Hey Everyone,
I have often asked how many times I should ask God for something, then "give up" and move on to another request -- here's why:
Do you ever feel so flooded by prayer requests that you are so overwhelmed, you don't know where one prayer should start and another should end?
The sermon today was about how we should never give up when it comes to praying. There was the usual story (I say this because of how often I've heard this in church culture) of an older family member who never gave up on praying for a younger family member that's gone astray, even when everyone else has. But finally, finally, many years later, long after everyone else had given up all hope, that young family member finally comes to Christ -- and it's mostly credited to the one who never stopped praying.
This is wonderful, of course, and something to be celebrated. And all the usual passages were given about why we should never stop asking God for something -- the story of the unjust judge, who eventually gives in because of being badgered to no end (Luke 18:1-8,); the neighbor who eventually gets up in the middle of the night to deliver what's asked of him (Luke 11:5-13); the command to pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,); and the reminder to pray for God's will above our own desires and motivations (James 4:3.)
My struggle is this:
Everyday, we are bombarded by prayer requests. Right now, the most frequent issue by far has been for a loved one who has cancer. I don't know about you, but I've lost track of how many friends, loved ones, church family members, etc. have asked for prayer regarding cancer in some way, shape, or form. And of course, the requests are also always changing -- the prayer for a miracle becomes a prayer for treatment; the prayer for treatment becomes a prayer for recovery; the prayer for recovery changes to a prayer for complete and permanent remission. (Or, it changes to one of comfort for the family -- because God has decided not to heal the person, but take them home instead.)
And so it goes with so many other prayer requests we receive or have for ourselves.
With so much to keep track of (and so little time to pray,) I have often wondered if I should just ask God a certain number of times and then move on.
For example, I've always taken inspiration from the fact that Paul asked God to remove his "thorn in the flesh" 3 times, then stopped (the answer was no,) and Jesus Himself asked 3 times that He might be spared from the cup of suffering, then also stopped (and again, the answer was no.) Did both Paul and Jesus stop because they knew God's answer after asking 3 times (would they have kept on asking,) or did they just believe that in their situation, 3 times was enough to ask?
And so, I often wonder if, for the sake of trying to keep up with so many prayer requests, I should do the same -- even when it's something I'm asking for myself.
If I'm going through a phase where as a single, I want to ask God for a husband, do I ask Him 3 times, then let it be, knowing God is working on it and I can pray for the peace to accept His answer, then move on to:
* Prayers for the many, many people I know who have or have loved ones with cancer?
* Prayers for other single people I know who are also wanting spouses?
* Prayers for the family members of people I know, who are all dealing with their own problems?
* Prayers for the parents with a sick child, or the myriad of other problems going on in their families?
And even after I've prayed all these prayers, do I dare move on to more -- or do I only stick with a few prayer requests and keep on asking indefinitely? Because what if all it takes is for someone to keep asking God that ONE MORE TIME -- and I stop praying right before I'm about to cross over the victory line?
And so the list goes on like number of stars in the sky... And I'm sure it's the same for all of you.
* How do you handle the vast numbers of prayer requests you receive -- and also have for yourself?
* How do you balance "praying without ceasing" while trying to pray for "everyone" who asks you?
* How do you prioritize your prayers -- who gets prayed for first, and how many times do you pray about that specific thing before moving on?
* In a situation that doesn't seem to be changing, how do you decide what to stop praying for (especially if the problem is ongoing,) and when you should move on to the next person or situation that needs your prayers?
* Where do you fit your own prayers for yourself? Do they come first? How do you decide when/if you should give up asking for your own situation, and pray about others instead?
I never really hear this struggle talked about and I'm pretty sure I can't be the only one who has it.
I'm looking forward to learning from others how to better streamline and utilize my prayer times for (hopefully) maximum efficiency. 🙏
I have often asked how many times I should ask God for something, then "give up" and move on to another request -- here's why:
Do you ever feel so flooded by prayer requests that you are so overwhelmed, you don't know where one prayer should start and another should end?
The sermon today was about how we should never give up when it comes to praying. There was the usual story (I say this because of how often I've heard this in church culture) of an older family member who never gave up on praying for a younger family member that's gone astray, even when everyone else has. But finally, finally, many years later, long after everyone else had given up all hope, that young family member finally comes to Christ -- and it's mostly credited to the one who never stopped praying.
This is wonderful, of course, and something to be celebrated. And all the usual passages were given about why we should never stop asking God for something -- the story of the unjust judge, who eventually gives in because of being badgered to no end (Luke 18:1-8,); the neighbor who eventually gets up in the middle of the night to deliver what's asked of him (Luke 11:5-13); the command to pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,); and the reminder to pray for God's will above our own desires and motivations (James 4:3.)
My struggle is this:
Everyday, we are bombarded by prayer requests. Right now, the most frequent issue by far has been for a loved one who has cancer. I don't know about you, but I've lost track of how many friends, loved ones, church family members, etc. have asked for prayer regarding cancer in some way, shape, or form. And of course, the requests are also always changing -- the prayer for a miracle becomes a prayer for treatment; the prayer for treatment becomes a prayer for recovery; the prayer for recovery changes to a prayer for complete and permanent remission. (Or, it changes to one of comfort for the family -- because God has decided not to heal the person, but take them home instead.)
And so it goes with so many other prayer requests we receive or have for ourselves.
With so much to keep track of (and so little time to pray,) I have often wondered if I should just ask God a certain number of times and then move on.
For example, I've always taken inspiration from the fact that Paul asked God to remove his "thorn in the flesh" 3 times, then stopped (the answer was no,) and Jesus Himself asked 3 times that He might be spared from the cup of suffering, then also stopped (and again, the answer was no.) Did both Paul and Jesus stop because they knew God's answer after asking 3 times (would they have kept on asking,) or did they just believe that in their situation, 3 times was enough to ask?
And so, I often wonder if, for the sake of trying to keep up with so many prayer requests, I should do the same -- even when it's something I'm asking for myself.
If I'm going through a phase where as a single, I want to ask God for a husband, do I ask Him 3 times, then let it be, knowing God is working on it and I can pray for the peace to accept His answer, then move on to:
* Prayers for the many, many people I know who have or have loved ones with cancer?
* Prayers for other single people I know who are also wanting spouses?
* Prayers for the family members of people I know, who are all dealing with their own problems?
* Prayers for the parents with a sick child, or the myriad of other problems going on in their families?
And even after I've prayed all these prayers, do I dare move on to more -- or do I only stick with a few prayer requests and keep on asking indefinitely? Because what if all it takes is for someone to keep asking God that ONE MORE TIME -- and I stop praying right before I'm about to cross over the victory line?
And so the list goes on like number of stars in the sky... And I'm sure it's the same for all of you.
* How do you handle the vast numbers of prayer requests you receive -- and also have for yourself?
* How do you balance "praying without ceasing" while trying to pray for "everyone" who asks you?
* How do you prioritize your prayers -- who gets prayed for first, and how many times do you pray about that specific thing before moving on?
* In a situation that doesn't seem to be changing, how do you decide what to stop praying for (especially if the problem is ongoing,) and when you should move on to the next person or situation that needs your prayers?
* Where do you fit your own prayers for yourself? Do they come first? How do you decide when/if you should give up asking for your own situation, and pray about others instead?
I never really hear this struggle talked about and I'm pretty sure I can't be the only one who has it.
I'm looking forward to learning from others how to better streamline and utilize my prayer times for (hopefully) maximum efficiency. 🙏
