ASKING FOR PRAYER FOR ONESELF

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on July 17, 2012 at 2:32pm

Rita,

 

My concern about asking for prayer is whether or not the person praying is praying for my best interest. Is he/she praying for me or against me? Are we in agreement about what to pray for?

We can be certain that God will not honor a prayer that is prayed against us. Prayer in of itself has no power. The results of prayer rest solely in God. Thus, the key is whether the other person and/or I are praying according to the will of God.

 

What about the person constantly asking for prayer? Do they trust in what they pray for?

It is impossible to know the motives of every person, but we have an example from Jesus’ life where He prayed the same prayer three times while in the Garden (Mat. 26:44). Thus, we know that God does not tire of the same request being made and we surely know that Jesus did not lack faith.

 

Do they think another's prayer will produce more than their own prayer?

Again, we cannot know the motives behind the person asking for prayer, but we know that Paul numerous times asked for people to pray for him and the work he was involved in (Col. 4:3; 1 Th. 5:25; 2 Th. 3:1), as well as the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews13:18. We also see in James 5:14 that he tells us to call the elders of the church to pray and anoint with oil.

 

 If they are continually asking for prayer, do we really want them praying for us?

There are two basic threads of thought. One is pray, leave it at Jesus feet and walk away. This is good if you know that what you have prayed for is the will of God for you. The other view is you pray persistently until the answer comes. Neither is wrong. I would have has no issue with asking Paul for prayer even after he asked church after church to pray for him and his ministry.

 

If they don’t trust God answering their prayers, should we trust that God will answer their prayers for us?

Again, we don’t know their motive or their faith. Does one pray once for a lost family member or do we continue to pray until our last breath or their salvation, whichever comes first? I will also add that I know a man that has been used to see numerous people healed, yet he still struggles with the affects of a birth defect. God does not always heal in this life every physical affliction.

 

What do we think if the prayer isn't answered? Do we have unanswered prayers?

God will always answer His children, just not always in the manner in which we asked it. He may have another plan or another way in mind. God sometimes answers it our way, which really means that we were in alignment with His way. Sometimes He says “no.” Sometimes the answer is delayed as seen in the example of Daniel waiting 21 days, while other delays can be attribute to God’s timing.

 

Why aren't our prayers answered?

Sin, wrong motives, lack of faith, not in alignment with God’s will are four common reasons why we receive a “no” from God, but that is also an answer.

 

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on July 18, 2012 at 8:51am

LT...

What about the person constantly asking for prayer? Do they trust in what they pray for? Do they think another's prayer will produce more than their own prayer? If they are continually asking for prayer, do we really want them praying for us? If they don't trust God answering their prayers, should we trust that God will answer their prayers for us?

 

I have a friend who seeks prayer constantly, regarding health issues. I have never heard her say that she felt well. She has all manner of illnesses, apparently never given relief from any of these illnesses by God. Her illness are never "just one". There are myriads of different things. I do pray for her to have a spiritual healing from "these illnesses."

I am truly at a loss about this person, their pray needs, and their prayers for others....including myself and any problems I might be having. I am dubious about her ever praying for me or my children.

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on July 18, 2012 at 12:54pm

Rita,

Yes, it does not make sense to ask someone to pray who has no faith or is ungodly (without God). Not because we fear they can do harm, but rather what is the point if they are lacking faith or are without God.

 

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Mary O on July 19, 2012 at 11:26am

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 1:20)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26)

Personal opinion, when we pray, we need to know God's promises and what He thinks. The best place to go to find out what God thinks is the Bible. I've had situations that I know what God has promised, but I don't know what to pray for exactly. Sometimes my prayers evolve as I gain more understanding. To me, it's okay to say Lord, I don't understand, what should I do? I pray until I get it and understand. Do you have kids? Don't answer that please. If a child asks a parent for something, does the child ask only one time? Probably not. Trust is learned.

I didn't know about 1 Cor. 1:20 until a couple years ago. How do you read this verse? To me it says God intends to keep all His promises, His answer is yes in Christ.

