I think one of the hardest things in the Christian life is
in the area of prayer, at least for me.
Maybe I am not as weak in this area as I believe myself to be, but I don’t
know. I do a lot of little prayers, as I
go along in the day. I talk to God
variably during my going about. Where I
find weakness is in formal prayer.
I have many questions when it comes to formal prayer. My questions are not in regard to mechanics, really. We know how to get on our knees, make requests, ask for others etc. The one area that I think I get the most confusion, or at least perceived confusion is what happens in prayer. I always hear about how others say that God has told them this or that specific thing during prayer. I have never heard God in prayer; at least not a specific voice speaking specific things.
I have many questions when it comes to formal prayer. My questions are not in regard to mechanics, really. We know how to get on our knees, make requests, ask for others etc. The one area that I think I get the most confusion, or at least perceived confusion is what happens in prayer. I always hear about how others say that God has told them this or that specific thing during prayer. I have never heard God in prayer; at least not a specific voice speaking specific things.
Maybe I just don’t spend enough time in formal prayer. Maybe I just don’t know how to listen. Maybe my sins are preventing me from
hearing. I don’t know. I would truly love to hear God. I am often left wondering if I am hearing God
or is it just what my mind is thinking?
I run into problems in formal prayer. My mind tends to wander. I get tired. I have fallen asleep during formal prayer. Probably one of my greatest weaknesses is not taking more time for it. Am I alone in these issues?
What I get in prayer is scriptures that pop into my head that when I study, are related in some way to my prayer. This is often followed up by running across random confirmations such as stumbling onto a teaching on the verse or a person bringing it up within the couple days afterwards. Generally they have to do more with how I am to act rather than a specific on what I should do.
When I hear people say they have heard God tell them to, for example, build a building or take a particular job over another, I have questions. First I wonder if it is God speaking to them or if they are just convincing themselves that what they want is what they think God said. The other is, why am I not getting this type of specifics during prayer? Which question is the right one to ask?
I run into problems in formal prayer. My mind tends to wander. I get tired. I have fallen asleep during formal prayer. Probably one of my greatest weaknesses is not taking more time for it. Am I alone in these issues?
What I get in prayer is scriptures that pop into my head that when I study, are related in some way to my prayer. This is often followed up by running across random confirmations such as stumbling onto a teaching on the verse or a person bringing it up within the couple days afterwards. Generally they have to do more with how I am to act rather than a specific on what I should do.
When I hear people say they have heard God tell them to, for example, build a building or take a particular job over another, I have questions. First I wonder if it is God speaking to them or if they are just convincing themselves that what they want is what they think God said. The other is, why am I not getting this type of specifics during prayer? Which question is the right one to ask?
2 comments:
First, you are hearing Him...Most often, He gives us His own words, followed by confirmation. And second, I think you may be right to an extent about others calling what they want Yahweh's will. His will is for us to obey Him and have a relationship with Him, many of the specifics just don't matter! Good post!
Thank you Anonymous. Good to get feedback on this important issue.
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