7.27.2010

God/Prayer Question

To anyone who believes in a higher power and that would like to comment, what are your thoughts:

So, I have heard that you shouldn't pray for a cure to your disease, you should pray for courage or strength in dealing with it, so that is what I have always done.
Then, I hear that when you pray for courage or strength, God doesn't give you courage or strength, but instead he gives you opportunities to be courageous or to show your strength, I don't want more opportunities to be my courageous....
So, I thank God for all that I am given and for each day that I wake up I thank God for giving me my soul back another day....
But, does anyone have any thoughts on praying for a cure to cancer? What if I pray for a cure for someone else with the same thing I have...I would do that anyway, is that like praying for myself since it would help me too? Are there really all these restrictions on what we can pray for, or should we just talk to God and see what happens...do we go to hell for praying the wrong prayer? What do my friends and family believe on this topic?...I could really use some other peoples thoughts on this.
What am I thankful for? A forum to ask this question.
What would I appreciate? Honest thoughts, written in a respectful way, so as not to purposely hurt others. People won't agree, but out of respect, I ask that if you deside to read the comments and leave a comment of your own, you write it so as to just share your thoughts and not to judge or demean the thoughts and beliefs of others! Thanks!
Sometimes we need to agree to disagree...this is one of those times. HOPE and LOVE!
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think they tell you not to pray for a cure so you don't feel let down by God if it doesn't happen right away. I don't see any reason not to pray for a cure and the strength to endure it all. When I was at church on Sunday the priest said to be persistent in your prayers. Hang in there.

Love, Jenny

Terri Brown said...

I think it's a great thing to pray for a cure for cancer. I do it myself. I believe that prayer is a conversation with God, and one should not hesitate to pray for something that would help the lives of so, so many people.

Hugs Tracy!

The Preister's said...

Hi Tracy...Brenda here from Platte County, we have met a few times, and spoke a time or two this spring for HOH “stuff”!

I do not think God puts limitations to what I pray for. I do realize, however, that not everything I ask for in prayer is received.

I am not sure your denomination, or if that has anything to do with it?? However, my husband (who was raised Catholic and is now Methodist) also believes that he should never ask for anything...only give thanks for what he has. I think this is a great idea, but I also believe that the "inside voices" and conversations I have with myself are my prayer time too. So, for me to never think/say "Dear God, we desperately need a cure" would just never happen! I know that I think and say that more times a day than I realize. I think of my prayer and conversations with God as me speaking to my best friend…a time to say anything and everything that is on my chest.

I also think that our relationships, conversations, prayers, and alone time with God are all unique. God knows what is in your heart, and he knows you want and need a cure…even without your asking. Not to mention, all of the many-many people who pray for one for you out of their love and respect for you!

Hoping you find comfort in your prayers and faith. Thinking of you and praying with you!

-Brenda Preister
mom to Charli, age 4, survivor

Anonymous said...

I believe that I have the toughest sister in the world and it really doesn't matter what you pray for because the FIGHT is within her and the CURE is in the mind of a fabulous person it just hasn't been released yet!! I pray for everything for you anyway...I don't know who I pray to....I JUST DO BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!

Uncle Wayne said...

Prayer is just talking to God. Talking in the same way as you would to anyone you love. Jesus told the disciples and tells us to ask and it will be given to you -- seek and you shall find -knock and the door will be opened. In other words the most important rule of prayer is to " Just do it!" God does answer prayers -- not always the way we want them answered -- but according to his time frame and will.
I believe we should by all means pray for ourselves also. A lot of times we are so busy praying for others we forget about praying for ourselves. Our needs-wants-hopes and dreams all come into play in coming to God in prayer. I believe praying for a cure for cancer for others is also saying a prayer for yourself and people around the world are blessed because of your prayers. I don't believe there is no such thing as too much prayer, and no one can over do it. Prayer is powerful!

Sherry said...

All prayer is good for you! Anything we send up to him - he knows what we really mean - probably better than we know ourselves. Peace comes in prayer time too - that is worth it alone!
Keep em going up!
Sherry

Anonymous said...

I don't think there are any restrictions as to what you can/cannot pray for. I pray for strength, direction, and that one day soon we will discover the cure. I know someone out there can do it.

Anonymous said...

I think that what people feel in their heart and soul is expressed through laughter and tears and sometimes screaming or yelling, or whatever a person needs to do and God doesn't need those feelings to be put into words to know what we are feeling--and asking for. The whole thing is (in my opinion) God has a plan for each of us and we find our way down the path He has laid out. We won't know in this life whether or not He changes the path as we go along, so all we can do is try our best to stay on it...whatever words you say or don't say out loud, I believe doesn't really matter because He hears what your heart is telling him! Throughout the journey I have been traveling with my family as my Dad fights his cancer I have decided that it NEVER hurts to ask...what's the worst that can happen? And, it might help! Ask questions, ask for help, ask for explanations from medical staff, ask for miracles, whatever. I say, ask God too! It never hurts...

M.E.

Unknown said...

