In Reply to: Prayer and Devotions posted by Donny on November 14, 2002 at 00:23:37:
Good questions, good thoughts. When I first left the F. I tried going to some churches. The first service I went to I visibly shook and then I cried, no one paid any attention. The people I went with basically dropped me because I think I was too much trouble for them, I required too much of them.
After quite a few years of a long search I've come to some sort of quiet place. I agree, I see no point in making such public shows of head bowed, eyes closed, drumming up things in the head to try and plead to God somewhere. Many religions do that and get into a nice trance. I agree with you that our relationship with God is more out of requirement, more a duty than petitioning him for our ever happiness, though I admit when things are really scraping bottom I revert to that desperate prayer of mine - HELP! I remember asking my mom once to pray for something that I thought was an important need - she stunned me when I heard this devote Christian woman say that she doesn't pray for things from God. So, I don't either.
I think of prayer that connects people. When we pray for each other out of concern and love, it does something to God's spirit which gets all that positive forces moving into action. I look at prayer as my thoughts and my sincere desires to do the right thing before God and my fellow man. Common sense rules and if you listen to that, you'll usually be safe in all your dealings with people and your life.
Life isn't always fair and that's just a fact, no matter who you are. Here's a scenario: My son is getting a career, very soon he's going to end up making more money than my husband and I put together. Even his paycheck from attending the required school will be earning him more than my husband's paycheck. And we have all the kids to take care of. Yeah, we back paddle to and I can't help but think it's my stupid fault for being young and foolish and not going to college like I should have.
Things don't always work out the way we want them to, and of course, we are with so much of a handicap due to our wasted years in the F. Why did God let us languish there when we were so sincere, I'll never know in this lifetime. So, that's why I don't depend on prayer, I depend on my common sense and my reasoning capabilities. I suspended those for the "trust and obey" syndrome and look where it got me. As you can see, I'm still working on my relationship with God - a very touchy alliance still.