Praying for someone when you're delirious...?

[mommamaree]

Last night, I was really ill with a nasty stomach virus, and I was in a state of half-consciousness for much of the night. I would doze for a few minutes, then wake up in pain, then feel like I was going to pass out. So I was definitely not really conscious much of the time. Anyway, this morning I remembered beginning to pray for someone last night in the middle of my delirium. I remember praying fervently and asking God to provide for their needs, but I cannot remember who I was praying for! My prayers felt like they took quite a bit of time, because I remember saying to God that “I am too weak to pray anymore, but I ask that you keep this person close to You.” With that, I think I might have fallen back to sleep. It concerns me that I cannot figure out who I was praying for. Has anyone had this happen to them? What does it mean to find yourself praying when you are so ill that you aren’t fully conscious? Does that mean that God was able to step in and urge me to pray for someone who needed it, even while I wasn’t really aware of what I was praying? It was weird, but kind of neat, and this is the first time that has happened to me. (I am a baby Catholic, by the way, so prayer is still something I am working on.) Also, I was praying mentally, not vocally, does that impact effectiveness of prayer? Does God listen to thoughts directed in prayer as much as words directed in prayer?

 

[daeve]

I don’t know what it might mean, but here’s what I think about prayer. God already knows what you had in mind. He knew who you were praying for and why, knew what that person needed, and He can hear mental prayers just as well as verbal prayers. He knows what in your heart, what your intentions are, and understands that you may not communicate them to other humans well, but He already knows.

I take several medications that make me a little fuzzy at times. And I’m getting older, so when you put it all together, my memory stinks. I have a “list” of people I want to pray for every day in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I pray for a lot of people who need jobs, some of my customers who are older people with financial problems, and for a few people who could use some help finding their way back to God. But I can’t remember who every time, especially the customers. So I ask God to keep the list for me in case I forget somebody. Both my son and brother-in-law are back at work for a good long time. I still have quite a few unemployed friends, and I add my old people every day. I usually remember them as “the man in TX whose wife died 3 months ago from cancer” or something like that.

I hope you’re feeling better. Sounds like you have a pretty rough night.

 

[Dorothy]

Praying mentally is fine! It could be that the Lord was using you at that moment to pray for someone, even if you don’t remember who it was for, He does.

 

[Holly3278]

Last night, I was really ill with a nasty stomach virus, and I was in a state of half-consciousness for much of the night. I would doze for a few minutes, then wake up in pain, then feel like I was going to pass out. So I was definitely not really conscious much of the time. Anyway, this morning I remembered beginning to pray for someone last night in the middle of my delirium. I remember praying fervently and asking God to provide for their needs, but I cannot remember who I was praying for! My prayers felt like they took quite a bit of time, because I remember saying to God that “I am too weak to pray anymore, but I ask that you keep this person close to You.” With that, I think I might have fallen back to sleep. It concerns me that I cannot figure out who I was praying for. Has anyone had this happen to them? What does it mean to find yourself praying when you are so ill that you aren’t fully conscious? Does that mean that God was able to step in and urge me to pray for someone who needed it, even while I wasn’t really aware of what I was praying? It was weird, but kind of neat, and this is the first time that has happened to me. (I am a baby Catholic, by the way, so prayer is still something I am working on.) Also, I was praying mentally, not vocally, does that impact effectiveness of prayer? Does God listen to thoughts directed in prayer as much as words directed in prayer?

Well, I have had times when I have prayed when I was half asleep or so tired that I could barely stay awake. Does that count? Also, I have no idea if it means anything when you find yourself praying when you are so ill that you aren’t fully conscious. It is possible that God stepped in and urged you to pray for someone who needed prayer even if you weren’t all that aware of what you were praying. And mental prayer is just as effective as vocal prayer. God listens to thought prayers just as much as he does vocal prayers.

 

[mommamaree]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I realize that was a really specific question about a weird situation, and I imagined that I would receive no responses. I remained with a fever and nausea through most of yesterday, and often my thoughts went to my baby sister. And yesterday afternoon, I received a long-anticipated message from her, since she has been needing a lot of space to work through some problems. So now I am wondering if I had been praying for her two nights ago. It seems more than coincidental that my prayer for some loved one preceded my thoughts being on her and then receiving a reply, all within twelve hours. It really is neat how God is able to use our prayers and our connections with loved ones.