Why Do We Pray?

[StrawberryFields]

The topic of prayer has recently (since joining LDS Talk) has become troublesome for me.

From the time our children are old enough to speak we teach them to pray. We teach them that they can pray anytime and anywhere. We teach them to pray when they are troubled, or to help someone else who is troubled. We teach our children that when they pray they are communicating with their Father in Heaven through Jesus Christ our Savior.

When do we teach our children that they should not ask for things that may be contrary to the WILL of our Father n Heaven? Just as we have seen others ask for prayers of health and safety here I see this happen on a regular basis at church.

The only time I remember the words of the WILL of our Heavenly Father being mentioned is in a blessing of the sick.

If we should not try to interfere with the WILL of our Heavenly Father then we should only pray for the comfort of those in trouble in one way or another. If the pervious statement is correct then why don't we practice it? I wonder what kinds of prayers people from other faiths teach to their children.

[Guest Mahal101]

We should teach our children to know what to pray for and when to pray for it, for example a few months ago I was praying that God would allow me to meet some special lady that I might take her to the temple and be sealed to her for time and eternity. My prayers were answered a few days later when I started writing to a lovely young lady in the Philippines, We are planning to meet and then get married when we can.

If we listen to the spirit, it will at times tell us things we need to pray for, a great example is the Dedicatory prayer for the Kirkland Temple, Joseph Smith wanted to know what to say for this special occasion and he received his answer and the answer is now found in the D&C.

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by Strawberry Fields@Sep 27 2005, 09:26 AM

The topic of prayer has recently (since joining LDS Talk) has become troublesome for me.

From the time our children are old enough to speak we teach them to pray. We teach them that they can pray anytime and anywhere. We teach them to pray when they are troubled, or to help someone else who is troubled. We teach our children that when they pray they are communicating with their Father in Heaven through Jesus Christ our Savior.

When do we teach our children that they should not ask for things that may be contrary to the WILL of our Father n Heaven? Just as we have seen others ask for prayers of health and safety here I see this happen on a regular basis at church.

The only time I remember the words of the WILL of our Heavenly Father being mentioned is in a blessing of the sick.

If we should not try to interfere with the WILL of our Heavenly Father then we should only pray for the comfort of those in trouble in one way or another. If the pervious statement is correct then why don't we practice it? I wonder what kinds of prayers people from other faiths teach to their children.

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It is a good question... or questions...

I have always told my children to listen to the Spirit... My daughter the other day told me she had had a really cool experience bearing her testimony.... instead of going up prepared with what she was going to say... she went up and left herself open to the Spriit.... and that it turned out so awesome... she said instead of being filled with fear and shaking like usual... she was calm and filled with peace...

She had several come up after and tell her they felt the Spirit so strongly while she was testifying...

The same is true of prayers.... It is especially important to pray according to the Spirit because:

D&C 88: 65

65 And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.

[Ray]

Strawberry Fields: When do we teach our children that they should not ask for things that may be contrary to the WILL of our Father n Heaven?

Ray: "We" teach our children “that” whenever we teach them that, but whether or not we actually do teach them that is another issue… even though we should teach them that whenever we can.

Strawberry Fields: Just as we have seen others ask for prayers of health and safety here I see this happen on a regular basis at church.

Ray: Yes, there are people who often do not pray for the will of our Father in heaven, even though our Lord and His prophets have told us we should.

Strawberry Fields: The only time I remember the words of the WILL of our Heavenly Father being mentioned is in a blessing of the sick.

Ray: Then either nobody ever taught you that you should pray for the will of our Father to be done on Earth as it is in heaven, OR you weren’t listening or paying attention when other people actually did teach you that, OR you simply don’t remember when they did.

Strawberry Fields: If we should not try to interfere with the WILL of our Heavenly Father then we should only pray for the comfort of those in trouble in one way or another.

Ray: That is correct.

Strawberry Fields: If the pervious statement is correct then why don't we practice it?

Ray: Because many of us do not do what we should.

Strawberry Fields: I wonder what kinds of prayers people from other faiths teach to their children.

Ray: There are all kinds of people teaching all kinds of things to their children, even though we should all be teaching only what our Lord and His prophets have taught us.

[shanstress70]

Hi SF,

You may not want my opinion on this, but here it is...

