I don't pray anymore.
At least, not in the normal sense that many people understand prayer.
I
used to pray religiously. I would get up in the morning and have a
little time to pray. When I sat down to eat, I would first close my
eyes, bow my head and pray before digging in. At night, I would also
pray before going to bed.
When I desperately wanted something, I
would pray aloud. I would pray repeatedly. I would pray kneeling down,
with tears in my eyes. At other times, I would pray with such command
and conviction it seemed like God was my minion and "in Jesus' name"
was a magical phrase I would invoke to let my desires come to pass.
I even learned this pattern in church: ACTS -- when praying, you have to start off with Adoration, then Confession, then Thanksgiving, the Supplication (or asking). When praying, you have to be specific with what you ask.
I
got so used to praying this way it became a ritual. The words and
intentions may be different each time but the motions are the same. I
also observed that many people went through prayer this way. For a
time, there was someone I would constantly have lunch with and there
was nothing wrong with the person -- he was good, involved in a number
of church activities, and he prayed rather sincerely before lunch. But
sometimes, when he started taking a few bites, he'd complain about the
food. Like how he had this yesterday and so on, and that's immediately
after he thanked God for it.
I think that was when I really
began to think long and hard about this thing called prayer. And I
decided then, that the best prayer I can give before meals is not a
prayer of words, but a healthy appreciation of whatever it is I'm
eating at the moment. So I don't pray anymore before I eat. I think God
knows and understands I'm grateful by the way I consume the food (which
probably expains why I'm now overweight--which is a good thing in
itself because it got me to start exercising).
Of course, when
I'm asked to say grace for a meal, I still do. Nothing wrong with
publicly giving thanks. "When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do" as
the saying goes.
As I grew deeper in my knowledge and
understanding of God, this became my life goal -- to no longer ask
stuff from God or try to persuade him to grant my own desires, but
instead to cultivate a healthy acceptance of his will, to accept
tragedy as an obstacle necessary for growth, and to be thankful and
grateful for everything, be it good or bad.
This is what I have
realized, that there are only two true prayers: One is a prayer of awe
(or praise) and the other is a prayer of thanks, and neither of them
have to be spoken. They only have to be lived.
That is why I say that I no longer pray, because I aspire to make my life a living prayer.
Corinthian posted on Feb 24, 2007
| views: 253
Comments
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FaithfulDisciple said on Feb 24, 2007....
Prayer is a form of spiritual communication with God. Whatever the purpose of prayer, be it to give thanks, praise or make a request or plea, we are still talking to God on a personal level.
Whatever type and manner of prayer we perform, it is our way of talking to God. The next thing to do after talking is listening. Listening involves being intently aware of signs and responses from God regarding our prayers.
This is quite a good post on prayer Corinthian and welcome to Soulcast.
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Corinthian said on Feb 25, 2007....
Hi, thanks for the kind words. :-)
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boyzmom said on Feb 25, 2007....
I agree that not all prayers have to be spoken but I think you need to treat God like you would treat your earthly father. Talk to him on a regular basis so he knows you haven't forgotten him. -
Corinthian said on Feb 25, 2007....
This sounds like a reply I got in another blog...But anyway, that's the point. A lot of us treat God like an earthly father, and the analogies are just wrong. His knowing that we haven't forgotten him doesn't come from our talking or not talking to him.
I think talking to him is more for us than for him. It gives us a sense of reassurance or lessens our guilt.
"Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."
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boyzmom said on Feb 25, 2007....
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray continuallyLuke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.The bible tells us to pray and it also refers to God as the father. This is the closest analogy we have as to what our relationship with God should be. Since we want to have a relationship with God we must be willing to spend time with him. God will not force himself on us, we have to ask him to come in. We also know he is a jealous God and therefore just living doesn't put him in a place of importance in out lives that he wants. -
Corinthian said on Feb 26, 2007....
Perhaps, but remember that the Bible was written from the point of view of its authors. Yes, then you're going to tell me God is the author and probably quote 2 Timothy to me. But I'm looking at it from this vantage point, that the Bible is not yet in its final form. That God is continually and progressively revealing himself to us and through us.
The authors of the Bible looked at God and personified him in a manner they understood or tried to understand. I'm just saying that maybe God wants us to move on beyond that. That he too is longing for a relationship with us -- a relationship where we don't go crying and whining to him all the time, but where we can just sit with him in silence and we'll understand each other perfectly.
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boyzmom said on Feb 26, 2007....
If you are okay with sitting in silence and don't need to have a radio or tv on for background noise then I think you are right. Many people are not at peace in the silence and that is why they have to intentionally fill their thoughts with God- through prayer. For me, silence is good... -
Corinthian said on Feb 26, 2007....
Ah but there can be silence amidst the noise :-)
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Celtic_Monk said on Feb 27, 2007....
What is prayer? - this is an important question. Maybe prayer is anything when it comes from the heart and when it's directed at this great mystery we find ourselves in. St Paul told the Corinthians (maybe it was some other people. I'm not sure, but he told someone) that the spirit of God is constantly at prayer within us. What a truly beautiful notion. 'Experts' have told me in the past how to pray. I don't believe any of them. Your prayer is whatever you think, however you feel, wherever you are. It is you speaking from your depth. Don't judge yourself for it. Trust that in your attempts to pray you are tunnelling your way closer to that spirit that is constantly at prayer within you. -
boyzmom said on Feb 27, 2007....
Celtic Monk has a good point. People who never 'learned' to pray will come to the Lord in prayer. There is the Spirit to guide our prayers. We can pray in different ways, but I think refusing to pray is refusing to listen to God. He is not our equal and we cannot treat him like our friend and say 'he knows me, my heart, so I don't have to say thank you or I am sorry or anything to him.' -
kruuyai said on Nov 28, 2008....
Beautifully written, Corinthian. And I agree with your philosophy. boyzmom, I think you're missing Corinthian's point, that his method of praying is to "be" appreciative for what he has before him rather than to just "say" that he is appreciative. And words? Words are a means of communication between men (and women). We don't need words to communicate with "god." In fact, words can obscure the meaning of the soul. -
Corinthian said on Nov 28, 2008....
whoa...this thread lives again :) -
kruuyai said on Nov 28, 2008....
The good ones never die. :)
Comment on "Why I No Longer Pray"
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