How do you discern whether you should be patient or if you should change?

[MarcoPolo]

Let’s say I pray for request X, like finding a rewarding job or finding a friend who will help bring me closer to Christ, or finding a good spouse, or whatever request you can fill in that is reasonable and holy.

If, in your perspective, this prayer continued to go unanswered, how would you discern whether or not you should persevere and have patience, or whether to abandon ship and pray for something else?

 

[lizaanne]

Instead of praying for “stuff”, try praying for the acceptance of God’s will, no matter what that might be. He knows what you need and don’t need - praying for “stuff” only gets you frustrated and wondering if God is even hearing you. Praying for His will, in my experience, is always better on the soul and the patience level - something I have very little of.

~Liza

 

[MarcoPolo]

Instead of praying for “stuff”, try praying for the acceptance of God’s will, no matter what that might be. He knows what you need and don’t need - praying for “stuff” only gets you frustrated and wondering if God is even hearing you. Praying for His will, in my experience, is always better on the soul and the patience level - something I have very little of.

~Liza

You could certainly do both, no? After all, when the blind man approached Jesus, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” and the blind man asked to “be able to see”. When Jesus prayed in the garden He also did both…He asked that the cup may pass from Him, and that God’s will be done.

And in the Our Father, Jesus teaches us to ask for our daily bread, avoidance of temptation and evil. Of course you should ultimately submit to His will, but shouldn’t you ask for your needs? Or that your call be fulfilled?

 

[Em_in_FL]

I agree about praying that God’s will be done… but you can also include your perceived needs in your prayers.
Often times our prayer only scrapes the surface of a deeper, underlying need… and that’s when we pray that God’s will be done.

For example… praying to God for a job or to guide you to friendship or marriage is great… but what if God is calling you somewhere else, like to the priesthood? (this is just an example)…

We need to include our “wants” in our prayers, of course! But we also need to be open to God responding to our deeper “needs” rather than the surface “wants”… know what I mean?

 

[MarcoPolo]

We need to include our “wants” in our prayers, of course! But we also need to be open to God responding to our deeper “needs” rather than the surface “wants”… know what I mean?

Indeed! So what is your take on discerning whether you should be patient and persistent or whether you should change your request?

 

[MarcoPolo]

bump

 

[johnnydigit]

let it all go. be happy with any result that God gives you. move on as if (whatever it is you want) didn’t happen, or isn’t going to happen. like said above, receive your daily bread, live for today, do what you can with what you have today. if you can change something for the better today, do it. don’t wait for God to do it for you tomorrow. as for the future, always pray, always be patient, always accept whatever it is God chooses. let him worry about it for you. you’ll be a lot happier and stress free.