I don't think that God answers prayers on the level of, "God, please don't let my neighborhood flood," or "Please don't let me get cancer." Because I know of many people who have said prayers like that and the thing happened anyway. That can be a real faith-killer for people who pray like that.

I think it is helpful to think of others in prayer because it makes us more mindful of others. I also think it is good to express thanks to God for what we have, and for things that go our way because that makes us feel closer to God.

I think praying is to benefit us, but not in tangible ways.

But that's just me.

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by shanstress70@Sep 27 2005, 12:19 PM

I think it is helpful to think of others in prayer because it makes us more mindful of others.

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I agreewith this...

[DisRuptive1]

Why do you agree with it, Please?

[Setheus]

There is NO power in prayer. Absolutley none what so ever. The power is in God and his priesthood. Thats why we must listen to the whisperings of the Spirit so that we pray according to the will of the Father. When we are living as we should and really striving to be as much like our God as we can His will becomes known to us and it becomes our own. And if His will is seemingly too painful for us want to share with Him...we can at least have the wisdom and understanding so as to continue in faith and love and humility. God will never forsake us. He will never allow a situation that is too great for us to endure.

[Ray]

I think I know what you’re trying to say, Setheus, but there is still power in prayer.

The power of prayer is of two types: our power to communicate with God, and God’s power to communicate with us. Would anyone say that an ability to communicate with God is not power? And who would doubt that God’s ability to communicate with us is an even greater power?

Or in other words, power can be defined as the ability to do work, and in this case, the power of prayer can be defined as our ability to communicate with God, and God’s ability to communicate to us. So, certainly, there is great power in prayer, just as there is a power in anyone's ability to communicate with anyone else.

And btw, my response to Strawberry's question asking "why" we pray is:

I pray because I want God to communicate with me, while I communicate with Him.

And to anyone who prays for any other reason, I say:

you are missing the whole point of prayer.

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by DisRuptive1@Sep 27 2005, 02:53 PM

Why do you agree with it, Please?

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I thought it was clear... ummmm... well I agree with it because praying only for ourselves isn't as porductive either for them or ourselves ....

The gospel is all about serving others and rejoicing when others rejoice, and mourning with those who mourn...

So I agree with praying for others... to become less self centered... which is certainly the central theme of the gospel....

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by Ray@Sep 27 2005, 04:02 PM

I think I know what you’re trying to say, Setheus, but there is still power in prayer.

The power of prayer is of two types: our power to communicate with God, and God’s power to communicate with us.  Would anyone say that an ability to communicate with God is not power?  And who would doubt that God’s ability to communicate with us is an even greater power?

Or in other words, power can be defined as the ability to do work, and in this case, the power of prayer can be defined as our ability to communicate with God, and God’s ability to communicate to us.  So, certainly, there is great power in prayer, just as there is a power in anyone's ability to communicate with anyone else.

And btw, my response to Strawberry's question asking "why" we pray is:

I pray because I want God to communicate with me, while I communicate with Him. 

And to anyone who prays for any other reason, I say:

you are missing the whole point of prayer.

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Interesting thoughts... but I have some more...

God's power= love/charity

Priesthood power=love/charity

Prayer power=love/ charity

This is the eternal formula of Godhood, authority, and communication.

[Lindy]

Originally posted by Please+Sep 27 2005, 04:38 PM-->

<!--QuoteBegin-DisRuptive1@Sep 27 2005, 02:53 PM

Why do you agree with it, Please?

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I thought it was clear... ummmm... well I agree with it because praying only for ourselves isn't as porductive either for them or ourselves ....

The gospel is all about serving others and rejoicing when others rejoice, and mourning with those who mourn...

So I agree with praying for others... to become less self centered... which is certainly the central theme of the gospel....

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Goood point Please, I think that prayers need to be less self centered myself, but, I also think that you need to be willing to accept things that go against what you pray for. And that entails keeping some prayers for yourself ... such as.... for blessings of strength, understanding, patience and perserverance (things I ask for in prayer). I caught myself actually arguing with God one day...actually it was more like an entire week...because I couldn't accept an answer I was given to a prayer. I learned that I needed to stop questioning the answer, and just rely on the fact that maybe God DOES know more than I do on what I want in life....or need.

