Repetitive Prayer?

[johnjackofmn]

Munari,

I agree with your observation of some people going overboard in their prayers. If you want to pray over your meal, pray over it and eat. Don't preach a sermon and let the food get cold.

When I was first saved, I went to a church that had "Wed nite Prayer meetin'". There was a Bible lesson by the pastor, then we would break up into groups, men, women, youth, children. In the men's room, the elders would jockey for position so each man could be after someone else, so his prayer could be more elaborate than the person before him. I watched this go on for a month, then sat myself between the last elder and the pastor who would close the session. When my turn came, I just said "Ditto, Lord". Yep, I caused a commotion that night, but the pastor told me I taught those men something about prayer.

[munari]

Most the time before a meal, I pray, "Jesus, thank you."

[Philippians4:19]

The Jabez prayer isn't saying pray those things over and over again in those exact words. It's asking God to use you for his work in the best way he sees fit. IF you see it as asking for me me me I don't think that's what it was meant as.

It's meant to be something you ask God for. It'd be like saying, "God prepare me for the trials and make me ready for the ones you're sending my way today." Or even asking God to send you trials. The Jabez prayer says "I want to work for you GOd but I can't do that without you!"

Just thought I'd add that )

[wordsower]

The prayer of Jabez was a prayer of desperation.  This man was probably ridiculed and teased his whole life.  His name meant pain.  God saw the distress of his cry-"Please bless me and don't let me cause anyone else any pain!"  And He honored his prayer.  I'm so blessed already to live in America, have a nice home, three beautiful, healthy children, food everyday, a car, a wonderful church, and most of all The God Almighty who actually takes a personal interest in my day to day problems and intervenes on my behalf.  I praise God in amazement when I think I could be living in a war-torn country as a refugee watching my children starve to death.  What more could I dare to ask for God to bless me with?  I Praise His Holy Name for blessing me! :inlove:

[QuaestorRexRegis]

I thought this thread was about repetitive prayers... we have gone to God's omnipresence and the prayer of Jabez (both worthy threads in themselves)

G-man hit the nail on the head right off about what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 6.

Omnipresence - God is in all places

prayer of Jabez - found in the Bible of a hisorical event, written about in a modern day book, became a "churchy" fad way beyond what was intended

need the question answered - read G'man's answer at the front of this thread...

that's all.

[Ovedya]

Thanks, QuaestorRexRegis!