Coming to Terms

how to pray the japanese way (Photo credit: jessleecuizon)

In the last two days I have had to really come to terms with understanding the vast difference between how I pray and how a lot of others pray.

This has been driven home by a situation that I will not discuss as it’s not my situation. I will talk about another situation in which the same thing would occur: people may not agree with how I pray.

Now, know this before I start: I do not believe there is only one correct way to pray, just as I don’t believe there is only one way to view God. However, when people ask me to pray for them, they are often asking for something different than what I may do.

American Cancer Society (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I am asked to explain it, I can; however, this can make things worse. So, here goes: let’s say that George is very sick. Let’s say it’s Cancer. People may ask (and have) me to pray for them.

Now, what I understand them to be saying is that they want me to pray that George gets well and lives out a normal life. I can’t do that. It is not in my belief set to tell God how to do things. I don’t mean here that people are ordering God around or doing anything that could be considered sacrilegious; what I am saying is that they are not, simply, asking God to take care of the situation, but are also telling Him how to go about that, in their opinion.

I really don’t have a problem with it. But, here is what can happen, and often does: George dies.

Now, if we look at this from a purely logical point of view, they prayed and God didn’t answer their prayers. But, we are taught to take everything to God in prayer and that He hears and answers all prayers.

Now, to look at that, if two people are praying the exact opposite prayer, one or both of them is/are going to be disappointed. What’s right here? How should we pray? I don’t have the answer, however, I do know that I don’t have that particular problem.

I fully believe in free will; I don’t think God will force us to change our minds. Now, I believe that He may well put a lot of resistance in our paths if we are heading down a not-so-good path; He may help us to think or lead us to a book, a movie, something to show us the best way. However, I don’t think God will force us to say “Yes” or “No”. So, I do not normally pray for God to “do” something particular. I may tell Him that I have a preference, this is what I would like to see. But, I always tell God to “let the best for all concerned be done.”

Cover via Amazon(I am not promoting the book. I haven’t read it)

There are people who will look at me and say, “Scott, if you don’t pray for George to live, why would God make any intercessions for it?” My simple answer is because I asked for the best for all concerned.

What if George has accepted death and doesn’t want to be in all that pain? What if George is tired of being a burden and chooses to die? What if… I hope you can see what I am saying.

Just because it seems best to us does not mean it will be so. We don’t know everything.

I have looked at it like this, as an example:

Skulpturenpark Köln / Cologne Sculpture Garden. Dirk Skreber: sculpture “Reaktor”, 2009. Car, steel, sprayed concrete, wood, and gravel (Photo credit: wwwuppertal)

I have a wreck and break my leg. That’s not good. But, what if, by having that wreck, I wasn’t a mile up the road and avoided a head-on collision that would have killed 3 people? And how about by being in the hospital when I was I shared my ideas with a nurse who, because of that, was able to not kill herself that night because she had hope? And what if, because she didn’t kill herself, she was alive that next day and was able to save a baby’s life next door who needed immediate medical aide that she was able to give? And… See?

My broken leg was, certainly, worth saving 5 people’s lives in 3 different manners. I don’t say God caused the accident; I say it was allowed to happen and God used it to help all the other people. We don’t know it all; we don’t have enough information to know what may be truly best for all.

Do I want George to die? No. And then people say, “Well, why doesn’t God just stop it all? Why do you even have to have your leg broken in the first place?” My answer? I don’t know. I can’t know. If I had known to go to the hospital and share with the nurse, would she have listened? I would not have been a patient and she would have been working.

No Greater Love (Photo credit: kelsey_lovefusionphoto)

This discussion could go on all night. My point is that I simply pray to allow God to do what He does best. Perhaps, that’s not the best way to pray, but I feel that I am releasing God to do whatever instead of burdening him with “have to”s.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What I do know is that things have always worked out for the best in my life. I am happy now and God just used a stroke and a near-death situation to allow me to choose differently. Would I have otherwise? I don’t think so.

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Namaste,
Scott