Ray..."but there is still power in prayer." I believe this with all my heart. Always have....always will. I think that prayers have an impact on a lot of things we can never understand, but an impact nonetheless. Miracles can be brought about with the power of prayer..... I'll never stop believing that.

Shan~ "I think praying is to benefit us, but not in tangible ways." Very well said, it made me think :)

Setheus ...."The power is in God and his priesthood." Agreed, and that is the way it should be. The focus should never be "look what I made happen"....it really is up to to power of and in God to make it happen. THROUGH GOD ....everything is possible.....sadly a lot of credit never gets that far.

SF~ We ask for things that we want (or don't want) by nature I think, I don't think that we intentially try to pray against His WILL ( 'cept me of course ) But our prayers help us to develop a stronger faith to accept those things we are faced with that run contary to what we wanted or asked for in the first place.

You ask about the WILL of the Father? How can we know what His WILL is? We can't second guess God. But, when we listen to the promptings of the spirit...we might know His WILL as it pertains to our lives or our prayers. Then it's up to us to deal with it as it comes. Children should be taught, in my opinion, as soon as they are old enough to utter a prayer- that we shouldn't question the outcome of that prayer. Our prayers are our communication with God, letting Him know our desires and thoughts.....what He does with those thoughts and desires is up to Him to decide what is best. Then, it's our turn to decide how best to handle His decisions.

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by Lindy@Sep 28 2005, 05:18 AM

Goood point Please, I think that prayers need to be less self centered myself, but, I also think that you need to be willing to accept things that go against what you pray for. And that entails keeping some prayers for yourself ... such as.... for blessings of strength, understanding, patience and perserverance (things I ask for in prayer). I caught myself actually arguing with God one day...actually it was more like an entire week...because I couldn't accept an answer I was given to a prayer. I learned that I needed to stop questioning the answer, and just rely on the fact that maybe God DOES know more than I do on what I want in life....or need. 

Good points... did you reac my post on prayers on the other thread? It was under general discussion / Rita.........I think it answers you first thought....

I also believe we need to pray for ourselves... but how much more effective would those prayers be if they were aided by the prayers of others for you?

[StrawberryFields]

I have learned and I am still learning much about prayers. When Nick was almost killed a year ago I asked for prayers because that was all that I felt I had. I had no power to heal my son and I knew that it needed to be turned over to Him. Prayer is our link to our Father In Heaven.

We had many, many people praying for us and almost immediately I felt strengthened and I KNEW that it was because of the prayers of other people and the love of my Heavenly Father that I was able to lose my feelings of being hopeless and distraught. Nick rec'd a wonderful Priesthood Blessing from his father. There in the ER room lay a very hurt and near lifeless boy, that boy was my son. You have seen the CT scan so you might imagine what I was looking at as I held his hand while his father and others blessed him. His father said "You know what we want to have happen here but thy will be done." It was just minutes before this that we saw him lying on the floor in the garage of his employer. What he had just seen was horrific thus we rushed up to the hospital and even beat the helicopter there. We didn't know this at the time but the hospital staff had allowed us to see Nick before he was rushed to surgery because they felt that we were telling him Goodbye for the very last time.

Today Nick's story is what miracles are made of. It was the Lords will that he survived his injuries. Following the first surgery I walked into the shock trauma ICU with my husband at my side. As we entered the room where Nick was hooked up to a multitude of machines I felt something very powerful. The near lifeless boy that I had left just hours before in the room of the ER was now a man with a spirit in him that permeated the room. I am happy to say that that spirit is still very much apart of who he is. I am grateful to Priesthood blessing and my Heavenly Fathers will to let my son live.

I have no doubt that the prayers of others, even strangers, is what sustained me through that life changing ordeal.

Below is a copy of the CT the day of his injury.

[Guest Member_Deleted]

Originally posted by Strawberry Fields@Sep 29 2005, 12:30 PM

I have learned and I am still learning much about prayers. When Nick was almost killed a year ago I asked for prayers because that was all that I felt I had. I had no power to heal my son and I knew that it needed to be turned over to Him. Prayer is our link to our Father In Heaven.

