Comments on: ★ Prayer and why I stink at it.

By: ryan

ryan — Fri, 11 May 2007 14:51:39 +0000

I know I’m posting way back in the archives, but I’ve been thinking about this recently as I feel I have passed up a few opportunities to pray with struggling people. I also was at Dunkin Donuts yesterday morning where I had a chat with a father and his daughter who is a part of our student ministries. At the end of our discussion it was natural for this Dad to just say let’s pray and we did. He has done this at other times as well. One time in a situation similar to what Carol mentioned above, this guys was just talking to us and thanking us for the ministry we have with his kids and almost in the middle of the conversation he says, let’s pray. And we did. Why did it feel awkward? I’m in the same boat as you. I have forced myself on occasion and it has been good, but I definitely am not a natural nor do I recognize some opportunities until they are gone…

By: Mitch

Mitch — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:53:48 +0000

… ? spidey sense is tingling

This is what I’m thinking, if I was going pray what would a pray for. Maybe you’re unsure of what to pray about.

By: carol hiestand

carol hiestand — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 19:25:55 +0000

todd…i am the same way about “prayer life” stuff. I used to feel bad about that, but two things:

1. i read an article about how when you have a random personality (as opposed to all structured) the best prayer we do is the conversations we have with God all day…and sometimes the best time to pray for us random people is to simply go out for a walk and just talk to God.

2. I do have a journal now that i try to write specific requests down and i am more likely now to remember to pray for them when i am having a more structured quiet time.

as to praying with people. i have a friend who does that all the time. at first it felt strange. then we had a weekend on prayer at our ch ruch. after that people startd doing the 15 second prayers for people…now when you wander through our church on any given sunday morning, you are likely to see prayer huddles here and there, right out in the main flow of traffic.

as to feeling strange doing it..i just started making myself do i t…and i have had really profound responses. it’ something that the more you do it, the more comfortable you are with it. often i pray for wisdom, clarity of thought, to make a good decision, give the person a sense of peace and calm.

By: Dan Benson

Dan Benson — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 13:03:26 +0000

I have the same struggle Todd. My wife and I were just talking about this the other night, in fact.

It’s especially difficult for me to know what to pray for when requests go out for sick people or people go into the hospital for out patient surgery or something relatively minor. Or they’re all angsty over what car to buy or what job to take or what day care to use.

Shouldn’t I be praying for some deeper spiritual truth than just merely that Joe’s boil lancing goes off without a hitch? And then we Christians get all tingly when the surgery goes well — “Answer to prayer!! Woo hoo.” Well, what if there was a complication, does that mean that God didn’t answer our prayers?

I used to pray better with people than I do now. I’m more like you in that my prayer life is sort of a constant conversation. When it comes to supplication — which I guess means a listing of wants and needs — I’m more, like, “God you know what I need. Just do something and let me know how it’s going and where you want me to go.”