Do you ever get what you pray for?

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Phaedra777

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I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
 
Phaedra777 said:
I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
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I guess I do. The question is whether it was the prayer that did it. Would I have gotten it anyways if I didn’t pray? I don’t know, I just pray, and I don’t focus on asking for things unless I really need them. God wants a conversation, not an economic transaction.
 
Phaedra777 said:
I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
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Sometimes. Like you said, it’s not winning the powerball.

To give one instance, I’ve said (too often) that the night my father died, he appeared in my room. During the resultant exchange he made certain predictions, some of which were rather dire.

He happened to die at No. XX Rivington Street, Nundah, in Brisbane, where XX is a single digit odd number.

One night in 2005 I was driving a cab, and just happened to be in Nundah. This brought to mind the issue of his apparition. Now there’s some frustration associated with this, including the desire to know if his predictions were accurate or not. So as I was driving the cab I prayed for some sort of “sign” to indicate the truth or otherwise.

I got this sort of sense back that I should know better, but I asked anyway.

Later that night I queued up on a rank in the city, and eventually a fare walked up, a bit the worse for wear. He hopped in the back seat, said, “Nundah” and that was that. I asked, “Whereabouts in Nundah?” He replied “Just drive and I’ll tell you where to go”. So off we went.

To cut a long story short, we ended up at No. (XX-1) Rivington Street, Nundah. In other words, I ended up directly opposite the very unit where my father died, in response to a “sign”. As far as I was concerned I got my request.

But if I were to ask for a better job, or an expensive holiday, or some other more selfish request, I wouldn’t get it. I only got this one, as far as I can tell, as I think it had significant spiritual connotations.

There’s been a few other things, but suffice to say, I don’t ask for big personal items very often as I know I won’t get them.
 
Phaedra777 said:
I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
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We should probably ask ourselves more often “Does God ever get what He asks for?”
 
This isn’t an exact quote, but I think it was Therese’, the Little Flower, who said, “God always gives me what I want because I always want what God gives.”

Scout :tiphat:
 
Scout said:
This isn’t an exact quote, but I think it was Therese’, the Little Flower, who said, “God always gives me what I want because I always want what God gives.”

Scout :tiphat:
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That’s a good quote.
 
Concerning what we ask God for > I have found the following Scriptural quotation essential to an accurate understanding of “Ask and you shall receive” >>>
“We have this confidence … that if we ask anything … that is according to the Will of God … God will hear us.” 1 Cor 5:14. This quote will help us in unconfusing others also.
JohnJFarren Trinity5635@aol.com
 
Phaedra777 said:
I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
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most of the time, when I am asking for spiritual goods: help with attention to prayer, guidance in understanding the message of scripture, guidance in discerning God’s will about a particular matter, help with a relationship etc.
 
if i pray for inspiration, courage, health, conversion, etc, my prayers are usually answered, in their own time.

i prayed most recently for the courage to go to confession about some things that kept me away from the confessional for a long time, and weighed on me for a long time. the next morning, before mass, i found myself in line, without a second thought… the priest actually complimented me on such a candid confession, and ensured me that god is by my side. i couldn’t believe how easily it flowed after… maybe a year? of avoidance… and even a trip to the confessional for an incomplete confession!
that also reconfirmed my belief in the power of confession… it’s taken me weeks of prayer in the past to receive inspiration, health, other things… but i prayed sincerely that i could have the courage to make a good confession, and before i knew what i was doing, there it was. i couldn’t even relate to the fear and anxiety i felt just the day before! ,afterwards i felt such a joy in my heart, that i hadn’t felt in such a long time.

when my prayers are answered, it’s something like this, and it’s always obvious that i couldn’t do it without his help. another reason i’m trying to strengthen my prayer life.

lol i like that, josh… in the end though, what we want should be what god wants, because god wants the ultimate good for us 🙂
 
All the time. 🙂 Humility, patience, perseverance, charity, joy in suffering… But yes, I have seen people healed and helped by prayer, as I myself have been. It is the most powerful thing we can do.
 
When my canary had a red spot on the back of his head, I prayed for him. Asked for the intercession from St. Francis of Assisi.
Within a few day’s his open sore was gone, and I was grateful.
St. Francis has helped intercede for many years with any of our pet problems.
Thankyou Jesus. 😉
 
Phaedra777 said:
I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
Click to expand...
I think it is an infallible truth that God always answers prayers that are what he wills.
 
Sometimes I pray for a particular problem to go away, and instead He gives me what I need: The grace of His peace, and His direction in how to handle the problem. When He answers that way it helps my spiritual growth, and that is what He wants…what is beneficial for us.
 
I usually don’t pray too much for concrete things, I do sometimes for other people. But, for years I’ve prayed for a dog. My Mom would never let us have one and I always asked for one every Christmas even though I knew she would never get me one. Then one day I came home and my Mom had a little puppy for me! I had tears in my eyes.
 
joshrp said:
I guess I do. The question is whether it was the prayer that did it. Would I have gotten it anyways if I didn’t pray? I don’t know, I just pray, and I don’t focus on asking for things unless I really need them. God wants a conversation, not an economic transaction.
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I like that!
 
Phaedra777 said:
I don’t mean things like, “Let me win the Powerball”, but just simple, day-to-day stuff that, to you at least, don’t seem like they’d mean that much to God.
Click to expand...
Maybe you are and just don’t know it.
 
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