Why is it good to pray for things you want?

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Psalm_37_4-5

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Ok, this is something I struggle with off and on… praying for things I’d like. Let me give 2 types of examples:
  1. A family member is ill with some kind of sickness or condition, or a friend or relative gets pregnant finally after years of trying everything (except fertility treatments that would go against our faith), but the pregnancy is very delicate.
  2. Someone… (OK, it’s me…) is pretty darn sure she is called to be married but all the circumstances around her…(ok, ME…) make it difficult to meet the right men, yadda yadda… and it made her/me think that maybe she’s/I’m supposed to be a nun then, but she/I really don’t think so. So, she/I should get a spiritual director to sort this out, right? Meanwhile, her/my mother sends me a medal of St. Anne and tells her/me that she is praying for the right man to come to her/me… and there are pamphlets of St. Raphael all around…
I want to pray for… what exactly? Do I pray for God’s will to be done? Well, that’s kind of a given. It will be whether I pray or not. Do I pray for a spiritual director, and the RIGHT spiritual director? And skip praying for the other stuff because if I get the spiritual director, the rest of the stuff can get worked on then? How in the heck can we pray for all the things we should be praying for in life… our families, friends, the world, peace, end to abortion, priests, ourselves…

How do you do it? Do you make a list and say a rosary and remember all of those things? But what if I think something is really important (ie right now I would really like it if my relative was able to actually carry her baby to term), but it’s for selfish reasons? Is wanting someone to be able to carry a baby to term selfish because I think it would be great to have a baby in the family? Is wanting to find a good man for a husband ok to pray for? Isn’t that being kind of selfish too?

How do you pray “hard” for something… do you just ONLY pray for that one thing, or pray more? What if other people and things pop in your head while you’re praying “hard” for this other thing?

I know the argument for prayer is that we have the free will to pray and to pray for specific things. God knows all and knows what will happen; I know predestination is not a part of our faith, but sometimes I wonder what difference it makes. I’m not losing “the faith” here or anything; but once in a while it all catches up to me and I get overwhelmed. I’m looking into the spiritual director btw… 🙂 Sorry if this got kind of ranty-ravey…
 
pray for God to show you his divine plan. Dont ask for worldly things.

To pray hard means to pray sincerely, not length or number of prayers. You will understand soon enough.
 
Pray in all things.-- I once had a wonderful Priest tell me that life is like this-“You are on a bicycle built for two, God is on the front of the bike, you are on the back, so just peddle!”-Nothing is going to happen to you that He isn’t aware of, talk to Him all the time, tell Him your concerns, your hopes, dreams, fears, etc…Go to Adoration and just pour your heart out to Him and know that He already knows what is best for you.

It is good that you are looking for a good Spiritual Director, however, sometimes, the best Spiritual Direction is just the frequent participation in the Sacraments and keeping in touch with HIM. I like EWTN, the Vatican web site and praying the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily too. (O.K., some days I get lazy, but usually I pray them both daily.)

I usually ask the Blessed Mother and ALL the Saints and Angels and all Holy men and women to pray for us all. I know they are praying to God, through Jesus and in the Holy Spirit, just like we Catholics do at Mass and in our daily personal life. I will keep you in my prayers now too. —Personally I am pulling for you to become a Nun—
 
I think it is good for us to hear ourselves. To put into words the stirrings of our souls. This helps us evaluate the worth of our desires, needs, fears etc. Sometimes, when I hear myself pray, I get a real wake up call. I think “Oh, man…is that really me? Is that what I want? YIKES!!!” and other times I hear myself and think “AMEN”

I know that the divine will do what it will do, and things will be what they will be, but I have some say over myself, my actions and intentions, so I think it is good for me to keep tabs on them and make changes accordingly.

Also, sometimes it is good, in a relationship, for the other to hear the desires of our souls. It is good to feel needed!

cheddar
 
Simply, because your Heavenly Father who hears eveything uttered never imposes but waits to be asked, loves to be asked and answers when asked.
 
It is to good to pray for things you want, when you know the things that you want will help you be a better person. Praying for guidance and conformity to God’s will is always a good idea. At the end of the day, God always know what is best for out spiritual development.

I try to medidate on the Sations of the Cross daily. I know this sounds cliche, but I find in the Way of the Cross, so many meditations for apporaches to life, particularly for seeking guidance and trusting in God’s will.

The First Sation, in which Jesus is condemned, I ask God for the guidance to know what His will is for my sentence on this Earth.

For the Sceond Station, when Jesus carries the cross, I ask help in discerning what are my crosses to bear, what I should be actively working on, and for which intentions that it serves God’s purpose for me to pray, and what issues I need to release. Every one knows we all ahve a cross to bear, but some times, when life is particualrly challenging, I feel that a frustrating issue for me is identifying exactly what is my cross and what is distraction or unecessary preoccupation; what should I be working to change with God’s will and what concerns should I surrender entirely to God, because they are not in His plan.

For the Fifth Station when Simon is asked to help carry the Cross, I ask God to please sure me his will as clearly as it was shown to Simon, because I am feeling pretty obtuse these days in realizing what he menas me to do with the options I have.

For the Tenth Sation, when Jesus is stripped of his clothes, I beg God to strip me of all my ambitions and disires that may run contrary to his will or might make it more difficult for my to discern His plan for me.

For the Twelfth station, when Jesus dies on the cross, I ask God to let my doubt, fear and aniexty about the future to die, and for a greater increase in faith and trust, as the story of the corssand messages of the gospel merit.
 
Thank you everyone for your replies… The various perspectives have helped me out a lot so that I know how to pray at least a little better and more focused on the important things…

God bless.
 
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