HOW TO PRAY. Sometimes it seems I am talking to nobody..I pray and it seems the Lord does not listen to me.?

Question

I know this is not true..I just wanted to feel more capable to understand that He is there and He does listen to me. My life hasn\t been easy and there are times it seems He has wal~ked away from me. I call HIm, I ask Him why so much going on and it seems all that I hear is the sound of the silence. I know He is everywhere, and I do not want to sadden Him by talking like this. I have been trying and learning to Praise Him even for His silence. But I admit, there are times it seems I can not handle so much loneliness, and the future scares me so much. I have no family or many friends. Even the Church is cold where I live. I talk to Jesus, I look at His picture I have hanging on the wall and I wonder if what I say does make sense to Him. Thanks for listening to me.

Answer 1

Live your life the way you want your life to be, keep praying and don't lose faith that your prayers will be heard.

Sometimes things don't work out the way you immidiately wished them to. On the long run, you might look back and be grateful for it.

Just remember that God works in mysterious ways.

But don't ever lose your faith in the divinal justice, or the old but true saying; "what goes around, comes around"

Wish you the best.

Answer 2

I'm not a Catholic and I don't understand "praying the Rosary" or why Catholics pray through Mary so I won't try to address those things. What I do know is that God loves you very much and He hears your prayers even when you do not think so. There are two stories in the Bible that I recommend that you read as you struggle through this crisis of faith. One is in Daniel (chapter 10). Daniel was a great man of God (a prophet) and he was praying and fasting and it seemed there was no response from God. When the response did come (3 weeks later) the explanation was that God had heard the prayer the moment it left Daniel's lips, but the enemy had delayed the response. As you read this, be reminded that there are things we often don't understand taking place in the spiritual realm that sometimes cause delays that often make us think that God isn't hearing us and also be reminded that Jesus has already defeated the enemy and God will work all things together for good according to His purposes. The other one is in 1st Kings (chapter 19). Here we see Elijah, another prophet of God, who has been fasting and praying and struggling to find Him. Elijah was obedient to the instructions of the Lord to go to Mt Horeb to hear from God. He looked where he thought he would find God. First, in the wind but he didn't find God there. Then came an earthquake but again Elijah didn't find God there. After the earthquake was a fire. Again Elijah looked for God but did not find Him. Elijah thought that God would be found in one of these spectacular things but He was not there. However, after the fire came a still small voice. It was in this still small voice that Elijah found the Lord and the answers that he sought. It is often that way with us. We expect to find God in some spectacular thing, but more often He comes to us in a still small voice and gently whispers of His love to us. The Bible says to "Be still and know that I am God." Don't let this "feeling" of being alone shake your faith. Hold on to the promises of God that He will never leave you or forsake you. Trust that He is there even when you do not feel Him. Increase your faith by reading things in the Bible like those mentioned above that will remind you that even great men of God had moments where they did not "feel" Him. Faith is believing the truth of God's Word even when we don't "feel" it. Hold fast to the faith you have and continue in your Bible reading and prayer. Someone else suggested that you go speak to your priest and perhaps also to a Protestant minister. I think that's good advice. Sometimes we need to speak to an actual physical person who can help us when our faith seems weak and we are struggling.

Answer 3

You have to do a backflip, stand on one leg, then do a cartwheel before you begin. I'm kidding of course. You don't have to try so hard. There is no perfect formula and you don't have to get it just right. God listens. End of story. Learn to trust in more than just your feelings.

Sure it would be great to have some supernatural assurance, but God often chooses to work through the natural scheme of things. Just look at those answers pour in. Sometimes you have to reach out to other people. God is more likely to be found in the least of them than in a picture on a wall. You are not alone. And you're not loved any less for wondering if you are. Holdfast; help is on the way.

Answer 4

There are two senses in which God "hears" your prayers. On the one hand God is aware of everything that every person says.

Matthew 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

On the other hand God only "hears" prayers that are according to his will.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

God doesn't walk away from any of his children.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

2 Timothy 2:11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.

I'm sorry to hear of your loneliness. Usually if a person isn't hearing back from God it is because He has already given them an answer and his last word to that person still stands. Either that or they are asking Him questions that are already answered in his Word. Most of the time God doesn't give us explanations for what happens in our lives. He is much more likely to give us directions when we come to Him willing to do whatever and go wherever He wants us to. He is the sovereign Lord after all.

