Weird believes on prayer

[deb1]

A couple years back, my hubby was sent by the military on a short tour and I was home alone with my four children. One night I called my mom and told her that I often prayed for the strength to handle everything on my own. My mother responded quite strongly that I should not pray for strength. She told me that a pastor’s wife had explained to her that if you pray for strength then God will send mydriad bad things your way so that you can develop strength.

Her reasoning annoyed me. God is not some magical being who if we do not say the exact words will punish you. He knows what is in our hearts and what we really mean. My mother’s reasoning seemed to me to reduce God to some vindictive being.

I thought that this was just an odd belief of my sometimes insane mother.

Just today, my neighbor-baptist like my mom-told me that she never prayed for patience. Surprised I asked why. She stated that the women in her church had told her that if you pray for patience then God will send a lot of troubles your way so that you can learn patience.

I am a bit flabbergasted by this thought process. Has anyone else heard this belief?

 

[FuzzyBunny116]

It happens. That is one way God strengthens us, but if He is going to do it to us, we can be sure the end result is positive and out of His great love.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Has anyone else heard this belief?

Yup. A friend in a prayer group once told me that parent’s have a hard time “putting their children in God’s hands” because that means something bad will happen to their kids.

I think it’s a weird way of looking at God and an unfortunate understanding of prayer. I have heard enough of this that I absorbed it so now I have to deliberately work my way out of this thinking when I pray.

The one I’m struggling with now? St. Rita and St. Philomena. Both are kinda on par with St. Jude as far as hopeless cases. I heard someone comment that (insert saint’s name here) really makes you pay for it.

Yeah. That inspired confidence in me. BTW, I don’t think the people I heard say this were really the praying type; more “cultural Catholics” with a healthy dose of superstition thrown in.

 

[Didi]

What we have to remember is that God, Our Father, loves us more than we could ever imagine. He knows our heart and knows every word before we even say it.

Because He is a loving Father, when we ask for something good, like patience or strength, He will help us attain it. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.

It’s like a parent watching their child learn to walk. Yes, the child falls sometimes. Yes, the child gets hurt sometimes. But we know that unless the child learns to walk, their life will be even harder in the long run. So, we encourage the child through the difficulties and are there to pick them up and comfort them, but we don’t stop them from learning to walk.

So when God teaches us patience, there might be circumstances that come our way in which we can learn patience. We may not choose these circumstances on our own, but in the end we find we are more patient, we are stronger, we are more compassionate, etc. And He never leaves us, He is there with us every step of the way.

I have been dealing with a chronic illness for five years now. There are days where I have a lot of pain and fatigue. I have been learning to offer my sufferings with Jesus and through Jesus for the salvation of souls. One day when it was really hard, I was asking God why this was happening, again. Very clearly I heard God say “Do you trust me?” I paused for a moment, then answered in prayer “Of course, I trust you, Lord. I don’t understand why this is happening, but I trust that You love me and will only do what is best for me.”

If we trust God, we know He will do nothing to harm our souls. Our souls are infinitely more important than our bodies, so what do we have to fear by asking God for virtues?

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

 

[deb1]

I think that some might have misunderstood me. I realize that trials in life teach us strength and patience. That is not what either my mom or neighbor meant. They were really afraid that if they asked for certain specific things then God would completly distort their requests.

I don’t think that asking for strength to handle a tough moment in life or patience to be kind to an annoying coworker will result in God sending mydriad painful moments your way. Our Lord knows the difference between a specific request and if we asked for general strength or patience. If I ask for a stronger character or more strength in general then God might very well help me become that person, but just to ask for the strength to carry through the day will not suddenly cause your whole life to be turned upside down.

There are apparently some people who look on God as some vodoo man who must have the exact correct words spoken to or our prayers will go wrong. I can’t imagine being afraid to ask God for anything much less patience to deal with two teenage boys.

 

[deb1]

FuzzyBunny116:

It happens. That is one way God strengthens us, but if He is going to do it to us, we can be sure the end result is positive and out of His great love.

I believe this also, so there is no arguement here. I am not speaking of God’s desire to stregthen us as Christians.

But do you believe that if you say the wrong word in prayer that God will somehow misunderstand you? Are you afraid to ask for strength or patience or, as one poster said, are you afraid to put your kids in God’s hands for fear that something bad will happen? This is what the people that I talked to were referring to…a fear that God will purposely misunderstand your requests.

 

[deb1]

Bruised Reed:

Yup. A friend in a prayer group once told me that parent’s have a hard time “putting their children in God’s hands” because that means something bad will happen to their kids.

I think it’s a weird way of looking at God and an unfortunate understanding of prayer. I have heard enough of this that I absorbed it so now I have to deliberately work my way out of this thinking when I pray.

The one I’m struggling with now? St. Rita and St. Philomena. Both are kinda on par with St. Jude as far as hopeless cases. I heard someone comment that (insert saint’s name here) really makes you pay for it.

Yeah. That inspired confidence in me. BTW, I don’t think the people I heard say this were really the praying type; more “cultural Catholics” with a healthy dose of superstition thrown in.

Sigh. I was hoping that this was some odd Baptist belief.

 

[Ivornotion]

deb1:

I am a bit flabbergasted by this thought process. Has anyone else heard this belief?

This is Superstition--------2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition. Quote from CCC.​

Key points I take from the above statement " It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary."​

And it doesn’t stand up to the words of Jesus what your friends are saying.​

Luke 11:9 And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

11:10 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

11:11 And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion?

11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?"

 

[Ivornotion]

deb1:

This is what the people that I talked to were referring to…a fear that God will purposely misunderstand your requests.

How could the all knowing God misunderstand your request ? God knows us better than we know ourselves, He knows what is in our Hearts.

 

[byHisGrace]

deb1:

A couple years back, my hubby was sent by the military on a short tour and I was home alone with my four children. One night I called my mom and told her that I often prayed for the strength to handle everything on my own. My mother responded quite strongly that I should not pray for strength. She told me that a pastor’s wife had explained to her that if you pray for strength then God will send mydriad bad things your way so that you can develop strength.

Her reasoning annoyed me. God is not some magical being who if we do not say the exact words will punish you. He knows what is in our hearts and what we really mean. My mother’s reasoning seemed to me to reduce God to some vindictive being.

I thought that this was just an odd belief of my sometimes insane mother.

Just today, my neighbor-baptist like my mom-told me that she never prayed for patience. Surprised I asked why. She stated that the women in her church had told her that if you pray for patience then God will send a lot of troubles your way so that you can learn patience.

I am a bit flabbergasted by this thought process. Has anyone else heard this belief?

God knows everything in our hearts, and performed the ultimate act of love through the death and resurrection of His Son, to give us hope, and confidence that no matter what our circumstances He is there for us, with us. That love isn’t a game, He draws us to Himself, and showed through His own suffering how to love. We go to Him as little children asking for anything. The circumstances or sufferings we may go through are not brought on by the way we sincerely pray or ask for help. Can you imagine anyone who loves you would do anything like that? It is true that if we unite our intentions with Our Lord, that He can bring good things out of difficulty. That does not mean that we have to be careful of the formula or words of our prayer for fear that He will bring us difficulties. He loves us SO much. Trust you can go to Him with anything. God bless you!