Christians please: Do you or have you struggled with this? How did you or are you dealing with it?

Question

Up until recently, I have found it difficult to pray for blessings for myself, family, or friends. We know the Christian life is to be one of hardship (for the most part), right? So it seems to me that praying for blessings is praying to avoid hardship, thus praying to not face the life of a Christian. If it makes me or my family or friends happy, then it would be selfish to ask for. Extremely stated, we should be praying for more and more troubles and fewer and fewer blessings. I know my logic here is false somehow, after all, we also know that "Ye have not because ye ask not" and God truly wants to bless us. I also have thought in the past that we should honestly be looking at troubles as blessings, and good things are just accidental bonuses. I do pray now for such blessings, but honestly just b/c I feel it can't hurt -- and the whole not-praying bit was seriously destroying my Realationship. Any takers out there? Thanks to all, and God bless.

Answer 1

I know at one point I found myself trying to be generouse in my prayers to please God so maybe I would end up with some of those "accidental bonuses" you mentioned. I was appalled after I realized I was doing this, I mean it was like trying to manipulate God you know. So I find just asking for what I want and blessings are ok just as long as they are in accordance with his will. well how do we know his will over every little thing in our life? we don't so like Jesus said at the end of his prayer in the garden asking that the cup be removed from him he said "even though father, your will be done"
I wouldn't say we are "supposed" to have hardships. Hardships, trials and temptations are unavoidable they are going to happen. So to ask for help thru them or even to avoid them is not wrong. Of course we want to avoid them God knows this. So why not pray for it to be removed from us or that blessings be added to us? Jesus did. So I think its honest, we all would like to be blessed and by not praying for them is like trying to hide from God the fact that we want them. But I too used to think I was being selfish to ask for blessings and came to realize I was just being , well dishonest in a way. Furthermore the Bible tells us God wants to pour out his blessings on us. If anything I think its the Devil who doesn't want us asking for blessings.
But by praying only cause you feel it can't hurt to pray for those things isn't the way to do it. God wants us to remember that he wants to bless us ,he wants us to ask, so don't be shy about it just be honest. God I need your blessings in my life, and so on or whatever it is your heart desires. I really hope this helps just be direct and open in your prayers.

Answer 2

I feel the same way sometimes; I sometimes wonder what right I have to pray for anything good when I've already got so much that is good. I was advised to do this: Pray ACTS. A = Adoration, C = Contrition, T = Thanksgiving, and S = Supplication. Adoration is telling God he's great, Contrition is telling God you're sorry for failing him in whatever choices you've made wrongly that day, Thanksgiving is thanking God for the blessings he's given you that day, and Supplication is asking God for what you (and/or other people, whether you know them or not) want or need. Pray all four ACTS, and you've got a prayer that doesn't leave you feeling overly selfish. God does want to give you blessings; just don't feel like he's done you wrong when he doesn't give you what you ask for, or when hardship enters your life. He doesn't make hard things happen to you, but he lets them happen because sometimes you need to learn a lesson from them. He sometimes doesn't give you what you prayed for, because you didn't ask for something that would really do you good.

Anyway, that's just my take on it, but ACTS is a well-rounded form of prayer, so it's never a bad plan to use it.

Answer 3

Just pray what is on your heart. He hears you. I pray about everything even my wants and know that God will give me exactly what I need and not everything I want. Sometimes I realize that I am like my little child, saying I want, I want, but I give them what I think they need, even good things. We are going to have troubles no matter what. Pray that He will help you through the bad times and work it out for your good and His glory. What greater blessing for your friends and family but to pray for them to be blessed. Blessings do not mean material things, sometimes it is the changes that take place within our personality that make us happy. Like, being happy instead of being angry, or hurt. Just talk to Him like you would a friend. He enjoys hearing from you.

Answer 4

Sometimes we don't even know when we have got a blessing. You are doing your best to follow the Bible and understand it. That is great.
I am the mother of two kidnapped children. Will I even see them again? Heaven only knows. But God graced me with epilepsy to keep the stress off of me. So I can keep smiling most of the time. Just not as much as I use to.
Pray for yourself, for strength through all this, though all life, so you can be as close to God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. Filled with them the most. They are your source of strength. So ask for all you need to be the best you can be for them.

Answer 5

There is a lot of depth to the scripture stating "he who loses his life for my sake will find it." There always is a small sense of guilt in praying for your own blessing, but try to keep prayer as selfless as you can...for you are already truly blessed as you can possibly be to be able to come to the Lord in prayer anyway. We accept that the world is ultimately against us when we accept Christ at the start. It is easy to say these things but harder to implement them when in need, but pray not to avoid hardship...but to find God's will for you in the hardships you encounter. For I do not believe God is throwing obstacles at you, but has provided the groundwork and an everlasting relationship with the One to help guide you (through prayer) to the finish line. Keep a watchful eye outfor a tendency to get inwardly focused, for that can lead you down the wrong path. God bless!

Answer 6

I do not think it is a sin to ask God to bless you with the means of living and the ability to support and care for yourself, your family, and God's lost sheep. After all, we do thank him for blessing us with the ability to acquire food when we say grace. I think praying for material wealth would be wrong, but if God blesses you with more than you need to meet your survival needs it is a blessing.

I do not think that being a Christian guarantees a life of hard ship. Struggles, yes, to become more Christ-like, and to mold our will to God's desires.

Sometimes the troubles we face are because we are not listening or seeking after God's desire for our lives. As our Creater, I do not believe that God wants us to have endless troubles in our lives, but when troubles do come, they can be to refine us as Christians.

Personally, I have recently had surgery for kidney cancer. The cancer was discovered by accident. I could look at is a a trouble, which it was, but also a blessing because it was discovered before it spread to my brain, lungs, bones, or other places. Sometimes it is a matter of perspective.

I don't think it is wrong to ask God to bless you with the means or ability to provide for yourself and your family. Also be sure to thank him for his blessings.

Answer 7

I think it's important to focus not so much on blessings, but that God will meet our needs. What God wants is for us to rely upon him and to learn wisdom and discernment. I don't think it's wrong to pray about our needs. But it would be wrong to pray that God makes us wealthy.

Answer 8

Christ told us he came to give life more abundantly. Asking for abundant life in prayer is consistent with God's will as revealed to us by God himself through Jesus. Being Christian doesn't protect us from problems. But, it also doesn't condemn us to nothing but problems. Asking for blessings is consistent with Christ's words in Matthew 7.7

“Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. 8For everyone who asks, receives. Anyone who seeks, finds. If only you will knock, the door will open."

Our prayers are mostly to draw us to the will of God, not to have God do our will. It is OK to ask for blessings in your prayers. If blessings are God's will for you and those you pray for, enjoy the abundance God provides.

Answer 9

I DO NOT beg for things when I pray. I thank the Lord for what I have. If He chooses to bless me then so be it.

Answer 10

hi Michael, i'm no longer a male, and that i do no longer understand precisely what you're asking, yet i myself desire that this helps... You pronounced that your dad substitute right into a non-believer. All i could could desire to declare is be an occasion of Christ. make certain to love him, and teach the affection of Jesus by way of you. :) no person can ever convert everyone else to Christ. in basic terms God can do this throughout the time of His very own time whilst He prepares your dad for it. you could pray on your dad even with the shown fact that. do no longer forget approximately, God loves you very lots and is prepared to forgive. :) God bless.