Question about prayer

[sealchan]

Fair enough. I am trying to be more specific with my prayers. And nearly all of my prayers are really just requests to give me a hint of a direction.


Fair enough. When I pray the prayer is specific to finding a hint of direction.

I am a single guy, with absolutely no clue on the next step in my life. I am cool with free will and acting, but what action do I take?

What if someone takes free will actions their entire life and nothing changes their life. Isn't that possible for me too?

I just want someone to admit that things could be the same forever regardless of actions I take.

That's a real possibility.

So yes, I need to have faith. But at what point do you throw in the towel?

I just watched an episode of a TV show and a priest advised someone regarding how Gods will works. He told a story of a man who had died without having heard back from God in response to his prayer, so he asked God about it. God explained all the ways that he had...he had done it through the people who had responded to the mans need.

The problem for you is likely that in your conscious attitude you are not in a listening state in the way that you need to be. You do not need to give up your rational intelligence or moral discretion, but you do need to open up in the right way in order to move forward

Now this is easy to say but honestly all the advise you have received is correct. It doesnt give you "next steps" because no one has those next steps to give you.

So how does one take the next step when ones mind is countering that next step?

There are a number of psychological approaches were you can lower the energy in your conscious mind until you are given an insight that is well matched to your inner need. You must, like prayer, open yourself to the spontaneous expression of images or sounds or movements or speech. Paying attention to your dreams is perhaps the simplest way to get this sort of information. Free writing where you write down whatever comes into your head without judging or editing the output is another approach. Painting, singing, speaking in tongues, meditation...some method that takes you out of full control and puts you in the back seat and allows other voices to speak within your psyche.

Once you have heard this other voice then you must consider it. It may seem preposterous, juvenile, whiny, arrogant, crazy, silly...but if it is strong and persistent then you need to begin an imaginal, but sincere, conversation with that voice.

For my part I have identified two other inner voices which at certain times in my life I have had to pay serious attention to in order to get right again.

I know this may sound like crazy talk to a lot of people, but if you have ever thought to yourself then you know that this is how the mind actually works. The challenge here is that you, as your conscious ego-personality, have learned how to always win those discussions. Now you need to put yourself, imaginally, in a situation where you must loose a little. Then you may find the direction you seek.

This site now has a dream interpretation forum. I would be glad to supply you with my interpretation services. I may be able to give you something more specific that way.

 

[leov]

I have no idea where to put this question but here goes....

I've been praying for years without any answers that I as a human being would recognize.

My question is simply, if only God knows the logic about how prayer and answering prayer works, how can we begin to position ourselves in this life?

I always get a response like "He is answering your prayers but in mysterious ways".

But what good is that if only God knows the mystery?

No matter what I question there is always an answer from someone in the Church. One pet peeve of mine is someone never admitting that something might not happen.

It is 100% possible for someone to pray and pray and pray, and see no HUMAN answers to the prayers.

Yet the response from someone in the church is "It's just in God's timing".

I wish they would say "You know what, you'right. You may never see an answer".

I think that prayers always answered, just the way that may meet or may not meet our expectations.

 

[Bird123]

I have no idea where to put this question but here goes....

I've been praying for years without any answers that I as a human being would recognize.

My question is simply, if only God knows the logic about how prayer and answering prayer works, how can we begin to position ourselves in this life?

I always get a response like "He is answering your prayers but in mysterious ways".

But what good is that if only God knows the mystery?

No matter what I question there is always an answer from someone in the Church. One pet peeve of mine is someone never admitting that something might not happen.

It is 100% possible for someone to pray and pray and pray, and see no HUMAN answers to the prayers.

Yet the response from someone in the church is "It's just in God's timing".

I wish they would say "You know what, you'right. You may never see an answer".

How about this? God will grant His children anything as long as it doesn't interfere with their lessons or the lessons of anyone else.

You are right. You might never get an answer. On the other hand, that does not mean you can not figure out why you didn't get what you wanted. How does getting what you want change things? How does it change you and those around you?

God will not appear to explain why you didn't get your pray because that would change you and intimidate your free choices.

I do not understand your question: How can we begin to position ourselves in this life?

