Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

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SilentDawning
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Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

Post by SilentDawning »

I just wanted to share some successes I've had in getting prayers answered recently. I am batting 100% for prayers answered over the last year or so. I almost feel sheepish/cautious/reluctant to share this success lest in sharing it, I jinx the situation. But I wanted to share the approach I have been using.

1. I pray for only ONE thing I need. No long lists, just a focus on one thing I need in the petition portion of my prayer.
2. I give the thing I am praying for a time limit. Not imposed on God, but imposed on myself for the amount of time I am willing to let the thing I am praying for be in limbo until the prayer is answered. I find this eases the frustration and emptiness I used to feel when I would pray for things for years and they wouldn't happen.
3. I give about 3-5 thanksgiving prayers every day where I don't ask for anything for myself.
4. I am careful about what I ask for. I am not praying for hard things like my son to be cured of Type 1 Diabetes, for example. I pray for things that I think are realistic.
5. I do pray for other people about once a day. This represents petitioning God for things, but they are for the sole benefit of other people and don't count in my "one thing" I pray for.

I believe having a high ratio of thanksgiving items to personal requests is important in getting prayers answered.

Thoughts?
Last edited by SilentDawning on 14 Dec 2022, 11:16, edited 1 time in total.
"It doesn't have to be about the Church (church) all the time!" -- SD

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

A man asked Jesus "do all roads lead to you?" Jesus responds,”most roads don’t lead anywhere, but I will travel any road to find you.” Adapted from The Shack, William Young

"The wise man has the power" -- adapted from What A Fool Believes -- The Doobie Brothers
Roy
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Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

Post by Roy »

I worry that you are conducting a sort of experiment without the right controls.

This can lead you to inaccurate conclusions. Inaccurate conclusions are not necessarily a problem. We as humans operate with any number of "assumptive realities" that actually make life more meaningful.

However, it feels like you are trying to arrive at a formula for getting God to do what you want.

I personally have been down this road and felt fairly confident that God would answer my prayers. (He was "bound" after all in a contractual/covenant relationship, wasn't He?) When I "fell", it was all the more painful because I felt unprepared and betrayed. It felt like a "trust fall" where nobody bothered to catch me.

OTOH, I suppose if you limit what you are asking for to small things - particularly those small things that you have a fair degree of influence on making happen - then that might work out alright.
"It is not so much the pain and suffering of life which crushes the individual as it is its meaninglessness and hopelessness." C. A. Elwood

“It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status.” TPC: Harold B. Lee 223

"I struggle now with establishing my faith that God may always be there, but may not always need to intervene" Heber13
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PazamaManX
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Re: Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

Post by PazamaManX »

I like the direction of your method. Praying for others, expressing thanks generously and being deliberate about what is asked for are all great in my opinion.

I'm hesitant to limit requests to just a single thing though. There is often more going on in my life than I think a single ask will cover. But I do like the idea of really giving thought to what is the most important thing that could be asked for. That seems like a good thing to incorporate, whether asking for one or multiple things.
"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness, even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." ~ Thomas Jefferson
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SilentDawning
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Re: Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

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Roy wrote: 13 Dec 2022, 13:34 However, it feels like you are trying to arrive at a formula for getting God to do what you want.
I am careful to NOT try to make this a form of manipulation. Baked into this approach is that I accept the answer to prayer may not come within a reasonable time and that I may have to accept that the answer is "No". This is if the period during which I'm willing to pray for the thing I desire expires. Putting a limit on the time I will pray for something is my way of dealing with the frustration that has epitomized much of my life and prayers.

I also don't think receiving answers to prayer lends itself to any kind of experimental control though. It's subjective...

I don't think its bad or wrong to want to try different things to influence God though -- without forcing him or trying to use manipulation. Ultimately, God is in control.

The reason I may be getting answers to prayer recently may be that I am nearing the end of my life. Also that perhaps God is trying to help me restore my faith given the commitment crisis I have faced in recent years?

Although I focus on one thing in the short term, I have been praying recently that dying will be easy. So, it represents an occasional, secondary item for which I pray. The main events in my life -- getting a testimony, getting on a mission, getting married, having children -- these things have been really really hard to accomplish in this life. I prayed that God would let me pass from this life suddenly and without long-term suffering as with dementia, nervous system disorders, incontinence, paralysis, etcetera. Then I had a heart attack. A severe one, only preventing death when my wife insisted we go to the urgent care clinic. Had she not intervened it is likely I would have died.