We had many, many people praying for us and almost immediately I felt strengthened and I KNEW that it was because of the prayers of other people and the love of my Heavenly Father that I was able to lose my feelings of being hopeless and distraught. Nick rec'd a wonderful Priesthood Blessing from his father. There in the ER room lay a very hurt and near lifeless boy, that boy was my son. You have seen the CT scan so you might imagine what I was looking at as I held his hand while his father and others blessed him. His father said "You know what we want to have happen here but thy will be done." It was just minutes before this that we saw him lying on the floor in the garage of his employer. What he had just seen was horrific thus we rushed up to the hospital and even beat the helicopter there. We didn't know this at the time but the hospital staff had allowed us to see Nick before he was rushed to surgery because they felt that we were telling him Goodbye for the very last time.

Today Nick's story is what miracles are made of. It was the Lords will that he survived his injuries. Following the first surgery I walked into the shock trauma ICU with my husband at my side. As we entered the room where Nick was hooked up to a multitude of machines I felt something very powerful. The near lifeless boy that I had left just hours before in the room of the ER was now a man with a spirit in him that permeated the room. I am happy to say that that spirit is still very much apart of who he is. I am grateful to Priesthood blessing and my Heavenly Fathers will to let my son live.

I have no doubt that the prayers of others, even strangers, is what sustained me through that life changing ordeal.

Below is a copy of the CT the day of his injury.

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I have a similar story for my son... close to the same age... There is a God and he answers prayers....according to His will... but asking is what we have to do.... and coming together with prayers for each other is very powerful...

[pushka]

Originally posted by Strawberry Fields@Sep 29 2005, 11:30 AM

I have learned and I am still learning much about prayers. When Nick was almost killed a year ago I asked for prayers because that was all that I felt I had. I had no power to heal my son and I knew that it needed to be turned over to Him. Prayer is our link to our Father In Heaven.

We had many, many people praying for us and almost immediately I felt strengthened and I KNEW that it was because of the prayers of other people and the love of my Heavenly Father that I was able to lose my feelings of being hopeless and distraught. Nick rec'd a wonderful Priesthood Blessing from his father. There in the ER room lay a very hurt and near lifeless boy, that boy was my son. You have seen the CT scan so you might imagine what I was looking at as I held his hand while his father and others blessed him. His father said "You know what we want to have happen here but thy will be done." It was just minutes before this that we saw him lying on the floor in the garage of his employer. What he had just seen was horrific thus we rushed up to the hospital and even beat the helicopter there. We didn't know this at the time but the hospital staff had allowed us to see Nick before he was rushed to surgery because they felt that we were telling him Goodbye for the very last time.

Today Nick's story is what miracles are made of. It was the Lords will that he survived his injuries. Following the first surgery I walked into the shock trauma ICU with my husband at my side. As we entered the room where Nick was hooked up to a multitude of machines I felt something very powerful. The near lifeless boy that I had left just hours before in the room of the ER was now a man with a spirit in him that permeated the room. I am happy to say that that spirit is still very much apart of who he is. I am grateful to Priesthood blessing and my Heavenly Fathers will to let my son live.

I have no doubt that the prayers of others, even strangers, is what sustained me through that life changing ordeal.

Below is a copy of the CT the day of his injury.

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Strawberry...that was a very touching, moving account of your family's experience...I am so happy that your son is recovering so well...

The prayer his father said was lovely, just short and simple, not demanding or expecting anything...

[StrawberryFields]

Thank you Pushka, your comments mean a lot to me. :)

[Lindy]

"There is a God and he answers prayers....according to His will... but asking is what we have to do.... and coming together with prayers for each other is very powerful... " (Please)

AMEN!

SF~

I am one of your son's biggest fans :) He is the greatest! And we both know that he is someone special.... And he will accomplish something wonderful in his life.

It was so much fun talking and laughing with him....he's the best!

[begood2]

SF,

Why do we pray? All of the above! I think that there were some great responses to that question. :)

I'm so sorry that your family had to experience such a tragic ordeal of having a son almost die, but having endured such a traumatic situation ... I feel that you and your family now have even a stronger testament of your faith.

I like the fact that ... instead of reading post complaining about: Why me ? Why my family? ... You share post about thankfulness, hope, love, feeling the spirit, miracles and the power of prayer. :)

You are a true soldier for Christ ... thank you for being such a positive force on LDS talk forum!