Dangerous Prayers

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cazayoux

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Morning!

This isn’t a new thought for me, but it pops into my head every once in a while. This morning I seemed to be thinking about it a lot while praying the Lord’s Prayer.

“forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

We are actually asking God to set a standard for how we want him to forgive us. We don’t just say … please forgive me … we are asking for Him to judge us IN THE SAME MANNER that we forgive others.

If we do not forgive others, then we are asking God not to forgive us.

WOW … this is huge.

Prayer can be a dangerous thing.

Years ago, I remember praying for God to give me patience.
God gave me four sons … to TEACH me patience.
🙂

He is so great!! I have to smile … just loving the WAY that he answers prayers.

Anyone have stories about HOW God answers prayers in a way that was different that you imagined?

michel
 
Remember that it is Jesus who taught us to pray this prayer.
 
cazayoux said:
Morning!

“forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

We are actually asking God to set a standard for how we want him to forgive us. We don’t just say … please forgive me … we are asking for Him to judge us IN THE SAME MANNER that we forgive others.

If we do not forgive others, then we are asking God not to forgive us.

WOW … this is huge.

Prayer can be a dangerous thing.

Years ago, I remember praying for God to give me patience.
God gave me four sons … to TEACH me patience.
🙂

He is so great!! I have to smile … just loving the WAY that he answers prayers.

Anyone have stories about HOW God answers prayers in a way that was different that you imagined?

michel
Click to expand...
 
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”

I have prayed this phrase probably thousands of times. I Know that I still have problems with forgiveness - I find that out every time I criticize my boss to one of my co-workers!

I realize however that until I am at a place where I can forgive others, I won’t really be able to realize God’s forgiveness for me. I think that its a matter of being spiritually open, clean and ready for God’s forgiveness and until I get rid of all my “garbage” by forgiving others, I am not ready to be forgiven.

Make sense at all?
 
pathtech said:
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”

I have prayed this phrase probably thousands of times. I Know that I still have problems with forgiveness - I find that out every time I criticize my boss to one of my co-workers!

I realize however that until I am at a place where I can forgive others, I won’t really be able to realize God’s forgiveness for me. I think that its a matter of being spiritually open, clean and ready for God’s forgiveness and until I get rid of all my “garbage” by forgiving others, I am not ready to be forgiven.

Make sense at all?
Click to expand...
Yes, it does.
I’ve had issue with my sister in law for decades … finally got all of that out of the way last May.
Why oh why did I hold on to that for so long.
Thank you, God!

michel
 
I once asked God for love. Then He reminded me I had a family. I guess He had answered my prayer even before I had prayed it.
 
I think you held on to it so long, because it is so hard to let go!

Its funny but it takes God to help us to forgive others, so we are really asking him to forgive us our trespasses, as we try with His help to forgive others who have trespassed against us!🙂

What is so wonderful to me is how he helps. I’ll never forget one time when I was fuming mad at my husband and climbing the steps to our room in order to give him a talking to and I happened to think to say a short prayer (God help me!) on the way up.
I walked in the room and opened my mouth prepared to let loose all get-out, but instead I found myself being kind and sympathetic. God worked on me in a matter of seconds. We had a nice talk and worked things out and avoided probably three days of not talking with each other and licking sore wounds from angry words.

God IS GREAT!
 
I once spent a month praying a Litany of Humility.

Turns out God doesn’t just magically make you humble, He humbles you. Ouch.

I’m still smarting from that one and I’ve got a long way to go to get to ‘humble.’ :o
 
pathtech said:
What is a Litany of Humility?
Click to expand...
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
 
ElizabethPH said:
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
Click to expand...
Thanks - that is a very strong prayer. I’ll have to try saying that during Lent. What does calumniated mean?
 
calumny - lies and/ore malicious put-downs.

Have you no Google, man!?! 😉
 
“as” doesn’t mean that God forgives like us. “as” means that God forgives WHILE we forgive.

Example: I saw a Corvette as I was walking down the street.

As can be replaced with while.
 
CapIV said:
“as” doesn’t mean that God forgives like us. “as” means that God forgives WHILE we forgive.

Example: I saw a Corvette as I was walking down the street.

As can be replaced with while.
Click to expand...
I understand where you are coming from, but do not see it in this way.
It’s just as dangerous, though.

I don’t see that this has to do with the timing of simultaneous forgiveness in each direction.

Just my take.

michel
 
pathtech said:
I think you held on to it so long, because it is so hard to let go!

Its funny but it takes God to help us to forgive others, so we are really asking him to forgive us our trespasses, as we try with His help to forgive others who have trespassed against us!🙂

What is so wonderful to me is how he helps. I’ll never forget one time when I was fuming mad at my husband and climbing the steps to our room in order to give him a talking to and I happened to think to say a short prayer (God help me!) on the way up.
I walked in the room and opened my mouth prepared to let loose all get-out, but instead I found myself being kind and sympathetic. God worked on me in a matter of seconds. We had a nice talk and worked things out and avoided probably three days of not talking with each other and licking sore wounds from angry words.

God IS GREAT!
Click to expand...
This is beautiful.

I really never understood the words “the burden of sin” until one day I was freed, by the grace of God, from some deep-seated unforgiveness against certain people in my life. I was professing forgiveness, but deep down inside I harbored bitterness and unforgiveness. One day I faced it (with some help) and got it out in the open. I literally felt something pulled from my chest and leave, and I felt 10 pounds lighter. And the bitterness and unforgiveness was gone! Jesus’ words “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” have much more meaning to me now. Unforgiveness is sin, and sin is indeed a heavy burden. God IS great.
 
CB_Catholic said:
This is beautiful.

I really never understood the words “the burden of sin” until one day I was freed, by the grace of God, from some deep-seated unforgiveness against certain people in my life. I was professing forgiveness, but deep down inside I harbored bitterness and unforgiveness. One day I faced it (with some help) and got it out in the open. I literally felt something pulled from my chest and leave, and I felt 10 pounds lighter. And the bitterness and unforgiveness was gone! Jesus’ words “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” have much more meaning to me now. Unforgiveness is sin, and sin is indeed a heavy burden. God IS great.
Click to expand...
You are so right about sin being heavy. I think that is why we talk about being “down” when we feel depressed or anxious. I have found it helpful to pray in the morning for a light heart throughout the day. I noticed that you said you were professing forgiveness without really being able to forgive. I think that I often “fool” myself that way too acting like things aren’t bothering me when they really still do! Again, sometimes its only when I stop and pray that I realize that I’m really still hurting underneath.

Thanks for sharing
 
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