praying for you, but remember a big part of praying about it - or praying for anyhting - is trusting God.
He knows what is best for us, so although its scary not knowing what His answer will be, surely we should trust the one who Created us and molds us everyday of our lives.
Thank you for being honest and sharing this struggle, brother, you are not alone.
By
Anonymous, at 10:46 AM
Jim, i don't think that it's necessarily a bad attitude to have. I mean, it's bad in the sense that it makes you reluctant to pray at all, but I think you should be grateful that God's making you think hard about prayer.
It's really easy sometimes to just assume that God will give us the answer we want, and so we shoot up a quick prayer and don't give it a second thought. But prayer should be more significant than that.
There's a great line in Hamlet, uttered by the King as he attempts to confess his sins to God,
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
If we're not thinking about what we're praying...is there a point? Are we not being disrespectful?
I say, if God is making you fearful of His answer, be thankful that you at least know there will be one. How often do we question whether or not God will hear our prayers?
You're definitely not alone in the battle. I don't know anyone who has enough trust and faith to genuinely say that they're not worried about God's responses to their prayers. We are a race that is very much set on control, and it's extremely difficult to recognise that someone else will have the final call (or has actually already made it before we even ask...)
Keep praying. It seems a weird thing to do, to pray about praying, but God knows your heart and mind...even the most inarticulate prayers are heard, and answered.
By
Em, at 3:21 AM
James 5:13-18
By
Anonymous, at 8:22 PM
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