Life is the education of God's children. It isn't about God. It's about learning and growing. As I see it, God is teaching us all through our free choices. Be who you must! It's a part of the plan! Listen to the advice of others but walk your own path. Life's lessons are best learned that way.

Stop worrying about a wrathful, angry, condemning, punishing, frying your kids God. As I see it. That is merely the view of some of mankind who attempt to control your thinking through coercion and intimidation. It would not be an Intelligence way to be. God is above such petty things.

 

[whirlingmerc]

I have no idea where to put this question but here goes....

I've been praying for years without any answers that I as a human being would recognize.

My question is simply, if only God knows the logic about how prayer and answering prayer works, how can we begin to position ourselves in this life?

I always get a response like "He is answering your prayers but in mysterious ways".

But what good is that if only God knows the mystery?

No matter what I question there is always an answer from someone in the Church. One pet peeve of mine is someone never admitting that something might not happen.

It is 100% possible for someone to pray and pray and pray, and see no HUMAN answers to the prayers.

Yet the response from someone in the church is "It's just in God's timing".

I wish they would say "You know what, you'right. You may never see an answer".

I think it's not as simple as a matter of how to pray.
In some respects it's who you are. A child of God in Christ has a father child relationship with God
Additionally there are issues that might keep preyers from being answered
And there is a matter of faith

 

[Windwalker]

Fair enough. I am trying to be more specific with my prayers. And nearly all of my prayers are really just requests to give me a hint of a direction.

If I may offer a humble suggestion? Try letting go of any expectations at all. If you simply seek God to connect with God alone, then things begin to present themselves all on their own. If you're looking for those things, then you are not looking for God. You are looking to try to find something you think will make you happy. That won't work.

This is very difficult to explain this to the normal way we think about things, about getting something we lack, about finding something to fix ourselves in what we imagine will make us happy, that when we relax all of that effort and "let go", that's when we begin to see what is really important to us in this life. The answers will come from within you, if you let them. And that is key. If you let them. We stand in the way of that too often, trying to fix ourselves. If instead you let go of fear of what you cannot control, then you can possibly move into being a person of agency, that you can act in positive ways towards your own future.

If you learn that young, you will be a happy, and giving person, because you are no longer spending your time worrying about the future, "What am I supposed to be doing with my life", and such. The answer comes when you allow it to arise out of you into the world. All of this is possible.

 

[74x12]

But then that means there's no free will. The point I'm trying to make is, while I'm on this earth, if things don't make sense to me as a human being, why even try to take any actions? On one hand I'm supposed to have faith that everything is happening for a reason. But at the end of the day I'm still a human with very limited knowledge of anything.

I don't believe that everything which happens is from God. Many things are from Satan and so must be resisted. As it's written "resist the devil and he'll flee form you"

Even Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God ..." is twisted by some to mean that nothing but good can happen. The fact us; bad things still happen but God turns it towards good. So tragedies still occur.

You must be a fighter in order to obtain good things; even many of the promises of God. The war is in our minds obviously. If satan can get us to think the wrong thing then that's going to hinder us. If we can resist the fiery darts of the adversary then we'll be far more successful spiritually speaking.

If I were you; I would start studying along these lines. Study spiritual warfare in the scriptures. because this is a great war for anyone who wants to believe God.

Hebrews 11:33 - promises are obtained.

But yes we'll suffer; however if you want to see the end of wicked people who seem to have it easy then read Psalm 73.

 

[loverofhumanity]

I have no idea where to put this question but here goes....

I've been praying for years without any answers that I as a human being would recognize.

My question is simply, if only God knows the logic about how prayer and answering prayer works, how can we begin to position ourselves in this life?

I always get a response like "He is answering your prayers but in mysterious ways".

But what good is that if only God knows the mystery?

No matter what I question there is always an answer from someone in the Church. One pet peeve of mine is someone never admitting that something might not happen.

It is 100% possible for someone to pray and pray and pray, and see no HUMAN answers to the prayers.

Yet the response from someone in the church is "It's just in God's timing".

I wish they would say "You know what, you'right. You may never see an answer".

Have you ever tried something like this? The last steps are very important.

Dynamics of Prayer