Tracy,
I can’t speak concerning prayers to a higher power or prayers to the gods of other religions as I have little knowledge of them. But I do have knowledge and experience with the God of the Bible.

Concerning selfish prayer, our lives are the most precious gift of God here on earth. Shouldn’t we pray for the preservation of that gift? Facing the perils of hell or high-water is there a more selfish prayer than “God save me!”? In Matthew 26 Jesus himself prays - And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."

In John 15 Jesus says - "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. And despite the fact that I often find myself abiding in myself or abiding in the world or abiding in nothing at all, God gives me what I ask for. Not always by any means, but over the years God has answered very specific prayers of mine.

When I was 7 or 8 I loved the Saturday morning westerns. And I wanted a horse. My folks didn’t have any extra money so I started praying for a horse. Before long we had 2 Shetland ponies. That pony would rare up on its hind legs like the Lone Ranger’s horse Silver. But first he would back up against a fence so if he could shake me I would be impaled. Those were the meanest ponies! You could ride them but they would throw their head trying to break your face and bite. And I don’t know how many times I was kicked. I still don’t like horses. But I still think it was a miracle that I got a horse.

When I was in the ARMY God answered some very specific prayers that still come to mind.

When I was early in my career there was a supervisor from another area that continually gave me a hard time. I hated this guy. I lost sleep hating this guy. After a time I asked God to let me forgive him. With that prayer being almost immediately answered, I had peace.

When my kids were young I worried about them…a lot. I was afraid I could not protect them from all the danger in the world. Finally I asked God to take that responsibility and I turned my kids over to Him. Again peace came.

I spent years trying to quit my tobacco habit. The gum, the patch, will power. One day I prayed that God would take that desire from me and I quit overnight. Now I don’t think tobacco is a sin (well no more than dancin n’ card playin), I just wanted to quit.

These may not be big things or impressive, but they are to me.

Some folks might think that my God is a ‘wish God’ or a genie in The Book. But I don’t see God like that at all. I see him as the God of the universe who takes a particular interest in me. He not only gives me what I need but sometimes what I want or think I want. I think he does this to remind me that he is there, interested and caring for me. I think he waits for me to ask so I will be always cognizant of that fact.

God only knows why he does what he does and when. His will will be done.

How should we pray? Prayer is not about words, it is about a relationship with God. Somewhere in Romans it says that in our weakness we don’t know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

I use adoration and praise, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication as a template for prayer.

He says “if My words abide in you.” That can only happen if you spend some time reading His word. And reading his word is how we can learn to “abide in Him.”

Love, Uncle Scott

Unknown said...

PRAY! Pray for your boys to keep their mom around. Pray for your family to keep their aunt, sister, daughter, granddaughter etc here to share their lives with them. Pray for your friends to keep their crazy blond friend around who makes them laugh, cry, and reminds them of what life's really about. Pray for the others who are touched and inspired by your strength, courage, and will to LIVE that gives hope to them in their fight. And yes, pray for your own life because it isn't selfish at all....God made us to have the will to live and that isn't a flaw! He taught us to pray in the Lord's prayer....just have conversations with him. He knows your heart anyway. There are lots of us who pray for you and their is POWER in the agreement of prayer! Luv you chica!

Molly Brady said...

Tracy, you talk and pray all you want to talk and pray about! I believe we have to balance our prayers...we cannot always ASK for things like forgiveness, a cure, etc...we need to be good about giving thanks and appreciate all we are given. Do I think GOD really cares? No, I just think it's important we appreciate and see all the things we are blessed with, even in dark times. You go girl, and talk and pray all you want!! You are obviously very thankful for all that you have been given!

Anonymous said...

TITLE: God has plans to prosper us
SCRIPTURE: Luke 11:9-10 “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone
who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks
it will be opened.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.”

REFLECTION: Have you ever had one of those “BAM!” moments when you know
that God put into place what you just read or heard, because it is
speaking directly to you? Maybe it is the answer to a questions you’ve
been praying about, or a new idea that you just take off with, or even
something you didn’t know you needed, but God put you and that piece of
information in the same place at the same time in order to help you grow.
This happened to me a few weeks ago. I was worrying about something that I
wasn’t sure I would be able to do if God ever asked me to, and I came
across some words in scripture that seemed to be put there just for me,
reassuring me that God will not ask us to do something that He will not
prepare us to do.

Sometimes I think we are afraid to ask God for things we want or need,
because we worry that He won’t give them to us. That may be true in some
cases, if we ask for something that is not part of His divine plan for us,
but many other times He delights in providing just what we need. I saw a
plaque once that said “God’s three answers to prayer are: 1) Yes, 2) Not
yet, 3) I have something better in mind”. In all three cases, He has our
best interests at heart, whether we realize it at the time or not! Don’t
be afraid to ask God for an answer to whatever you are struggling with,
and keep your eyes open for that answer!

PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for caring for us as your
children. Thank you for having plans to prosper us, and thank you for the
little moments when we know you put things into place just for us. Help us
to remember to ask you first when we need help, and keep us attentive to
notice Your answers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.