How do you pray when you are in an impossible situation?

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@Minks,

You may want to try visiting the “Let’s pray a perpetual rosary” thread, you might find some relics there. Lol!
 
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@St.Bede LOL! Twice I tried to add Hail Mary’s back in the beginning, but I’m a bumbling, stumbling, Fumble Fingers and was almost an embarrassing 11th Hail Mary! :hugs: Twice!! 😂 Lol! My Guardian Angel was really busy that day! :innocent:That was before the numbering began. Thank you for starting that thread. :pray:t2:
 
anhphan said:
How do you pray when you are in an impossible situation?
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How I do it?

I recall that its impossible for a human to be as perfect as God is; and then I count my blessings…

That Jesus fell three times for me.
That Peter denied Jesus.
That the apostles fled.
And that God reconciled them all to himself.

I recall that not all things are possible for humans,
but some things are possible for humans;
that belief in God is (at least in part) possible for humans,
and that - even with faith the size of a mustard seed - nothing is impossible for God.

So - while I may not be able to reconcile myself to all possibilities -
I thank God He made it possible to trust in the fact that He will still reconcile me to Himself -
way beyond any mortal’s limited comprehension, including and especially my own.
 
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Keep praying!! Often the answers are different than what we want, but God is always listening. Prayers are never wasted.

I have been praying for months for an intention and while I haven’t received the answer I want yet, I am more at peace than I was when I started praying. God knows what is best for us and never abandons us.
 
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Prayer is not a process where we demand something from God and He grants our wishes.

Did your earthly parents grant every request you made when you were a little kid? Mine did not, I wanted a pony so much, I begged and pleaded for a pony. My parents did not give me a pony because we did not own a place where the pony could live, we could not afford to feed and vet care for a pony, we also traveled in our family ministry for 20 days out of each month and you can’t put a pony on a tour bus.

I was a little kid, so, I did not consider all of those things. I simply wanted that pony and I would cry and pray for a pony.

Prayer is ALWAYS answered. Sometimes the answer to a plea is “yes”, sometimes God answers “no” and sometimes His answer is “not right now” other times it is “this one is up to you.”

We pray, we bring our petitions and say “God, if it is your will, I pray that I am granted blah blah blah”.

Is this a situation that will keep you from heaven (you are forced to or that is doing you harm (for instance, praying to be rescued from an abusive home?) Then God wants you to tell someone at school or at your parish so they can help you, that is how God can answer that prayer.

Pray that God grant you wisdom and courage to discern. Pray that God grant you peace of soul to accept His will. Always, always pray “not my will but yours be done”.
 
I pray in tongues when I’m in an emergency. It’s basically a 911 call to Heaven. Even though I don’t know what I’m saying, the Holy Spirit certainly knows. It’s as if the Holy Spirit is taking my prayer and is presenting it to the Father. I don’t do this publicly, though. For me, it’s a private prayer language that only God understands.
 
  1. God is not a vending machine into which we put this much prayer and receive that much solution to problems.
  2. God promises to be with you through all things and at all times.
  3. Whatever occurs is either caused by God, or permitted by God for your eternal good.
  4. Read James 5. Rather than praying for the solution that you want, beg for the grace to endure through this situation to the end.
  5. Decide to suffer for your love of God - if that is His will. The great Saints did as much, even finding joy in suffering.
 
This just in:
In Difficult Times Don’t Forget The Resurrection

Remember that the passion of Christ ends always in the joy of the Resurrection, so when you feel in your own heart the suffering of Christ, remember the Resurrection has to come, the joy of Easter has to dawn. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ!

St. Teresa of Calcutta
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God expects us to dial 911 (and that applies in other things, when we are in distress, reach out to our priest, our fellow Catholics, to medical professionals, etc.)
 
If you have a medical emergency, yes.

Also, figuratively. If your problem is spiritual, reach out to your priest, your spiritual director, your mentors like godparents, deacons, etc.
 
Prayer is good. Expecting or assuming an answer to prayer that agrees with our desires - not so much. However, prayer does not change God - it changes us! God’s will is not ours. Most of us have wills that are far from conformed to His. He sees all and His answer may be to not provide a direct or immediate answer. In such circumstances, we are well advised to ask, even beg for grace and then to persevere through this.

IOW, it is not a 1:1 ratio of prayer to answers or solutions. To expect this may indeed be unreasonable and can be corrosive to our faith. Many have fallen away when their prayers were not answered as they wished. God’s plan may indeed be for us to suffer, as suffering can be purification, a strengthening, or even discipline (about which we heard in the homily yesterday).

Suffering is part of human existence. Yet, suffering need not be a negative! Our Lord suffered for us and we are parts of His Body. We can accept our suffering (which may be physical,or mental) and, in the manner of Christ, offer it to the Father for the good of others - it is then that we are most Christ-like. Christ suffered out of love and so can we.

If we expect an immediate or acceptable answer to prayer, we risk losing our faith when it does not arrive on our schedule, or in the manner we prefer. Having a book on the Saints as a reference can be of great value, as all of them suffered. By their example, we too can follow in their footsteps and find satisfaction - even joy - in suffering.

To edify ourselves in and through suffering, I always recommend reading the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. It directly addresses human suffering and reveals the temporal and eternal value of the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy - acts which will not go unrewarded.

It is good to remember that we are not permanent residents here on earth - but pilgrims on a journey to heaven - the Beatific Vision. We are often told to keep our eyes on the prize. Doing so tends to lessen our awareness of our suffering. Unimaginable beauty awaits for those who persevere - who struggle (strive) to enter by the narrow gate.

Sorry to go on so long, but I have some skin in this suffering game.
 
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