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J

Jullianna

Guest
#1
#1
Why do some people pray as if they'd just pulled up to a drive-thru speaker?

There are no words of gratitude. No praise of God. Just placed orders and impatience when the answer isn't delivered as quickly as they think it should be.

God has promised us much, but owes us nothing. We owe Him everything. The servant is not greater than the Master.
 
S

SpaceCowboy

Guest
#2
#2
I agree. It's why I always make it a point when I pray to start with thanks, always. No matter the situation, no matter the circumstances. Always give thanks for the grace, love, and forgiveness that's given to us. We have no right to expect anything from God.
 
U

Ugly

Guest
#3
#3
Reminds me of the chatter i saw last night who said they didn't pray often because they didn't want to bother God with 'stupid' things. Left me with the feeling they only pray when they want or need something. Course everything else they said lead me to believe they have no idea what the bible says on a number of things..
 
N

nanabean

Guest
#4
#4
How often do you actually hear others pray?? How do we know how or in what way they pray when we are not there?? I know sometimes I am guilty of a hastily said prayer of asking..........but there are many other times I say prayers of thanksgiving and praise, and in most every case, they last much longer than the hasty ones of asking. Unless of course it is a prayer of asking for the safety of someone.........
 
zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#6
Aug 2, 2009
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#6
Prayer should be done in private (unless we're talking about praying in a chat room or in front of a group or something).
 
zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#7
Aug 2, 2009
24,655
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#7
Had to make a new post thanks to the editing time limiit....

Prayer should be done in private (unless praying in a chat room or in front of a group or something). Also, voicing thanks during a prayer is not necessary because prayer is not praise. Prayer is supplication.

NOTE - I did not say there is anything wrong with voicing thanks and praise during prayer. I am just saying that it shouldn't be looked down upon if someone doesn't include praise in their prayers.

When I have something I need to pray for, I first remember to thank God and the Lord for all they've done for me and let them know that I know I don't deserve any of it, and then when I am done expressing my gratitude, I begin my prayers.
 
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J

Jullianna

Guest
#8
#8
Nana: I hear people pray a lot from where I am during Sunday services

Gabe:

In Matthew 6, Jesus said we should pray like this. The FIRST thing He does is praise and put the Father's will first. THEN the requests come. :) -

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

I do understand though that emergencies can arise
 
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zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#9
Aug 2, 2009
24,655
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#9
Yes, but if you look at the Psalms where David is crying out to the LORD, he does not start out praising Him.

I think either way is ok, so we shouldn't look down on those who do not include praise in their prayers. If we did, wouldn't we have to be critical of David also? For all we know the person who did not publicly praise God in his/her prayer may be spending more time and effort praising God at other times than we do.

And please don't say we should agree to disagree. I hate hate hate that saying lol.
 
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N

nanabean

Guest
#10
#10
Jullianna, .......ok, so you hear them during church, but that is not to say you hear them any other time. How 'bout when they are at the park, surrounded by God's beauty of nature?? Maybe they (like I do) pray a thankful, praising prayer as they breathe in the fresh air of a spring day spent outdooors. How 'bout when they have had an especially nice visit with friends or family?? Maybe they (like I do) pray afterwards a prayer of contented thankfullness for the people they have in their lives and the fun they have just had. How "bout after praying an asking for something prayer, when they have an answer (a daughter arriving home safetly, a new job, a son getting the raise he needed) that pleases them?? Maybe they (like I do) pray thankful, heartfelt prayers of praise that things have worked out. All I mean is......sometimes we others only hear of the asking for prayers..........but I pray, the prayers of thanksgiving, and praise are still being said.

And yes........Zeroturbulence, I agree, Both prayers are ok as long as they are both from the heart, and both are being said and felt at some point.
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#11
#11
I am only talking about the non-emergency demands I hear week after week :)
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#12
#12
zeroturbulence said:
Yes, but if you look at the Psalms where David is crying out to the LORD, he does not start out praising Him.

I think either way is ok, so we shouldn't look down on those who do not include praise in their prayers. If we did, wouldn't we have to be critical of David also? For all we know the person who did not publicly praise God in his/her prayer may be spending more time and effort praising God at other times than we do.

And please don't say we should agree to disagree. I hate hate hate that saying lol.
Click to expand...
Perhaps this is the reason Jesus told us how to do it right.
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#13
#13
We know from the scriptures that David didn't do everything right anymore than the rest of us even though he loved the Lord deeply, don't we? :) That's all I'm saying. Jesus told us how to do it right.
 
zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#14
Aug 2, 2009
24,655
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#14
Yes, he did wrong things, but I don't think his way of praying was one of them. :)
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#16
#16
Why would the disciples have asked Jesus this question if the OT prayers they knew about already were to be the example:

Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
 
zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#17
Aug 2, 2009
24,655
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#17
In the Garden of Gethsamane, Jesus simply prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39). There was no praise or thanks included.

Remember, I'm not saying your concept or that the way Jesus taught the disciples is wrong, just that we shouldn't look down on those who don't include praise and thanks in every prayer.
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#18
#18
If we read all of Matthew 26, we realize that He prayed a lot more than that one sentence, because:

1. He asked the disciples why they couldn't tarry with Him for an hour because they fell asleep while He was away praying; and

2. Luke 22 says that while He prayed in the garden, "he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

However, even in the one sentence you posted, He recognizes that the Father's will is greater than our own and did not demand that the Father take the cup from Him, right?
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#19
#19
zeroturbulence said:
In the Garden of Gethsamane, Jesus simply prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39). There was no praise or thanks included.

Remember, I'm not saying your concept or that the way Jesus taught the disciples is wrong, just that we shouldn't look down on those who don't include praise and thanks in every prayer.
Click to expand...
It's not so much the lack of praise that bothers me. As I said, I realize there are emergencies and there isn't always time for that. And we should reflect a constant attitude of worship and praise. Sorry I didn't make that clear from the title of this thread and the last sentence of my first post. I thought I did.

What bothers me is when God is treated like a genie in a bottle, subject to our demands.
 
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J

Jullianna

Guest
#20
#20
Sorry..had to answer the phone and couldn't finish my post.

If you will notice, I was ASKING why people do this, not passing judgment :) It was a QUESTION. I don't understand...
 
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