For Christians......Prayer...?

Question

Jesus gave us an example of prayer....

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
[For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
Now and forever. Amen.

Did he also give us a slot to ASK for whatever we wanted? He does tells us to ask, in his name, and it will be done, but he does not give us a time frame.

Does it bug you, all the questions about prayer, "why didnt I get it?", "how come it didnt happen?"

How do you view prayer? Is it just to get what you want? And do you believe, if you are not living Gods will, that you will get what you want?

Of course, anyone can answer, but rude posts will be ignored.

Answer 1

God has three answers for prayer: Yes, No, and Wait.

Answer 2

It's a fair question. Of course it bugs me! In the Bible we are told about the power of prayer. We are also told that if we tell a mountain to fall into the see and do not doubt that it will happen, it will happen. So if we have complete faith that our prayers will be answered then they will. Even if we aren't completely sure, God always at least gives us an answer: yes, no, later... Everything is in God's time. He knows what's best for us, and if the timing isn't right for something we ask for, then we aren't going to get it when we want. We also have to be in God's will. We can't have complete faith that a prayer will be answered if we know it's something God wouldn't approve of; therefore, we cant expect it to happen. Even if we aren't in God's will, we can still get what we want, just don't give Him credit for it. He's not going to contradict Himself to fulfill our every desire.

Answer 3

"Just the other night,
at a hometown football game,
my wife and I ran into
my old highschool flame.
And as I introduced them,
the past came back to me.
And I couldn't help but think of,
the way things used to be.

She was the one
that I wanted for all time
and each night I spent prayin'
that God would make her mine.
And if he'd only grant me
this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again

Sometimes I thank God
for unanswered prayers
remember when you're talking
to the man upstairs
that just because he doesn't answer
doesn't mean he don't care
Some of god's greatest gifts
are unanswered prayers

She wasn't quite the angel
I remembered in my dreams
and I could tell that time had changed me
in her eyes too it seemed
we tryed to talk about the old days
but there wasn't much we could recall
I guess the lord knows what he's doin after all
And as we walked away
I looked at my wife
and then and there I thanked the good Lord
For all the gifts in my life

Some times I thank God
for unanswered prayers
remember when you're talking
to the man up stairs
that just because he doesn't answer
doesn't mean he don't care
some of God's greatest gifts
ARE UNANSWERED PRAYERS

-Garth Brooks

Answer 4

I am not religious but I once was. What was taught about prayer seems the most reasonable to me. I was taught that you can't ask for specific things because you don't know the ultamite repercussions of them. Maybe you ask for wealth, you take a lavish exotic vacation and you fall into a volcano (extreme and weird example, I know). Maybe you are sick so that you can learn to accept the generosity of others, etc. You don't know the reason for your suffering, etc. so you don't know why you are going through difficult times. I was taught that we can only ask for the strength or wisdom needed to ride out difficult times in life.

These aren't necessarily my views but I believe that, if you believe in a greater power, you have to have faith and not ask for specifics. Yes, you can work on getting the things you want for yourself if that's how you feel but you can't ask them to be handed to you.

Answer 5

For me , prayer is talking to god , not for asking things , but because I love him , If I want something I can ask him for it , but that's not my goal in prayer , if I need something , I ask HIM to decide if this thing is good or bad for me , and I ask him to help me on my way to him after the Earth Death to live with him always and forever in the heavens...
you can mail me or IM on: [e-mail]

Answer 6

Let's break this down - -whatever we want, or whatever we need which is more vital? What did Jesus say "with food and clothing be content". He didn't have a place to call His own, doesn't mean that we don't provide such for ourselves or our children. We need to be covered from the elements and need privacy for some functions so that we can "be fruitful and multiply". He may give us what we need (intelligence for one) in order for us to get what we need (jobs etc). Those things (such as salvation for a loved one) that money can't buy which we pray for ultimately wait on His timing.

We have to expect that those who are "babes" in Christ will in effect act as little children do. We have to demonstrate our maturity and answer questions as they arise and within the manner in which they are asked.

Prayer is in effect my conscious contact with G-d (taken from "The Twelve Steps") it is a path of communication ("turn your radio on") between us and G-d, and it is a two-way street. As children we have a need to communicate and be communicated with. G-d will give us, out of GRACE (G-ds Riches At Christs' Expense) what we need regardless of paths we have unwisely chosen (Agape is unconditional love).

Answer 7

conversation! thats what it is for! to get closer to god.....and feel like you know him as a good friend.... you don't always get what you want because it may not be in your best interest! i remember praying around this time last year that all the pain and heartache i created for myself would go away... it didn't. but it taught me my strength and helped me figure out who i am. and i wouldn't be where i am today without the trial times! prayer is keeping up... a phone call to heaven to say whats up!

Answer 8

That is an example of how to pray. You can and should pray for help with anything. God will answer these prays, but according to His will. It won't always be the answer you wanted or expected.

Answer 9

you should pray sincerely with a pure heart. if you have sinned ask God for forgiveness and go and sin no more as christ instructed. Nervetheless, you must have faith in God even if he takes long in answering you.

Answer 10

I am christian and i have never said that pray once in my life...
My prayers are usualy just showing thanks for the good, asking for forgivness, and asking a question or two and then amen, no set wording.