Love,

Mary

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on July 20, 2012 at 4:21am

Char...

WOW!

 It is the non-believer that won't ask for prayer. 

I am speechless. I never looked at it that way before.

I will stand on Mary O"s verse... ¹⁴ And this is ^hthe confidence that we have toward him, that ⁱif we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

^h ch. 2:28; 3:21; 4:17

ⁱ ch. 3:22; [Prov. 10:24]

 

Blessings to both of you, in the Name of Christ our Lord.....

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 20, 2012 at 7:15am

I think it is a sign of pride when we think we do not need to ask others to help us by prayers. Why should I fear asking others to pray for me? I think if we are of the mind that we do not or cannot trust others to pray for us individually, then we should also not pray for anyone else except only for ourselves -- otherwise we would be living by a double standard ... for how then could we expect anyone else to be able to trust us to pray for them? We are all human, right? If I felt I could not ask others to help me by prayers, it seems to me that I would be saying that I think more highly of myself than I do of others ... or that I think I have a better faith than others have. That would be a self righteous judgment IMO.

I like this article and David Jeremiah is one of my favorite pastors: http://www.gotquestions.org/corporate-prayer.html

Question: "Is corporate prayer important? Is corporate prayer more powerful than an individual praying alone?"

Answer: Corporate prayer is an important part of the life of the church, along with worship, sound doctrine, communion, and fellowship. The early church met regularly to learn the doctrine of the apostles, break bread, and pray together (Acts 2:42). When we pray together with other believers, the effects can be very positive. Corporate prayer edifies and unifies us as we share our common faith. The same Holy Spirit who dwells within each believer causes our hearts to rejoice as we hear praises to our Lord and Savior, knitting us together in a unique bond of fellowship found nowhere else in life.

To those who may be alone and struggling with life’s burdens, hearing others lift them up to the throne of grace can be a great encouragement. It also builds in us love and concern for others as we intercede for them. At the same time, corporate prayer will only be a reflection of the hearts of the individuals who participate. We are to come to God in humility (James 4:10), truth (Psalm 145:18), obedience (1 John 3:21-22), with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6) and confidence (Hebrews 4:16). Sadly, corporate prayer can also become a platform for those whose words are directed not to God, but to their hearers. Jesus warned against such behavior in Matthew 6:5-8 where he exhorts us not to be showy, long-winded, or hypocritical in our prayers, but to pray secretly in our own rooms in order to avoid the temptation of using prayer hypocritically.

There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that corporate prayers are “more powerful” than individual prayers in the sense of moving the hand of God. Far too many Christians equate prayer with “getting things from God,” and group prayer becomes mainly an occasion to recite a list of our wants. Biblical prayers, however, are multi-faceted, encompassing the whole of the desire to enter into conscious and intimate communion with our holy, perfect, and righteous God. That such a God would bend an ear to His creatures causes praise and adoration to pour forth in abundance (Psalm 27:4; 63:1-8), produces heartfelt repentance and confession (Psalm 51; Luke 18:9-14), generates an outpouring of gratitude and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 1:12), and creates sincere intercessory pleas on behalf of others (2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2:16).

Prayer, then, is cooperating with God to bring about His plan, not trying to bend Him to our will. As we abandon our own desires in submission to the One who knows our circumstances far better than we ever could and who “knows what you need before you ask” (Matthew 6:8), our prayers reach their highest level. Prayers offered in submission to the Divine will, therefore, are always answered positively, whether offered by one person or a thousand.

The idea that corporate prayers are more likely to move the hand of God comes largely from a misinterpretation of Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” These verses come from a larger passage which addresses the procedures to be followed in the case of church discipline of a sinning member. To interpret them as promising believers a blank check for anything they might agree to ask God for, no matter how sinful or foolish, not only does not fit the context of church discipline, but it denies the rest of Scripture, especially the sovereignty of God.

