by JH 23 Replies latest jw friends
Witnesses pray many times a day. At the field service, at the meetings, before each meal and even more.
I don't know if you're like me, but I didn't pray because I felt like it, but because I was told to.
Personally, 1 long honest prayer a week would have been much better than 20 routine prayers.
Did you feel that it was natural to pray 3 times a day or more?
I only did it when I absolutly had to... such as when I was called to do the opening or closing prayer for a meeting.
Go figure... an athiest giving public prayers.
I always felt obligated to pray. I never felt a connection to God when I was praying.
Im with you Elsewhere.I used to do the Prayers when i was a MS.But never really knew or even believed what i was saying!But i used to do what was expected of me and was often complimented on my " Heartfelt Prayers"!
bizarre!
To be perfectly honest, even though I tried to pray regularly for a while, I stopped praying when it occurred to me that nobody seemed to be listening. And I wasn't praying selfishly - for money or possessions or a husband - I prayed for what JWs are taught to pray for: guidance in finding Sheeplike Ones? in the Ministry?.
Ironically, now that I'm out, I'm happy that none of those prayers were ever answered because it means I'm not responsible for anyone joining the JWs.
I still don't pray. There's no point in talking to "imaginary friends".
Love, Scully
Always felt the need to, and now even more so, than when being JW. Still takes a bit of getting used to because of having been taught that God doesn't listen to a sinners prayer. My hands being filled with iniquity.
Some favorite scripture in Isaiah that was constantly quoted.
Also the issue that Jehovah's Witnesses were the only ones whom God heard.
Anyone otherwise was not even allowed or supposed to pray to him. A special privelege reserved only for His servants exclusively!!!
Im with you Elsewhere.I used to do the Prayers when i was a MS.But never really knew or even believed what i was saying!But i used to do what was expected of me and was often complimented on my " Heartfelt Prayers"!bizarre!
lol... I have never been able to "make up" a prayer myself, so I would listen to other people's prayers and make mental notes of what was said. When I was called to give a prayer I would just create a patch-work of "statements" that I could remember. No rhym or reason to it... just a few seconds of this followed by a few seconds of that... and walla, a prayer was born!
Oddly enough no one ever seemed to catch on to the fact that when I gave the closing prayer I repeated word-for-word parts of the opening prayer.
i prayed all the time because i felt closer to Jehovah and found comfort in doing so. i was very devout.
(now i never pray, even if the seas get rough...)
I only did it when I was told~ kind of like everything else.
There was always a big difference to me between the formal prayers at given times (meals, meetings, etc.) and "true personal prayer" which just came up from time to time, when I felt like it: the latter I could never schedule, but only those were meaningful to me -- and still are in a way, even though I don't think of anybody listening.