Answer 5

God does not walk away from us. Sometimes, even when we aren't aware we have done it, we turn away from him and that is when we feel lost. This is when you should pray the most sincere prayers. It is wonderful that you pray and when you pray, you must always first give thanks and then ask forgiveness for any sin consciously or unconsciously that you participated in. Then you can pray and say what is on your heart and mind and God will hear and answer you. God does understand because Christ is there making innercessory prayer for us. He walked among us and understands our trials. The future scares us all to some extent, but do not despair because I promise you that even in the darkest times, God is there and everything will work out in his time...not ours. I'm sorry about your church. Some churches are cold. Maybe you should consider visiting another congregation.

Answer 6

You need to sense his essence, and you won't do it in a church. God does not dwell in man-made temples.
Get outside, go to a quiet place in a park, usually a state park on a week day. Silence your mind for only 15 minutes, no thoughts, just concentrate on your breathing. Then pay attention to your surroundings. Pretend you are a tree that you see. What does it feel like when the wind blows on your leaves? How about a rain? Your roots going very deep, how would that feel, pretend you feel it in your feet. Ask God your questions, dig a little hole and fill it up with your troubles (pieces of little broken sticks, each one being your problem you have) Bury those items, you gave them to God, and mother earth to take care of them for you. Do the same with your blessings. Make one more tiny hole for your number one special request, and place anything in that hole to represent that request (a pretty leaf maybe), fill it in and believe that your requests are being heard.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus spent most of his time in the mountains rather than inside a church building?

Answer 7

In my religion praying is just like talking to your mother or father. You thank God for the things you have and the beauty around you, and you ask God for guidance or strength in what you need. You don't have to say anything formal or do anything formal, just talk (in your head or out loud, in your church or in your bed it doesn't matter). Sometimes it is easy to believe God has turned away or hasn't heard, but if you are patient, God will show you the path to get you through any hard time. God may not give you what you want, but a door will be provided for what you need.
Try not to loose hope.
You may want to try to find a church that offers you more hope, warmth, and companionship than you get from your present church.

Answer 8

God is always there for you. Do not lose hope. I will pray for you, too. It may not seem that He is answering you, but He is. It may not be apparent to you right away, but I know from personal experience that God sends help to those in need. Keep praying. Experiment with different types of prayer and find some that make you feel especially close to Him. I feel particularly close to God through song. He loves you, and He will NEVER abandon you. Ever. I am really sorry that your church is cold...have you tried attending mass at a different church? If not, just keep praying. God will get you through it.

God bless you!

Answer 9

I've spent a lot of time asking myself the same question. Does God really Hear me? Is there some proper way to pray?...not really. God is more interested in the heart desire to speak to Him, rather than the subject matter. Therefore, I think to myself, Instead of sitting there asking/thanking God for x,y,z.,why not have a conversation with Him? Ask Him if you think what you are doing is right and if He could show you what His will is. Like the parable Jesus gives of the old widow and the Judge. If you keep asking and asking, God will reveal your desires. I too find it hard to continue to pray when I ask and ask and yet receive no sign or proof, but that does not mean He did not answer me. Isaiah 55... "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways..." One of my favorite verses that keep me going when I'm down and out.

It seems like you are being tried by God and He is watching how you react...much like Job. Keep seeking His will and keep praying even if you don't hear Him...He promises that He hears us.

Answer 10

I have had the same problem in the past, but it has been about 20 years since that has happened to me. I have talked to other ministers and they have had the same problem too. It is very discomforting for a minister to not feel the connection with God when we pray. We always need to know that God is directing our path in everything we do.

You might benefit by reading 'Experiencing God' and maybe using the workbook that you can buy to personalize the course.

It talks about the very problem that you are describing. It tells you what may be happening when you don't feel that God is listening or speaking to you.

One of the things mentioned is you may not be ready for the next thing God has for you, and He is waiting until you have been remolded into the person He needs you to be in order to do what He desires for you.

He is doing a good work in your so that you can do a better work in the lives of others, maybe in the lives of many.

Experiencing God by Henry T. Blackaby & Claude V. King, can be gotten at http://www.christianbook.com .

grace2u

Answer 11

Have you prayed and asked Jesus into your life and to be your Savior? If not, then that is why...Until you are *saved* (have recieved salvation) then while God *hears* your prayers, He cannot answer them because you are not His child (well, maybe 'cannot' isn't the right word...will not, maybe...idk)...If you are saved already, then maybe there is sin in your life that is hindering you. As for your church being cold, I would say to find a different one. My church is always welcoming!!! And I hope that once you find a new church, you can find some amazing God-fearing friends! Email me if you want to talk some more!