Betty Rachly told me Sunday as I chomped on DQ chicken strips, that she wants to pray and be really specific. That kinda threw me for a loop.
First off, how in the world can we know what is the best and right thing? Isn't God the only One who sees the whole picture and knows what He wants/needs me to do? Isn't it selfish to diss God for the sake of things that you want - - The "God, I'll use it for You!" - sort of mentality. How can you lay it in God hands and pray specifics at the same time?
. . .and then . .
Then isn't just 'praying for God's will' a cop out? Isn't that like telling your kid, "I could care less what you want, I know what's best and am not even interested in your thoughts"?
We're human. So, is it really selfish to ache for something? Aren't we being unfair as all get out toward God to think that He doesn't want to hear from us?
What if it's not want God intended? Won't God work through any decision we make, even the bad ones? (Rahab/Ruth/Bathsheba with David).
So where does that leave prayer? Especially specific, "Lord, I need You to put a good Christian man in my sisters life and let her actually see it and see You through him" prayers? To quote a brother of mine; What are your thoughts? Share them with me.
2 comments:
I'm not sure I'm going at this in quite the right way or not, but when I pray specifically - and I have been for several months now - I don't think about it like God doesn't know ahead of time what I need or want.I just know that He can't answer what I don't ask for - well, I guess He can, He IS God - but my asking Him specifically for something just kinda "seals the deal" and He knows exactly where I'm coming from.
When I say, "Thy will be done," it is an admission to me that I will accept whatever the answer is, and not second guess or doubt that He knows what is the best outcome of my prayers. It is an affirmation to me that while I think my idea is according to His will, what I'm asking for may just not be so. It makes waiting for the answer a whole lot easier.
I'm Amy on this. I have always felt that you should be specific in your prayers. Jesus was specific when he asked if there was any other way that God's will could be accomplished. But, he accepted God's will, whatever it may be. By accepting God's will, we acknowlege that we may not be asking for the right thing, that there may be another way to take care of a given situation or that we admit that God knows what is best for us. The main part of this is praying...period. Placing our cares and concerns before God is a reminder of who we are and whose we are. We are his instruments to accomplish His will in whatever way he sees fit. I cannot pray effectively if I do not know what I am praying about. General prayers are fine but the more specific they are, the better they are. I would rather pray that a person who breaks their leg will heal properly from that injury than they just get well. I don't know if I am just rambling but you get my drift...hopefully.
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