Prayer: To whom are you praying?

To Whom are you Praying?

Prayer is such personnel things that it has been hard for me begin writing an article attempting to define or explain or even instruct someone on the subject. We are confronted with a huge variation in prayer types and practices. There are very formal prayers associated with Church rituals such as communion or marriage or funerals. There are free form prayers offered by ministers and worship leaders; silent prayers, prayers in music and prayers offered by individuals. Prayers by individuals may be long or short, rote or free form. There seem to be as many methods and forms of prayer as there are people making the prayer. And there seems to be no end to the books written to explain prayer and offer suggestions for a “meaningful prayer life”.

Preview of thoughts for upcoming Posts

Prayer

I wonder??

I thought that Prayer would be the easiest of all aspects of Christianity to discuss. Certainly, as Christians we all pray.  There are numerous  scriptures relating to prayer. If we are not praying, certainly, we are in the presence of those who are praying whether prior to a meal or prior to a church meeting or from the pulpit at our church. People pray at the opening of the US Congress, at State events and until lately at the beginning of athletic events.

There are a lot of books on prayer.  I have been reading one lately titled,

The Will of God (Discerning His Will)

Staying in the Will of God

Okay God, which way now?

It is not always easy to determine God’s will. We all would prefer a dramatic sign. We want God to appear to us and speak out a burning bush as He did to Moses.  If I thought, “God, just tell me what you want me to do”, and a voice spoke to me out of a burning rose bush in the back yard, I really don’t think I would argue with it. After awakening from fainting, I would be off to do whatever God said.

But that’s not the way it usually works. We don’t have a stranger walk up to us and announce God’s will for us. Often God speaks through the circumstances of everyday life. When my boss asked me into his office, closed the door and said, “Steve, here is two weeks severance pay.  Go clean out your desk”, it didn’t seem like God talking to me.  As it turned out, God was working His will with me in the only way he could get my attention. With you, God may work His will in another way that will get your attention.  A job opens up in the exact field where your passions lie. You close the computer and begin to get dressed for the office party. At the party, you strike up a conversation with the spouse of your co-worker.  As you are telling about the novel you are writing, he mentions he is a publisher and is looking for promising new writers.  A recession hits and you are one of the casualties of the economic downturn. You find another