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The Petitioning Process: How It Works
Basically, Jesus said it all: When you pray, if you have
anything against anyone, FORGIVE them (Mark 11:25),
and then have FAITH that God is granting your
requests. (Forgiving others is actually only one of the
many radical transformations of mind that God
frequently wants us to make before he grants our
petitions.)
anything against anyone, FORGIVE them (Mark 11:25),
and then have FAITH that God is granting your
requests. (Forgiving others is actually only one of the
many radical transformations of mind that God
frequently wants us to make before he grants our
petitions.)
The Catch:
The Simple
Formula:
Formula:
The problem is that both these spiritual tasks---
forgiveness and faith---are very hard to carry out.
Forgiveness, at least for me, usually requires repeated
efforts to let go of my resentful or vindictive feelings
and then humbly asking God to replace them with good
will. Similarly, faith requires continually working to keep
ourselves in a faithful mood, as well as by repeatedly
asking God to help.
forgiveness and faith---are very hard to carry out.
Forgiveness, at least for me, usually requires repeated
efforts to let go of my resentful or vindictive feelings
and then humbly asking God to replace them with good
will. Similarly, faith requires continually working to keep
ourselves in a faithful mood, as well as by repeatedly
asking God to help.
The Solution
(and the purpose of life):
(and the purpose of life):
The solution is based on this truth: the purpose of life is
to spur us to remake ourselves, especially our attitudes,
in God's image. (Theologians call that process
"sanctification.") Our circumstances are thus
tailor-made to coax us toward this transformation. So if
we ask God to change something, we can greatly
increase the chance that he or she or it will do what we
ask by undertaking the related bit of self-improvement.
What might God have been trying to teach us by letting
the unwanted circumstance be there in the first place?
If we can identify the lesson and start trying to learn it,
we clear God to remove the circumstance. We still have
to maintain our faith, but that's much easier to do when
we know we're doing what God (the God of love)
wants, whether it's forgiving others or transforming our
minds in some other manner.
to spur us to remake ourselves, especially our attitudes,
in God's image. (Theologians call that process
"sanctification.") Our circumstances are thus
tailor-made to coax us toward this transformation. So if
we ask God to change something, we can greatly
increase the chance that he or she or it will do what we
ask by undertaking the related bit of self-improvement.
What might God have been trying to teach us by letting
the unwanted circumstance be there in the first place?
If we can identify the lesson and start trying to learn it,
we clear God to remove the circumstance. We still have
to maintain our faith, but that's much easier to do when
we know we're doing what God (the God of love)
wants, whether it's forgiving others or transforming our
minds in some other manner.
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Overview
Petitioning God: How to Get Your Prayers Answered