T
toinena
Guest
Sometimes a Muslim student asks me: How many times a day do you pray? Do you pray five times or three times? In other words. Am I close to being a Sunni or a Shia? And I answer I pray all the time. I don't count. I walk in prayer and work in prayer. The Lord is with me during the day. How can I then count?
Sometimes I get the question: but how do you pray? Do you sit or move a certain way. Do you face wich direction? Do you wear some specific clothes? And again. What should I answer. I pray when I am driving, before class enters the room, when I touch a student's shoulder, when I am in the shower, when I am knitting or cooking. And sometimes I cover my head and pray on my knees,
Then i get the question: What words do you pray? And i say sometimes i just talk normal words, sometimes quiet and sometimes out loud, sometimes in tongues and sometimes I quote scripture. And of course I say the Lord's prayer. I have no ready written formula, but I do pray in the name of Jesus.
And then it starts to get difficutl for a Muslim! Then to WHOM are you praying? ( I see they are really firing up to a debate). I say I pray to God through Jesus Christ. They look strangely at me. Are you saying Jesus is God? Or the son of God? Yes. I believe He is. And (I know this will end the line of questions and the person will walk out in rage) I believe we are children of God when we accept Christ as our Lord. And surely. The Muslim walks out.
But although they ask. They never ask the crucial question. Do you pray in faith and with love? And I do pray out of love and sometimes out of despair. But sometimes I ask myself. Do I really believe what I am praying? When I pray to God to heal a person or perform a miracle. Do I believe it or do I just complain and blame God for not doing something. I want to believe God can heal. And I have read it in the Bible. Sure I believe. But do I? Really? Do I believe that my prayers can really make mountains move? If I just had faith like a seed of mustard. It seems like I don't. Because a part of me has resigned. I have stopped believing God can heal. i have stopped believing that God can bring my son back. Yes. I do believe that God is almighty. And I do accept Jesus as my Lord and savior. And I love serving and being in fellowship with him. But...... is my faith about feeling good, or do I actually believe? That God is God?
Lord. Help me truely believe in you. Help me trust in you and give everything to you. God! Forgive me and have mercy on me, because I lack faith in you. Keep me close to you, Lord and show me how to grow in faith and love so that my life and prayers will bring forth good fruit. In Jesus' name. Amen
Sometimes I get the question: but how do you pray? Do you sit or move a certain way. Do you face wich direction? Do you wear some specific clothes? And again. What should I answer. I pray when I am driving, before class enters the room, when I touch a student's shoulder, when I am in the shower, when I am knitting or cooking. And sometimes I cover my head and pray on my knees,
Then i get the question: What words do you pray? And i say sometimes i just talk normal words, sometimes quiet and sometimes out loud, sometimes in tongues and sometimes I quote scripture. And of course I say the Lord's prayer. I have no ready written formula, but I do pray in the name of Jesus.
And then it starts to get difficutl for a Muslim! Then to WHOM are you praying? ( I see they are really firing up to a debate). I say I pray to God through Jesus Christ. They look strangely at me. Are you saying Jesus is God? Or the son of God? Yes. I believe He is. And (I know this will end the line of questions and the person will walk out in rage) I believe we are children of God when we accept Christ as our Lord. And surely. The Muslim walks out.
But although they ask. They never ask the crucial question. Do you pray in faith and with love? And I do pray out of love and sometimes out of despair. But sometimes I ask myself. Do I really believe what I am praying? When I pray to God to heal a person or perform a miracle. Do I believe it or do I just complain and blame God for not doing something. I want to believe God can heal. And I have read it in the Bible. Sure I believe. But do I? Really? Do I believe that my prayers can really make mountains move? If I just had faith like a seed of mustard. It seems like I don't. Because a part of me has resigned. I have stopped believing God can heal. i have stopped believing that God can bring my son back. Yes. I do believe that God is almighty. And I do accept Jesus as my Lord and savior. And I love serving and being in fellowship with him. But...... is my faith about feeling good, or do I actually believe? That God is God?
Lord. Help me truely believe in you. Help me trust in you and give everything to you. God! Forgive me and have mercy on me, because I lack faith in you. Keep me close to you, Lord and show me how to grow in faith and love so that my life and prayers will bring forth good fruit. In Jesus' name. Amen