In addition, to believe that when “two or three are gathered” to pray, some kind of magical power boost is automatically applied to our prayers is not biblically supportable. Of course Jesus is present when two or three pray, but He is equally present when one believer prays alone, even if that person is separated from others by thousands of miles. Corporate prayer is important because it creates unity (John 17:22-23), and is a key aspect of believers’ encouraging one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and spurring one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

Recommended Resource: Prayer, The Great Adventure by David Jeremiah.

 

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Permalink Reply by Charles Burwell on July 20, 2012 at 10:41am

Rita

It is my opinion that I cannot be prayed for 'too much'. The simple reason being that I must have my heart and mind and life in sync ( for lack of a better word ) with the Spirit of God in order to be of any good to myself or any one else. Satan will never stop coming at us until we are delivered from this body so I need all the support I can get until said time . And I am not ashmed to admit that because of the scriptural admonition that tells us : ' Let he who thinks he stands , take heed lest he fall ".

And as LT has stated ' God doesn't get tired of hearing our payers.' We cannot be too close to God , though I had been accused of trying to be ' too close ' a few times. i never could understand what point the person saying that was trying to make . But that's neither here nor there.

As far as prayer not being answered , I am with those who believe 'every ' prayer is answered . It's sometimes not what we want to hear or when we want it to happen. I like the way Paul speaks of this in the 8th chapter of Romans.

Romans 8 : 26-27
"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities; for we KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHOULD
PRAY FOR AS WE OUGHT (C APITOLS MINE) ; but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us
with groaning that cannot be uttered.

And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit , because He makes
intercession for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD ( CAPITOLS MINE ) .

So from this I understand that the Spirit making intecession for us when He knows that it is the ' will of God. ' Therefore , if it is not the will of God then we will not get the answer we are seeking. Just because we don't get what we want or get it when we want it doesn't mean that God didn't answer .

Also in Ephesians chapter 1 Paul makes a very interesting comment during his opening statements to the church.
In the 11 verse it says
" In whom we have obtained and inheritance , being predestined according to the pur-
pose of Him who WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL :

I realize that I've taken the comment out of a long statements that the apostle was making but I feel that I have not violated the context because I merely wanted to emphasize the point that God's only counselor is His own will. He doesn't need our opinions or advice as to how to answer us . He merely needs us to believe and accept that He is working things our for our best.

Anyhow, those are just my thoughts . God bless you.

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on July 24, 2012 at 5:24am

It just occurred to me a week late that some had misunderstood what I was asking. (I'm kinda slow!)  :)

I was explaining that I personally rarely ask for others to pray for me. Which is exactly true. I was trying explain, also, why I don't ask prayer of a large group,i.e. church, perhaps.

I am no way insinuating that others should follow my lead. So far as I know, I've had very few prayers that weren't answered in the affirmative. Prayers for my husband weren't answered with the results I had asked for, but...since he passed, the Holy Spirit has been explaining that to me. Through His answers, I have a clearer understanding of prayer.

I have a real concern for the woman I spoke of who was continually ill with various diseases. Her body has suffered many abuses because of her imagined illnesses. I can no longer tell the real illness from the imagined ones. Because of this, I personally pray a healing of her mind as well as her body. 

I know that we are all different, with a different way to pray. When in church, and there is prayer offered up, I try to pray for the spiritual wellness of the person or wellness of the soul.

I have 3 children....all with different ideas about God. They all believe in Christ. I have a daughter who rarely misses church. She will do anything for anybody. Her husband is devout, as well. Her children started attending church as infants and are still going.

My boys are not as steady in church attendance as they should be. They both believe but have different levels of understanding. They both have grown children, but they are lacking a complete understanding of Who God is. Both are very immature in Christ. I pray continually that they both will allow the Holy Spirit will renew their minds.

What I am looking for in asking the questions that I asked...is a way to help them understand better...a way for them to understand their own prayers better. A way for them to pray in God's Will. The questions I asked in my original topic are still out there.

Blessings to you all....

Rita

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