Praying

[jeffrey]

For those who pray, do you or would you pray for anybody? Or only the people of your own faith? Or would you even pray for someone that you don't like? Or don't know? Be honest. God is listening.

 

[jeffrey]

I pray for anybody and everybody. And when I do, I feel a love for them, even people I've never met, or people that have harmed me in the past.

 

[Ori]

When I used to pray, I would do it even for those I hated, but mostly it was for myself and my family.
Those days are now far behind me.

 

[michel]

For those who pray, do you or would you pray for anybody? Or only the people of your own faith? Or would you even pray for someone that you don't like? Or don't know? Be honest. God is listening.

This is an interesting one, because it is a topic in which I became interested when I joined the Forum, when I understood the theory of 'hate the sin, not the sinner.'

When I pray, as well as a prayer of thanks for the many blessing God has heaped upon me (I think it just as important to give thanks to God for all those things that we take for granted, as well as asking for help), I pray for those in pain, suffering from ilness, those being abused (anyone who is suffering). I also include a prayer that God may help make his presence known to terrorists, and people who do evil deeds, because I have understood that, if anything, those people are more in need than I.

It is up to God to judge the individual's sins upon his death, not mine, during his lifetime.

 

[jeffrey]

Nicely stated, michel. :clap

makes mental note to self to cover more ground when praying....​

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I tend to pray for all who are suffering.
Through pain, illness, mental stress, grieving.
Those who can't control the situation in which the find them selves.
For enlightenment for those people and countries going along the wrong path.
For the greater wisdom of all men.
For the generosity from each to others, that comes from following Christ's teachings.

Thanks for all the opportunities that we have been given.
And thanks for God's forgiveness for my own and all mens failures.



Terry______________________
Blessed are the pure of heart, they shall behold their God.

 

[ChrisP]

I used to pray every day when young and better looking, now I simply act upon what I would once have prayed about. This has worked better for me.

 

[jonny]

For those who pray, do you or would you pray for anybody? Or only the people of your own faith? Or would you even pray for someone that you don't like? Or don't know? Be honest. God is listening.

I'll pray for anyone who might need a prayer - it doesn't matter which faith they belong to. I put people on the prayer rolls of the temple every time I go - especially if I know they are having problems. For example, recently a friend of mine was "coming out" to his friends and family and was really nervous about it. I happened to be in the temple that day and stuck his name on the rolls - knowing that he might need some extra prayers at that time in his life.

 

[Katzpur]

For those who pray, do you or would you pray for anybody? Or only the people of your own faith? Or would you even pray for someone that you don't like?

Whether someone is a member of my own faith doesn't even enter into the equation. I pray for people regardless of their religious beliefs. I don't know that I'm all that good at praying for people I don't like. I have prayed that I might be able to be helped to patch things up with people I've had harsh words with, though. Does that count? (By the way, God definitely answers those kinds of prayers!)

Be honest. God is listening.

That's what I always used to tell my kids when they were growing up. If I asked them a question and thought they might be inclined to lie to me, I used to say, "Now before you answer... You stop and think about this. You might be able to fool me, but you can't fool Heavenly Father." (I'm still not sure whether it worked or not. )

 

[maggie2]

I don't know that I really pray in the Christian sense of that word. I do, however, pray in my own way. If I am 'praying' it is most often a prayer of thanks where I acknowledge the beauty around me or the love of a family member or just that I was able to find some item I was looking for. I would say that probably 90% of my prayer life is prayers of gratitude.

Would I or could I pray for anyone even someone not of my faith or someone I don't like or know? Yes to all of those. However, here's my version of 'praying' in this respect. I believe that prayer is not so much answered by a 'Heavenly Father' but that our INTENTION in offering our thoughts and support for another human (or an animal for that matter) affects the outcome of that person's situation. So instead of praying in the traditional sense, I will focus my attention on that person and the situation they are in and send positive energy to them. I will also reflect on the outcome I hope will come to pass, giving that my attention. This may not work for most people, but it's what works for me regarding prayer. I don't tend to pray prayers of supplication for myself. However, again, I do focus on my intention for my life and how I want things to turn out. I'd be interested to know if anyone else can relate to this type of 'prayer' or practices a similar type of 'prayer'.

 

[ayani]

i often only pray when i know of someone who is very ill or facing a crisis.

i don't really have a "prayer life". if you define prayer as talking with God or a god intimately.

i do use mantras to focus my thinking and help cultivate gratitude, detachment, and mindfulness. i try to set aside time daily for that.

 

[dawny0826]

For those who pray, do you or would you pray for anybody? Or only the people of your own faith? Or would you even pray for someone that you don't like? Or don't know? Be honest. God is listening.

I pray as much as possible...for myself, my family, for people I know and don't know...for people I love and truly having issues loving...and when I don't know what to pray for...I pray that God will search my heart and impress upon me the things I should be praying for.

 

[Elphineas]

What if you pray in a way that others don't approve of?

Er, say you were a Christian with the flu, and I was a Pagan who practiced witchcraft. Would it bother you if I laid a healing spell on you without your consent?

What if I asked first?

Don't worry - it's against the rules to do it without asking - but what if it weren't?

 

[YmirGF]

As I wrote in "Dogs and God", I find it difficult to pray to my friend.

I do ask advice, but not in a prayer format. It is more a thought experiment really.

 

[michel]

What if you pray in a way that others don't approve of?

Er, say you were a Christian with the flu, and I was a Pagan who practiced witchcraft. Would it bother you if I laid a healing spell on you without your consent?

What if I asked first?

Don't worry - it's against the rules to do it without asking - but what if it weren't?

Would it bother you if I laid a healing spell on you without your consent?

Gosh, No! I never turn anything down!

Seriously, no, because I know it would be well meant.

 

[jeffrey]

Gosh, No! I never turn anything down!

Seriously, no, because I know it would be well meant.

I agree. The way I look at it, all things good come from God. So even if you cast a spell, pray to a pagan God, if it's good, it came from the same God, just different names.

 

[Katzpur]

What if you pray in a way that others don't approve of?

I don't need anybody's approval for how I pray.

Er, say you were a Christian with the flu, and I was a Pagan who practiced witchcraft. Would it bother you if I laid a healing spell on you without your consent?

It wouldn't bother me at all.

What if I asked first?

That would be nice, but not necessary. The way I figure, if it's your intention to help me, why should I be offended?

 

[Katzpur]

I pray that God will search my heart and impress upon me the things I should be praying for.

I don't think we can pray for anything much better than that. I never feel that I am selfish in what I ask God for; at least I try to ask primarily that He protect my loved ones from illness or harm. But occasionally, I decide before I even kneel down to pray that I'm not going to ask for anything at all. Instead, my prayer is going to be one of thanksgiving and gratitude alone. Whenever I do that, I find so many things to be grateful for that I haven't even stopped to think about. One thing leads to another and I find I can go on and on just saying, "Thank you!" Sometimes, I find myself saying, "And please...", and then I remember that I'm not going to ask for anything. I stop and remind myself that God doesn't really need me to tell Him what my needs are anyway. Like I'm going to be able to give him some insight into my situation that He doesn't already have.