Let's Pray -- Thoughts on Prayer by leJocre

If you want some money from your dad you don't run past him and yell, "Hey Dad, can I have some money?" and then keep on going, because then you won't get an answer or the money either. You stand in front of your dad and wait for an answer. He might say no, he might say okay, or he might say later; the point is that you have to stand there and wait to find out if he's going to give it to you or not, right?

Well I'm finding out that so many people treat prayer like the person who runs past their dad and doesn't get an answer OR the money.

When you pray and need an answer, you need to close off all other distractions. That's why I find the closet a good place to pray; it's dark and quiet with nothing to distract me. A nice quiet place in the woods, the desert, the beach, or somewhere where the beauty of God's creations will fill you with awe -- these are good places to pray as well because they open your head and your heart so fully if you don't let anything else distract you.

Now another thing I found out (through praying about it so much) is that God cannot and will not take away any feelings. I prayed for so many years for God to take away the way I feel about guys and let me be "normal"; I wouldn't listen to the answer, though, because it wasn't the answer I wanted. But when I met Justin, I gave up asking God to take away those feelings, and now I realize that God *HAD* answered me all those times. The answer was that he couldn't take away my feelings for someone without taking away *ALL* my feelings, and then what would be the point of living?

Without feelings, we can't appreciate all of the beauty that God created for us. Without feelings, we wouldn't care what's right or wrong. Without feelings, we couldn't glorify God and share his love with others.

So, here we are, stuck with these feelings that we don't want. So now what do we do? Try asking God to show you how to deal with these feelings and remember that sometimes the answer may be "later" because he might want you to think about it awhile. You might suddenly realize that the answer was right there all along, or he might lead you to a place or a person, but remember not to go running around looking for that place or that person because you will probably look in all the wrong places. If you prayed for an answer, then God will bring the answer to you at a time and a place where you least expect it. I find that doing simple little things for people (as simple as giving a smile to everyone I pass or opening a door for a stranger with a bag full of groceries or carrying something for a lady or older person), purely out of love and caring for other people, often opens me up to God's answers. When I'm feeling so good because I'm not thinking about myself, it makes it easier for God to work through me and give me the answer. (I got the answer about taking away feelings when I was busy worrying about how to help a guy on IRC who had feelings that he wanted God to take away from him.)

What about the prayer that Jesus told us to pray? Jesus was a teacher and he was teaching people in a way they would understand at that time. If he were here now, he would teach the same things of course, but he would talk the way we talk today. Also, since he had to teach so many people, he used a general example, not a specific example, because each person has different ways and different needs and different situations.

I believe that the Lord's Prayer is more like a list of what comes before what:

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

This is the way to open the prayer -- Dear God or Dear Father or however you personalize God's holy and sacred name.

This is when you pray for God's people and for those who have yet to become God's people. You're included because you're one of his people but you're not thinking of your own needs.

Here you ask God to tell you what HE wants from you and how HE wants things to be in your life and the lives of those you pray for.

Here is where you finally get to pray for yourself and ask for an answer to your problem or whatever your need is today.

Here is when you ask God to forgive you for whatever sin or misdeed you have done or thought today and then you forgive anyone who you feel has done something wrong against you.

Here you pray for God's guidance and protection as you share his word and his love with other people. Some of them may be bad people who may try to seduce you or offer you things that God wouldn't want you to have, or who may even want to kill you. That's why you need to pray for God to lead you not into those situations and to protect you from harm.

Here is where you spend time being thankful for God's mercy and love and the wonderful things he's done in your life.

I always say amen, but then I sit and listen for a while because he may have something to say back. It may not be words that I can hear -- it may be just a feeling or I may not feel anything but tired -- but I know that it's there and now I can go on with my day knowing that my Father will take care of it all.

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