What's happening with praying?
- Thread starter Nelka
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Xanthippe_Voorhees
Guest
It sounds like you need professional help.
T
Trishie
Guest
I agree Xanthippe.
Nelka, you have been in this desperate distress for some time, and I’m concerned about you.
You did share why in an earlier thread, and I do understand.
'Prayer is a powerful grace, but God cannot force the free will of another person.
Some of our honest and legitimate life choices take us into dreadfully difficult and painful situations.
You’re not coping alone., as your distress has continued unabated, please seek guidance and help, as your health and peace of mind and soul is at risk with this level of unhappiness and despondency.
You can’t change other people, though you can with time influence them, I have known that personally to occur.
Please for a beginning, try to find support, an appointment with your priest as a beginning/contacting your diocese or archdiocese for whatever Catholic counseling is available?
Loving prayer, and please take care of yourself.
Nelka, you have been in this desperate distress for some time, and I’m concerned about you.
You did share why in an earlier thread, and I do understand.
'Prayer is a powerful grace, but God cannot force the free will of another person.
Some of our honest and legitimate life choices take us into dreadfully difficult and painful situations.
You’re not coping alone., as your distress has continued unabated, please seek guidance and help, as your health and peace of mind and soul is at risk with this level of unhappiness and despondency.
You can’t change other people, though you can with time influence them, I have known that personally to occur.
Please for a beginning, try to find support, an appointment with your priest as a beginning/contacting your diocese or archdiocese for whatever Catholic counseling is available?
Loving prayer, and please take care of yourself.
L
LittleFlower
Guest
I would suggest that you seek urgent medical advice, if I understand the nuances here correctly. Most hospitals will also have a priest on call, who can attend to you. After that, I would contact your diocese, and any relevant Catholic agencies.
S
Spyridon
Guest
James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
Prayer is meant to be a love link between lovers. It’s meant to increase trust and fidelity in a covenant relationship. It’s not a vending machine where you put in x amount of prayers in order to receive x.
Instead of praying “God, please let x happen or please let me get x”, pray “God, thank you for giving me all i have and please help me deal with anything the world throws at me”. You will be much more satisfied praying this way.
This is not to say that prayers of petition should not be said - rather that prayers of thanksgiving, contrition and adoration should be said as much or more than prayers of petition. And again, when you say prayers of petition, you will be better off saying general things like “God please give me the means to travel to and from where I need to go to do your will” as opposed to saying “God please give me a Ferrari”.
Not because praying for a Ferrari is intrinsically wrong - you can pray for that - but don’t be surprised or upset if God answers “No, my sweet, silly child”.
Prayer is meant to be a love link between lovers. It’s meant to increase trust and fidelity in a covenant relationship. It’s not a vending machine where you put in x amount of prayers in order to receive x.
Instead of praying “God, please let x happen or please let me get x”, pray “God, thank you for giving me all i have and please help me deal with anything the world throws at me”. You will be much more satisfied praying this way.
This is not to say that prayers of petition should not be said - rather that prayers of thanksgiving, contrition and adoration should be said as much or more than prayers of petition. And again, when you say prayers of petition, you will be better off saying general things like “God please give me the means to travel to and from where I need to go to do your will” as opposed to saying “God please give me a Ferrari”.
Not because praying for a Ferrari is intrinsically wrong - you can pray for that - but don’t be surprised or upset if God answers “No, my sweet, silly child”.
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LittleFlower
Guest
:+1:t2: Well written, @Spyridon !
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Nap66
Guest
Your prayers are ALWAYS heard and will be answered in time, whether the answer is yes or no. The thing is when you pray there is always satan who hears them as well and will do anything to make you stop praying. That’s why things get worse when you pray sometimes. It happened to me when I was at my lowest point as well. I thought I would never get out of my lowness, but people said continue to pray and I did.
What I found very, very helpful is the 54-day Rosary Novena. When I started praying the Novena, I no longer worried if my prayers would ever be answered since I knew Mary was intervening with my prayers to God and whatever the result, God heard my prayers. Slowly, so very slowly my mind became more peaceful and signs of God listening to me were everywhere. In my Novena I asked for three petitions. One was answered with a yes and now I await the full fruition of that answer. One was not answered at this point. One was answered with a no, and God wants me to do something else that I don’t really want to do but I am trying my best to do his will and not mine.
Try the Rosary Novena if you feel your prayer life is fruitless.
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Vico
Guest
I am sorry you are feeling low. Did you notice that you wrote that your prayers “are making things worse”. Do you believe that?
The Catechism teaches that the power is in prayer done without doubt. So that is our challenge!
R
Roseeurekacross
Guest
Nelka ,
We never know what’s around the corner, it may not be a corner we want to turn, but it might be. We are here to do the Will of God, nothing more, nothing less. Give your troubles to God and swap them for taking a load off and praying for a favourite cause of yours. And please see a professional about your sadness.
We never know what’s around the corner, it may not be a corner we want to turn, but it might be. We are here to do the Will of God, nothing more, nothing less. Give your troubles to God and swap them for taking a load off and praying for a favourite cause of yours. And please see a professional about your sadness.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
I’ll pray a rosary for you Nelka and I hope you can feel God’s presence with you as He loves you and is always there even when you feel distanced from Him or alone.
I’m sorry you’re having such a struggle. I hope it gets better soon.
I’m sorry you’re having such a struggle. I hope it gets better soon.
M
Mary_Ellen
Guest
I agree with other posters, from this and your previous posts it sounds like you may need professional help for what sounds like a serious depressive episode in your life.
Your prayers are not making things worse, not in and of themselves. You would be best served to address this issue, in person, with a priest.
As I have written before, not getting the answer you want, when you want it, does not mean your prayers are not being heard or answered. Sometimes we may never know how our prayers have been answered in this life, we might know in the next but there are no guarantees there, either.
Jesus revealed only two things about heaven: it is a banquet and there are many rooms in the mansion of heaven. That’s all we really know. Everything else we ‘know’ about heaven is either speculation; intelligent, highly thought out theological speculation - or - from private revelation.
Your are in my prayers.
Your prayers are not making things worse, not in and of themselves. You would be best served to address this issue, in person, with a priest.
As I have written before, not getting the answer you want, when you want it, does not mean your prayers are not being heard or answered. Sometimes we may never know how our prayers have been answered in this life, we might know in the next but there are no guarantees there, either.
Jesus revealed only two things about heaven: it is a banquet and there are many rooms in the mansion of heaven. That’s all we really know. Everything else we ‘know’ about heaven is either speculation; intelligent, highly thought out theological speculation - or - from private revelation.
Your are in my prayers.
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