Life's experiences motivate me to pray. If something is going well, I say thank you. If somebody is unwell or needs support I pray for them. I also pray for people caught up with injustice & disasters in the world.
By praying like this, it does make me feel grateful for what I do have (which I can take for granted), it does make me less selfish and more focussed on others needs.
What motivates a baby to cry? A toddler to giggle or whinge? A child to wheedle or moan? A teenager to yell or sulk? A mature responsible adult to talk things over calmly?
All of these motivate me to pray, but the last only happens very rarely...
I think it's about my selfishness held in a knowledge of God's love and power.
It's the saddest thing in the world when a young child has given up crying. Even if prayers only happen in emergencies, there's still hope there.
(For those who missed it - the late morning discussion yesterday had lots of good stuff in it - Hope some of what was being aired then, can be shared and added to here...)
I do agree with whats already been said on what motivates us to pray.Â
Increasingly though I get a nagging feeling that I need to pray! An internal Itch!! It wont go a way, that motivates me to pray.
On one rare occassion I had just such an itch and found I had to pray for some one I knew. I found my self praying for this person very specifically about loads of things in relation to this person and prayed for longer than my usual tolerance in one sitting. Later when talking with that person I realised that those prayers were answered quite specifically and interestingly the persons wording used reflected the prayers I had said. I still find this weird but I also find it exciting and afirming that God hears our prayer and does communicate with us. It has encouraged me tolisten to the itch more and therefore prayer more. Though still do not do that any way enough.Â
(Reflection as i write this that the above sounds all very arrogant, then find my self thinking that God does answer our individual prayers not just other peoples and he does get us involved in loving others around us interesting !! may be not so arrogant. lesson to self to here.)
I think it is easy to get demotivated about prayer because it feels like God doesnt hear some times or because we simply do not trust in what God can do. Leaves the question how big is our image of God and how much do we trust him?
I also have often found that prayering for other people easiset especially when there having a difficult time. I guess at some level you feel like your doing something if you can't do any thing else.
Also sometimes find myself praying when I am bored and have nothing else to do. I hate wasting time so praying always seems a good time filler. I think that sounds aweful some how.!....
Life's experiences motivate me to pray. If something is going well, I say thank you. If somebody is unwell or needs support I pray for them. I also pray for people caught up with injustice & disasters in the world.
By praying like this, it does make me feel grateful for what I do have (which I can take for granted), it does make me less selfish and more focussed on others needs.
What motivates a baby to cry? A toddler to giggle or whinge? A child to wheedle or moan? A teenager to yell or sulk? A mature responsible adult to talk things over calmly?
All of these motivate me to pray, but the last only happens very rarely...
I think it's about my selfishness held in a knowledge of God's love and power.
It's the saddest thing in the world when a young child has given up crying. Even if prayers only happen in emergencies, there's still hope there.
(For those who missed it - the late morning discussion yesterday had lots of good stuff in it - Hope some of what was being aired then, can be shared and added to here...)
I do agree with whats already been said on what motivates us to pray.Â
Increasingly though I get a nagging feeling that I need to pray! An internal Itch!! It wont go a way, that motivates me to pray.
On one rare occassion I had just such an itch and found I had to pray for some one I knew. I found my self praying for this person very specifically about loads of things in relation to this person and prayed for longer than my usual tolerance in one sitting. Later when talking with that person I realised that those prayers were answered quite specifically and interestingly the persons wording used reflected the prayers I had said. I still find this weird but I also find it exciting and afirming that God hears our prayer and does communicate with us. It has encouraged me tolisten to the itch more and therefore prayer more. Though still do not do that any way enough.Â
(Reflection as i write this that the above sounds all very arrogant, then find my self thinking that God does answer our individual prayers not just other peoples and he does get us involved in loving others around us
interesting !! may be not so arrogant. lesson to self to here.)
I think it is easy to get demotivated about prayer because it feels like God doesnt hear some times or because we simply do not trust in what God can do. Leaves the question how big is our image of God and how much do we trust him?
I also have often found that prayering for other people easiset especially when there having a difficult time. I guess at some level you feel like your doing something if you can't do any thing else.
Also sometimes find myself praying when I am bored and have nothing else to do. I hate wasting time so praying always seems a good time filler. I think that sounds aweful some how.!....