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From: ken@gitpyr.UUCP (Ken Hall)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: how should I pray?
Message-ID: <921@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Oct-85 08:56:09 EST
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.921
Posted: Fri Oct 25 08:56:09 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 31-Oct-85 06:40:27 EST
References: <1229@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Reply-To: ken@gitpyr.UUCP (Ken Hall)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia
Lines: 36

>How should I pray?  If there is something I
>really want, should I pray that God grants me
>what I want or should I pray that God grants me
>what I want if it is His will or should I not
>ask God for what I want or ....

You said "I want" four times.  And you can ask for what you want all
you want, and God will many times grant those things to you.  But if
you are asking, "How should I pray?", the answer is obvious--you 
should ask God what He wants for you in your life.  Jesus' disciples
asked Him the same question, and I think we should use His answer as
a pattern for our prayer.

Let's face it, God knows what we want before we even ask Him.  And He
also knows what He is going to give us beforehand.  So why ask, someone
may say.  Easy.  Above all God wants to know us and for us to know Him.
He wants to have a personal relationship with us; I mean, He wants us
to know Him as a friend and confidant.

We all have many friends.  And we all know our friends to varying degrees.
Some we can even anticipate the things they'll say and do.

Well, it should be the same way with God.  Just as we enjoy time with our
friends, going to movies or ball games or shopping, we should enjoy being
with and spending time with God.  It's the same principle.

Would I always go to a friend and say, "Give me this and give me
that!"?  Of course not.  We would not be friends too much longer.
Friendship is a two way street.  And our relationship with God is also
a two way street.  We should treat Him with at least as much respect as
we treat our friends.

Ken Hall