Gothicmoms Pondering #2

[gothicmom]

Please, no anti-christian, anti-God or anti-satan style responses please. That is not the type of answer I'm looking for. =)

What do you do when you feel like you prayers go now where? Like all you are doing is talking to the empty air around you?

pondering #3 is in Health and Wellbeing

[TomCat]

I simply take a step back, take stock in all that I've recieved and have, and wonder if I'm placing my efforts in the right direction. Sometimes it'a all about directed effort.

[The_Dark]

I do what I planned on doing anyway or what ever seems best. I am not so self centered to think God is going to answer my every prayer or guide me on every decision. I rarely ask God for anything other than another day of life.

[Brenda Starrr]

I just do the best that I can to get through. This last month has been a real test for me. If Wayne and I can get through the next 3 weeks, we're good. I also keep in mind that somebody is always worse off then we ever were. I learned about 3 years ago, when my son was first hospitalized, that God really does give to you only what He really believes you can take. I really thought that God was giving me way too much, but I survived it. I'm still surviving it, because it's not over for us or my son. It's just the beginning.

Whatever it is, GM, keep your chin up. :

[Ginevra]

(For the sake of argument, my post assmes that "God" is male.)

My father, being a lay minister, always taught us at home and in church that communication with God should be a continuous and ongoing thing. Foxhole religion should not be a part of a good Christian's life. (I can explain "foxhole religion" later if requested.) Communication with God is a one on one deal; you're the only human that should know what you pray about. He has told us about people that have a special phoneset in their house that they don't use for anything else but praying. As corny as it might sound, they use it to "call God" to make themselves feel more comfortable in talking to him. This makes him more accessible in their minds and makes it easier to speak aloud.

On the other hand, Dad always said that we should feel close enough to God to be able to talk to him at any moment of any day. That, for instance, while we're walking through the grocery store and we see a good price on something or on the drive home and we avoid an accident, that we should be able to quietly say "Thank you, God."

I guess what I'm mostly trying to get at is that, in my opinion, it's completely up to the individual and it depends on their personal comfort level. It also relies on the depth of your faith as well. If your faith is strong, then you know that you're not just praying to "empty air" and that your prayers are heard. (Whether they're answered or not or answered in a way you'd like is a different story.)

[The_Dark]

Though I have never heard the term "Foxhole religion" before, I know exactly what you mean. I'm going to use that term from now on. I think I would really like your Dad. He sounds like the good kind of minister.

[gothicmom]

Nothing serious is going on in my life right now. These are just the result of laying in bed, in a quiet room for a few hours. It was kind of nice for a change

What bothers me is when the family is sick, or my husband is in such pain I don't know what to do and I pray and pray.........it feels as if it does nothing.

Am I making any sence? I don't feel like I'm saying what I want to.

[Soulrev]

I think what you're trying to say is you have no faith in your prayers.. That's the problem.

I never get that feeling because I have faith in my prayers.

Maybe that'll help ya figure stuff out

[Lilith]

my mother in law once told me in a similar comversation that perhaps what we are praying for is not what we need, or perhaps we had asked good the wrong way, Example, if you need money and you ask god to make you a lotto winner, will you win the lotto? probaly not! perhaps try asking god to lead in the right direction to take care fo your finacial needs.

On a sinckness level perhaps ask god to let the pain or illness to pass quickly, let it not be to harmful to there bodies but make it strong, ask god to help lead you to the correct medication to ease the pain etc.......

there is a country song ( i forget the male artist who sings it) but it speaks of thanking god for un answered prayers,

sometimes the best answer to a prayer is none, you may not know why but i am sure sometime in your life you can look back at somethng you prayed for and did not recieve and now you are very happy with the way things worked out.

lilith

[Shade Everdark]

Back when I was young and Christian, I used to think along the lines of, "God helps those who help themselves."

Of course, I went atheist, so that should tell you what kind of Christian I was.

[Scary Guy]

Back when I was young and Christian, I used to think along the lines of, "God helps those who help themselves."

Of course, I went atheist, so that should tell you what kind of Christian I was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.nothingnice.com/comics/20040813.gif

Thats just for you

Christians should not click (NSFC) :D

Or you could think of it like "god gave him those fists"

[The_Dark]

What part of

Please, no anti-christian, anti-God or anti-satan style responses please

did you not understand?

[Scary Guy]

What part of

did you not understand?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I did put a warning on it and said not to click it. It was just relavant to Shade Everdark's reply anyway.

Not my fault you didn't follow my advice.

[Vater Araignee]

I feel faith and proper visualisation is the key to proper prayer.

Most of the self help experts claim that if you can't picture yourself as sucesfull, you will not be. So without faith in your ability to over come, you will not.

Then maby you are doing it correctly you just dont know it. When I have a problem most of the time it is the small things that help.

When I'm having a migrain and i'm in antmed mode to know that my wife is worried about me some how makes me feel better. You know love helps.

[Fierce Critter]

When torn between my "old" religion of Catholicism and my newfound faith of Paganism, there was a period I felt Godless. I wanted to pray, but didn't know who/what to pray TO.

I stopped praying for a bit then and started really going into myself for answers. An epiphany of sorts occurred, and afterwards, I was o.k.

Sometimes we have to trust the divinity of self. Oftentimes, then, a Higher Power will hear you better. I think that was a really wordy way of saying, "God helps those who help themselves". :

[Fierce Critter]

Oh, by the way, sometimes it helps if you, in a way, "talk" to someone other than God. For instance, I sometimes "talk" to a relative who has passed, or pick a saint that represents my particular circumstance. Often that will have results you wouldn't expect.

[Marblez]

there is a country song ( i forget the male artist who sings it) but it speaks  of thanking god for un answered prayers,

sometimes the best answer to a prayer is none, you may not know why but i am sure sometime in your life you can look back at somethng you prayed for and did not recieve and now you are very happy with the way things worked out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The same exact song occurred to me when I read the question. See below.

I try to keep in mind that I should not pray for what I think at the time is best. I rarely know what that is. I prefer to pray to thank Him for the good things in my life and ask for the the strength to get through the tough times that we all experience. I am here...I guess my prayers were answered. Sure, bad things happen. So do good things. As long as you can look back and find something good in all the bad, in hindsight, it just doesn't seem that bad anymore.

Lyrics to Unanswered Prayers, Artist: GARTH BROOKS

Just the other night a hometown football game

My wife nd I ran into my old high school flame

And as I introduced them the past came back to me

And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be

She was the one that I'd wanted for all times

And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine

And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then

I'd never ask for anything again

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs

That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams

And I could tell that time had changed me

Inn her eyes too it seemed

We tried to talk about the old days

There wasn't much we could recall

I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all

And as she walked away and I looked at my wife

And then and there I thankedd the good Lord

For the gifts in my life

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs

That just because he may not answer doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

[Rivet_HeadINC]

You know, just beacuse some of us don't believe in God (per-say) doesn't mean that we don't pray.

I've been in your shoes before, and I think that the Song that Marblez posted is the best answer to this question.

When I was fighting my Spirituality a few years ago, I prayed and prayed and prayed but got no response what so ever. Then one day I stoped and just closed my eyes, shut everything off in my mind and in the room. I lite a candle and just sat there.

Low and behold, I was bombarded with answers to every prayer and every question I ever had.

As silly as it sounds, it was kinda like Daredevil. You know, when he wakes up in the hospital and is bombarded with all of that sound?

[gothicmom]

there was a period I felt Godless. I wanted to pray, but didn't know who/what to pray TO.

Sounds familliar!