Do You Actually Believe In The "Power of Prayer"??? (page 6)

LittleToe

Is "mean heaven" supposed to be hell?
I've never heard it called that before.

Sounds like you've got a spiteful little niece there. Precocious at that age, huh?

She was a bit steamed at Steve and I for shutting down her campfire sing-a-long. They were obnoxious and intrusive. Found out later she had a thing going with the offending singer. Then to make matters worse, we also shut down the fundy group when they were wailing songs of worship to the lord with bongo drums and maracas late at night. She thought that was just wrong since they were songs about Jesus. Honestly, she's a sweet girl, just doesn't think things through. Steve tried to reason with her that Jesus himself said to love your neighbor and the singers were not only breaking the resort rule of quiet after sunset, but they were not showing love for their neighbors who didn't want to spend the evening listening to Jesus songs or any songs for that matter. The fact that it was religious only made it more obnoxious. I've come to realize that the love your neighbor rule doesn't always apply to non-christians. Sad.

Oddly, her mom had just told me that I was her daughter's favorite person in the family.

I believe "mean heaven" was her way of not saying "hell" to a six year old.

I can arrange for you to meet the family while you are here.

codeblue

Yes....I have had many prayers answered!

minimus

My mother prays about EVERYTHING. Anything good is because of Jehovah/ Anything bad is because of Satan. If a prayer isn't answered in the way hoped, it wasn't God's time yet. Be patient. Keep praying.

LittleToe

Rachel:
You keep bursting my bubble, today.
I thought I might get a free pass into "mean heaven"

After all bad is good, right?

Princess

Don't worry Ross, you still have a chance.

-Messiah

Sunspot

Yes, but probably NOT the way you mean. Personal prayers FROM myself, seldom come to pass-----and for a long time after I left the WTS I did stop praying. I didn't know WHAT I believed OR believed IN any more.

A few months after I left, the awful anger and disillusionment seemed to be calmed down rather quickly and I can't even describe the feeling that I then experienced, except to say it was peaceful.

(This is SO JW-ist) I had a call from my SIL in MA and she asked how I was doing......and I told her---and she began to chuckle and told me that I had been put on a "prayer list" at her church and they had been praying hard and long for me. At first I poo-pooed it (not to HER) but the old JW stuff is hard to break free of.....but I've come to discover that when OTHERS are praying for me---that things change for me, even when I'm not aware of it at the time! I've since then developed a new appreciation of the power of prayer.

This is one reason that I am SO eager to be a part of the "prayer circle" aound the world for Ian---and as was brought out---it couldn't hurt.

What better gift can anyone offer than to "give" from the heart like that? I'm sure it will do as much for those who take part--as it does for Ian. It brings me to tears just thinking of the magnitude of it all.......

Annie

Pleasuredome

they have fetish clubs in "mean heaven" dont they?

Princess

they have fetish clubs in "mean heaven" dont they?

Gawd, I hope so

Billygoat

I have so much to share on this, but it would take a whole thread with my thoughts. LOL! But I think before you can even answer this question, another question must be thought over. "What is the purpose of prayer?" Seriously...think about it. WHY are you doing it? To get something? Or to become closer to your Higher Power?

I do believe in the power of prayer. Not just in the sense that it's "positive" energy either. I believe there is a God and He is listening. He has answered many of my prayers over my little lifetime. Some of them very big and perfectly to what I asked for. There have been many times my prayers were not answered. But just because I don't get what I ask for, doesn't mean He's not listening or that He doesn't care for me or that He does not exist. A child may ask for a million things growing up. But a good parent does not indulge everything their child asks for. Why? For several reasons...one, it's not good for a child to have every fancy given to him and two, not everything he asks for is good for him. The child must have faith in the parent that the parent has their best interests at heart. It's the same with me and my relationship with God. I don't always get what I pray for. At the time I might be disappointed or even angry at God for not giving me what I wanted. Later down the road, nine times out of 10, I am so glad it did not come to fruition. As I grow in my relationship with God, I realize more and more than an UNanswered prayer is usually because there is something GREATER than what I'm asking for. I no longer stomp my foot or get angry. Sometimes I am still disappointed, but a quick peptalk to myself is all that's needed to remind me to trust Him...that He has something better in mind.

On Tuesday evening, I'm going to pray my heart out that Ian gets better during our prayer vigil. Will that make it happen? I don't know. But what I DO know is that if it doesn't - God has something better in store for Ian than I could ever imagine! My Father God will comfort me in my disappointment, as He has done many times before, but I will also be reminded that He has a greater purpose in this whole situation than my human eye/mind can see.

The purpose of my prayers is to "bond" with a Heavenly Father. He listens, He loves, He shares, He disciplines, He even shows me His sense of humor sometimes. He is as real to me as the reality of being married to Neil. No, I can't physically see a "being", but I feel Him...in my heart and in the sharing with other people, whether religious or not. He can't come to me in person, so He speaks to me through YOU. Just like a good parents, He will not answer all my prayers according to my whim. But He DOES have my best interests at heart. For the moment, I may not understand or appreciate the fullness of that. But later down the road I usually do.

He is simply the father I lost long ago to the JWs.

Do You Actually Believe In The "Power of Prayer"???

Share this