Not sure how to pray in this situation

[carmelitenovice]

Hello:

I have been praying for a particular intention (concerning my adult child’s employment) since last May with no apparent results. Of course, it is frustrating and discouraging, but what am I to do?

1. Continue praying for the specific intention (that s/he get job in thus-and-so industry)?
2. Simply pray that God’s will be done?

I know God knows best and that it’s in His hands and He loves my child even more than I do, but I’ve also read the parable of the widow and the unjust judge and that of the neighbor knocking at the door at Midnight. I’ve read “ask and you shall receive…knock and it shall be opened”.

I’m growing closer to despair myself and am tempted to stop praying the 54-day Rosary novena and the many other prayers.

Any advice you can give (and of course prayers) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tawny]

Pray to St. Joseph for them to secure employment.

 

[at9009]

Hi, I hope I can somewhat help.

I would suggest praying for God to show you (and your son) his path for him whether that be a particular job/field or whatever. Finally, (the hardest part) accept that God might be saying, “not yet.”

I was in a similar boat a few years ago. I had applied to medical school (got rejected) and then was having difficulty finding a job related to my degree (engineering). I was kind of in a tail spin and struggling in my faith. During this time I was living at home with a lot more free time (worked a retail job). After calming down and accepting that it’s not the end of the world, I was able to build and strengthen my faith and strengthen my relationship with my parents.

Now I have my life together (will be attending medical school in August). I think God used this time to help me grow and mature (both spiritually and mentally) which I am eternally grateful for. God knows us better than we do, and sometimes these types of trials help us grow as a person. For me, being initially rejected from a medical school (I dream that I had planned for most of my life) help me grow and strengthen as a person.

I will be praying for you and your son. Tell him not to give up. The best things in life are worth the wait.

God Bless,
Andrew

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I think the bottom line with any prayer is what you’ve already said: God knows what is best in this situation and loves your child even more than you do. With that said, you know how you want the situation to work out and it’s hard to trust that your prayers are having an effect when you can’t see it.

I can only tell you about a situation I was in and see if it helps. I had a friend who was diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Every time he went for a follow-up appointment, the news was bad. The cancer had spread to a new place or the tumors had grown in size. I prayed daily for his healing and it didn’t happen. Finally it reached a point where I couldn’t pray for healing – that just didn’t seem to be God’s will. So I prayed instead that God’s will would be done and there would be comfort for him and his loved ones. When he died, I realized that it was perhaps the best way things could have gone. He was in good spirits all through his illness, he was not in pain, he was able to be at home during his last days, and he died surrounded by his family. God really was taking care of him even though the outcome was not remotely what I wanted.

Please don’t give up. My spiritual director has frequently quoted Mother Teresa to me: God doesn’t call us to be successful, God calls us to be faithful. Be faithful, friend.

 

[coachdennis]

This is not meant to be trite or simplistic, but your options are not an either/or.

You can pray for your specific request AND that at the “end of the day” that God’s will be done.

Now, the challenge for all of us is when we come to the realization that God’s will means “no” to our request. “No” is an answer. Perhaps we need to pray for insight to see where is leading us or what he wants us to do.

I know many times in my life the answer to prayer is not what I even imagined as a possible answer. However, I only saw God’s hand when I reflected on how I got to where I am today. While stuck in the middle, all we can do is believe and trust. If we had certainty, we would not need faith.