Prayer specificity and God's will

[KevinK]

Is there any difference between the following prayers.

a) making a petitionary prayer for a specific outcome and adding that God’s will be done
b) simply praying that God’s will be done

This hinges on whether our prayers can influence God’s actions. If they can then (a) makes sense but adding that God’s will be done is then superfluous. If not, it seems we may as well say prayer (b) with no specificity as God’s will is done regardless. This doesn’t even take into account the added complexity of asking for intercession of saints.

 

[pianistclare]

A person who genuinely trusts God makes no such “distinction”.
Pray with genuine love, and see if things don’t turn out just peachy.

 

[Mary888]

I’ve had a long time shyness in asking God anything too specific. More like point b) type of praying.
I asked for specific things and even though I admit they were difficult things (like faith of some people, or my own personal change of heart) and they did not happen I felt so scared that I will lose my faith if I don’t go back to point b) attitude.
Right now I feel that after repeatedly confessing to God my weakness exemplified by the fear of losing faith in Him, He helps me stay afloat so I can pray type a) and not feel like a baby who fears getting nothing for birthday if I see that my wishes don’t come true.
The Holy Fathers left us prayers that all go in category a). I never read a single advise on not praying for something specific, but always remember to add God’s will into it. It’'s true I haven’t read a lot but I think if there was any problem asking for specific things a general warning on it would have permeated Church tradition and any priest would advise on it by now. It’s been thousands of years since people pray to God for things. I don’t think He’d leave us in the blind for this long on whether it is acceptable or not.
I think we maybe able to convince God to change His actions but not His will. Like praying against something He has decided to be will never turn out the way we want it. But we don’t know exactly what He wills so what wrong do we do in asking?
At least we’ve tried.

 

[alice24]

Thanks for sharing - I thought what I would answer and you pointed out what I felt so often in a very beautiful way.
When I was younger, I prayed mostly very specific. It made me mad at some point and led me to fear like “I have to specify, repeat, etc”. After that, I got used to the thinking that I can´t change anything without god´s will, that I have to accept everything, not with fear or enthusiasm, but with a open mind. I prayed in the years after very basic and unspecific, only the “basic well known prayers” .
Today I don´t fear to pray personally, to ask for specific things for me and others, but I confess when I realize that I try to know it better than god himself - for example the ideal time of things happen. It´s not easy, but I pray in a way that I express what I wish, and I close my prayer with “but you know it best, almighty god”.

 

[Reuben_J]

We still can petition for specific outcome, and God decides whether to (1) grant it or (2)not or (3) instead grant alternative outcome (God’s will, which we don’t specifically asked).

If we don’t ask for specific outcome but instead just praying for God’s will, then it will be just God’s will.

We must remember that in certain cases God grants our specific request. The parable of the man who asked for a bread in the middle of the night or the bad judge who grant the woman’s persistent request - just because they asked persistently.

The saint’s intercession is best demonstrated at the wedding at Cana.

God bless.