When you pray, do you just ask God to bless you or do you get specific?

Question

If you pray for God to bless someone else, are you vague or specific about it?

Kate J: WOW! I've prayed for all those things except for winning the lottery. Since He answered the others, maybe I'm missing out here. I'd feel sorta funny about praying for all that money tho after God gave me the best possible job I am capable of doing.

Answer 1

Both...sometimes when I just want to say a quick prayer I just ask for general blessings, other times (for example, during my morning time with God when I read the bible and pray), I get VERY specific. I pray for specific people and I ask him to give me the things that I want. ...but when I do this, I am careful to conclude with "your will be done Lord" to acknowledge that he may have something far better than I can imagine in mind for me than what I just asked him to give me.

Answer 2

I get specific. It seems to me that the most successful pray-ers are people who get specific with their prayers (I don't mean this to imply that *I* am successful --- just stating a trend I've noticed). I wonder if this is because prayer how God works out His will. I *cannot* explain how this works (and keep in mind, I believe *fully* in God's sovereignty), but God chooses to flesh out His will in our prayers.

One of the ways I know this is that I kind of get different kinds of feelings when I'm praying. Sometimes I feel like a *thud* and I just feel like that's not what the Lord wants me to pray about, move on. Sometimes I feel like I am really getting to the heart of the matter and that I need to keep going. I've noticed that most often when I get that second feeling, it's somehow tied to the fact that the Lord *gives* me the specifics to pray; often I pray details that I have no other way of knowing except that He puts them in my mouth.

I am specifically talking about praying for others in the above paragraph. I feel that praying for others is almost always the most effective form of prayer. I believe that this is so because we often don't have enough distance from ourselves to pray in God's will --- we are often just praying for what we *want*. Praying for others alleviates that somewhat and we are more able to pray God's will.

Answer 3

Most importantly, I thank God for all my blessings, I ask for forgiveness of my sins and I listen to where the Lord guides my prayer. People will enter my mind to pray for . I try to talk to Him as if He is sitting right next to me .

Answer 4

This is gonna upset a lot of people but... I don't really care because it's true.

When I believed in a god I would pray for wisdom. Now I'm an Atheist so I guess prayer really can work if you want it bad enough.

Answer 5

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Answer 6

I usually dont like to ask God for things that i need or whant, but i ask him to make sure that close loved ones are safe etc..

I have my time alone and listen to God through meditation. I think it is more important to listen ..

Answer 7

For me prayer isn't about asking God to bless or give me anything. It's about thanking him for what I already have, and asking that his will be done instead of my own. I find I'm never disappointed. :)

Answer 8

I get specific for all things in prayer.

I pray that God blesses each one of us with patience, love, endurcance, and care so that we may live in peace with one another and that each of us will seek God's grace and that we will receive his gift of salvation. I pray that Ron (A friend of mine) will continue to pray for God's will and that he will do what he knows God wants him too. I pray for my father who struggles daily that God will heal him from the depression taht he has lived with his entire life and denies. I pray that God will make him a joyful man and bring him to his slavation. I pray that the 10 commandments and God will be restored in this country and thea each one of his children will open their hearts, souls, mouths and fight for our rights and stand up for what they believe in. I pray for my son to know right from wrong and that he will be a great man for Christ. I pray that his talents and gifts are brought early to view so that he will succeed and he will be protected. I pray that each abused child and adult tonight feel his love and presence and know they are worth so much more. I pray for Gods love and kindness to rain down on this mighty nation. I pray for God's will to be done and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for his love, laughter, this life, his forgivness, salvation, my son, my family, my home, continual increase in homes to clean so I can support my son, hope, redemtion and direciton in my life. In Jesus Name Amen.

Answer 9

It depends on what it is..Mostly it is about blessing my family, friends..Blessing my marriage...I usually don't have to go into details...

Answer 10

"Oh God, please let me win the lottery, help me to get a much better job I'd like that would pay more, let me lose 5 lbs., please give me completely clear skin, please make my hair grow faster, and help my cats to all get along." "And just let your will be done in my life."