The W, W, W, W, W, and H of Prayer

[Sower]

 

First you say;

4 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Way too many of us have far too many rules of order for others to seek and receive God and His blessings.

All any really need do is

If I remember right, Neighbor, you don't like it when other posters use the words "we/us"
Then you say "Way too many of us have far too many rules of order"

Your conversation with God is private, between God and yourself. Your own personal rules. cool..
I'm sure it sounds nothing like my nine year old grand daughter whispering to the Father.
She hasn't learned any rules yet....

I agree with Pat;

On 5/17/2024 at 1:00 PM, PATrobas said:

Prayer is communicating with our creator,

I can walk and talk to God. Don't know if in talking and walking is officially praying, but it is communicating.
I communicate with him throughout the day. I often purposely stop and get more serious when I ask something of him.
I 'petition' him concerning a need that may pop up in my head. Or remembering someone in need of a healing/need.

Too casual??  I can speak freely with someone I trust.

I do not always add the "in Jesus name" to 'legitimize' my request.
Yet I believe the father hears, IF my request is in his will.
His will may be to take that loved one home that I'm praying for healing.

God's will be done, (on earth as it is in heaven) and to God be the glory.

I too think many use the phrase 'in Jesus name' causally without thinking about it. Habit. (some habits are good)
I have often even ended my prayers by purposely saying 'Lord I pray these things in the name of thine only begotten son,
in whom you are well pleased, Jesus, by his worth and merit I pray these things.

Hoping somehow to add some reverence or earnestness to get his attention and better my chances to receive my request.
Forgetting he already knows my wicked heart. I agree with him.  But I know he loves me anyway.

For myself, I'd rather pray often though I may make a few blunders. And honesty be supreme.
Than pray less least I transgress a forgotten policy.

Thanks Neighbor, Pat...

 

[Neighbor]

I thought about the comment  that concluding with  "in the name of Jesus" being a mindless exercise as  "we" corporately sang King of Kings today. The oft repeated chorus ; CHORUS
Praise the Father
Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit three in one
God of glory
Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

Repeated as chorus bridging between stanzas, somehow it didn't seem  to be mindless,  instead   was a most aesomely joyous acknowledgement of an awesome God. Father Son and  Holy Spirit. Three in one. 

[Neighbor]

5 hours ago, Sower said:

If I remember right, Neighbor, you don't like it when other posters use the words "we/us"
Then you say "Way too many of us have far too many rules of order"

 

Yes I did. Shame on me, eh?

[Sower]

16 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Yes I did. Shame on me, eh?

                          Well spoken!...

[Neighbor]

13 hours ago, Sower said:

                          Well spoken!...

LOL!

Actually there is a technical difference in that what I object to is the presumptive use of we  where the author presumes to speak for many as in we all think, or real Christians think this or that.

To observe individually that there are many that post rules for others to follow is a different animal in that it is one person's observation being declared, right or wrong it is the conclusion  of one person . It does not presume to speak for other people.

None the less I appreciate the heads up! For I do try to make sure I do not fall into the trap of declaring  for all of Christianity what is believed by all "true" Christians, nor what is the correctness of a position using "we" or "all of us think" as a supporting leg. I do try to kick that one out from under me in any of my own posts.

My conclusions are my own, and I should not declare they are also conclusions of others in order to ty to gain credibility for my conclusions.

I say that thinking thoughtfully upon  "Praise the Father, Praise the Son,  Praise the Spirit, three in one"; and  as many a  priest  and pastor might begin and end their presentations  "In the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit", a solemn declarative phrase, one not mindlessly spoken, but a familiar and important distinction.

[Neighbor]

On 5/17/2024 at 2:00 PM, PATrobas said:

Prayer is something we take for granted as a part of being a Christian, but sadly, we tend to talk about prayer more than we pray.

Going back to the original OP my response is nope and nope, count me out of that one please. It is a presumption not in play, least not for me, and as to the who what when where and how? Again nope.

My own model for prayer may allow for it to be be as quick as the twinkling  of an eye without an audible word. It may be as quick as a plea of Help! Or it may be the plea for understanding  and for personal application of a portion of the Word of God, that I apply it in a manner that honors the glory that is Yeshua my Lord and savior.

What  it is not is a formula with rules of order that another person will have me to follow or that I will have another to follow.

Shortest prayer recorded in the Bible is supposedly Lord Help Me! While the longest is "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me."

As to the time spent in prayer, I do think that to do all that is done ( Whatever it may be) to the glory of God, in the name of the the Son through the enabling  of the Holy Spirit, makes prayer a 24/7 proposition as all will be done prayerfully to that purpose. There being no off switch nor on switch either.

[PATrobas]

3 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Going back to the original OP my response is nope and nope, count me out of that one please. It is a presumption not in play, least not for me, and as to the who what when where and how? Again nope

Well neighbor, I am guilty of saying we when I should say 'I'. But I haven't reached your level of spirituality and am convicted by the HS of not following through in prayer as much as I profess when I tell someone "I'll pray for you." then am reminded at a future time that I have not. Or when someone has presented a prayer request and then at a future time tells me "Thanks for praying for me!" and sadly I have not. I agree with your assessment of not having a formula for prayer. I was merely giving an outline of things perhaps not thought of by some. Bottom line is I should pray more than I do. I have not forgotten Colossians 3:17 because I understand that it is because Philippians 2:13 is being accomplished in me. In Jesus' name, Amen.