The scriptures also indicate that some are inspired for what they should pray for. Perhaps I'm being inspired to ask for things that can be granted? Not sure, but so far, this approach appears to be working better than in any other period of my life.
Last edited by SilentDawning on 14 Dec 2022, 11:08, edited 1 time in total.
"It doesn't have to be about the Church (church) all the time!" -- SD

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

A man asked Jesus "do all roads lead to you?" Jesus responds,”most roads don’t lead anywhere, but I will travel any road to find you.” Adapted from The Shack, William Young

"The wise man has the power" -- adapted from What A Fool Believes -- The Doobie Brothers
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SilentDawning
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Re: Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

Post by SilentDawning »

PazamaManX wrote: 13 Dec 2022, 18:07 I'm hesitant to limit requests to just a single thing though. There is often more going on in my life than I think a single ask will cover. But I do like the idea of really giving thought to what is the most important thing that could be asked for. That seems like a good thing to incorporate, whether asking for one or multiple things.
I pray for a lot of good things to happen to other people. So, in that respect, my petition to God is not for a single thing. But for ME -- I ask for only one thing most of the time. I need to modify this a bit based on my last post. I have slipped in the prayer that dying will be sudden and without prolonged suffering or disability -- there is no self-imposed time limit on this prayer as I accept that "no one knows the time" of individual death due to natural or other causes. So, in some prayers (not all), I ask for two things. But there is one primary thing I normally pray for in every single prayer.

Right now, all my prayers have been answered in the last year, so I don't have anything beyond praying that dying will be easy for which to ask right now. I have God to thank for the prayers being answered, and not necessarily the process I am using. I think it's important to acknowledge its simply God's will for now.

I may not ask for anything for a while -- I don't want to ask for the sake of asking -- only when there is a deep, felt need.

I also have this hunch that God appreciates the person who is lavishly thankful, praying for the needs of other people rather than themself, and who asks for little or maybe one thing. This flies in the face of BoM scripture that tells us to cry to God over our flocks, our fields and all aspects of our life, but that never seemed to work for me.
"It doesn't have to be about the Church (church) all the time!" -- SD

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

A man asked Jesus "do all roads lead to you?" Jesus responds,”most roads don’t lead anywhere, but I will travel any road to find you.” Adapted from The Shack, William Young

"The wise man has the power" -- adapted from What A Fool Believes -- The Doobie Brothers
Roy
Posts: 7183
Joined: 07 Oct 2010, 14:16
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

Post by Roy »

SilentDawning wrote: 14 Dec 2022, 10:58 The reason I may be getting answers to prayer recently may be that I am nearing the end of my life. Also that perhaps God is trying to help me restore my faith given the commitment crisis I have faced in recent years?
I am happy for you old friend! It must be nice to be able to resolve some of that conflict and eventually depart from your loved ones with an increased sense of peace. There is nothing wrong with that. :thumbup:
"It is not so much the pain and suffering of life which crushes the individual as it is its meaninglessness and hopelessness." C. A. Elwood

“It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status.” TPC: Harold B. Lee 223

"I struggle now with establishing my faith that God may always be there, but may not always need to intervene" Heber13
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SilentDawning
Posts: 7602
Joined: 09 May 2010, 19:55

Re: Recent Success in Getting Prayers Answered

Post by SilentDawning »

PazamaManX wrote: 13 Dec 2022, 18:07 I like the direction of your method. Praying for others, expressing thanks generously and being deliberate about what is asked for are all great in my opinion.

I'm hesitant to limit requests to just a single thing though. There is often more going on in my life than I think a single ask will cover. But I do like the idea of really giving thought to what is the most important thing that could be asked for. That seems like a good thing to incorporate, whether asking for one or multiple things.
I am finding this part in bold above hard. There are so many needs, it's hard to just pray for one thing, but that has been the approach I've taken in the last year and I've been blessed to have each prayer answered.

I do think that beeing choosy about what you ask for is important. The scriptures say that you should pray to be given what to pray for. This implies that some things are better to pray for than others. You won't see my praying for limbs to grow back or other things that defy the impossible. Perhaps that's part of the formula for effective prayer?
"It doesn't have to be about the Church (church) all the time!" -- SD

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

A man asked Jesus "do all roads lead to you?" Jesus responds,”most roads don’t lead anywhere, but I will travel any road to find you.” Adapted from The Shack, William Young

"The wise man has the power" -- adapted from What A Fool Believes -- The Doobie Brothers
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