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Asking God For Strength, Wisdom Or Patience


debrand

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Have any of you heard this before? When I was a Christian, I learned not to tell other Christians that I was asking god for strength, wisdom or patience. There would always be some person who would chime in that I should do no such thing. Their reasoning was that god would teach you pateince, for example, by having bad things happen so that you learn to handle them better. The same went for wisdom or strength of will. This used to drive me nuts because it reduced an all powerful, all knowing being into a a tiny magical creature who couldn't read our very thoughts so had no idea what the asker actually wanted. Either that, or god wanted to punish innocent requests.

Have any of you heard that you shouldn't ask god for these things?

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oh no! in fact, i've been encouraged all through my church life to pray for those things!

(i grew up anglican, if it matters...we don't really have that FEAR OF GOD AND HE MAKES BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO TEACH YOU A LESSON, SINNER mentality).

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Those are the things that I DO ask of God, as opposed to asking to change circumstances, because I believe that things happen the way they are meant to happen. I can't control most things that happen in my life, but I can control how I react to those occurrences. I'm Catholic, but I don't recall ever being told what to pray for.

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I have only heard that as a joke really. IE: "Be careful what you ask for, hahaha." kind of thing.

Those are things I ask for regularly, and never been told in a serious way not to. I do recognize that sometimes the gaining of those things, or strengthening of those "muscles" may come through things that challenge me. Not necessarily just poured from God's hand into my soul, though I don't discount that possibility either. I just don't view patience-building challenges as "punishment".

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Have any of you heard this before? When I was a Christian, I learned not to tell other Christians that I was asking god for strength, wisdom or patience. There would always be some person who would chime in that I should do no such thing. Their reasoning was that god would teach you pateince, for example, by having bad things happen so that you learn to handle them better. The same went for wisdom or strength of will. This used to drive me nuts because it reduced an all powerful, all knowing being into a a tiny magical creature who couldn't read our very thoughts so had no idea what the asker actually wanted. Either that, or god wanted to punish innocent requests.

Have any of you heard that you shouldn't ask god for these things?

Strength and wisdom, absolutely. The Bible says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5) and "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phillipians 4:13). Patience, on the other hand, wasn't so much encouraged. IIRC, there's even a book called, "I Prayed for Patience and Other Horror Stories". Patience was regarded as something that you learned through experience not gained through prayer.

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Those are the things that I DO ask of God, as opposed to asking to change circumstances, because I believe that things happen the way they are meant to happen. I can't control most things that happen in my life, but I can control how I react to those occurrences. I'm Catholic, but I don't recall ever being told what to pray for.

Well, I've only head it from conservative Protestant Christians. Maybe there is a difference in theology that would explain why?

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Strength and wisdom, absolutely. The Bible says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5) and "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phillipians 4:13). Patience, on the other hand, wasn't so much encouraged. IIRC, there's even a book called, "I Prayed for Patience and Other Horror Stories". Patience was regarded as something that you learned through experience not gained through prayer.

As the mother of a ADHD child, I needed god to provide me with patience. LOL

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I ask God for strength, wisdom and patience all the time. I am not aware that there are 'doctrinal differences' in Judaism about whether one should or should not ask for patience. Jewish prayer does acknowledge though that it is senseless to pray for things that are bound to happen or have already happened. (The Talmud cites the example of praying for the gender of a child when pregnant or when one's wife is pregnant).

I don't ask God to work miracles for me or to change my circumstances (intercessionary prayer). That's not how I believe. I ask Him to grant me strength, wisdom, patience, love, endurance, open-mindedness, courage or whatever other positive trait I need. Nothing wrong with that, methinks :)

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Have any of you heard this before? When I was a Christian, I learned not to tell other Christians that I was asking god for strength, wisdom or patience. There would always be some person who would chime in that I should do no such thing. Their reasoning was that god would teach you pateince, for example, by having bad things happen so that you learn to handle them better. The same went for wisdom or strength of will. This used to drive me nuts because it reduced an all powerful, all knowing being into a a tiny magical creature who couldn't read our very thoughts so had no idea what the asker actually wanted. Either that, or god wanted to punish innocent requests.

Have any of you heard that you shouldn't ask god for these things?

This idea of God as a spiteful, mischievous leprechaun is just bankrupt on so many levels. Ugh.

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Strength and wisdom, absolutely. The Bible says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5) and "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phillipians 4:13). Patience, on the other hand, wasn't so much encouraged. IIRC, there's even a book called, "I Prayed for Patience and Other Horror Stories". Patience was regarded as something that you learned through experience not gained through prayer.

I have mostly heard it like nolongerIFBx said. I think there is general belief that patience is achieved out of surviving difficult situations. (I can't recall hearing of a Bible passage that says this, however).

Myself, I would say that it's entirely appropriate to pray for patience when one is in a situation needing patience.

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I was always taught that when you pray for patience God answers, but it's not how you expect him to. Basically he answers by not answering, and teaching you patience that way.. if that makes any sense. (if not, I blame fiorecet and a migraine. :) )

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SoldierofOne, do you think the difference is that Jews believe that most good and evil are in ourselves? I know I pray for wisdom all the time, especially when studying for tests. I pray that I can discern what to study and that I can understand (in biochemistry, the ability to understand the material is not always there!) the concepts that I need to know.

Solomon was richly rewarded for asking for wisdom instead of favors or earthly goods. Obviously God is not always a trickster.

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Yes, I've been told by fundamentalist friends that if I pray for patience, God will then test it. I suppose they think He tests it just in case His works aren't perfect.

But, since I'm an Episcopalian, I didn't listen. When in doubt for how to pray for a particular need, I refer to the back of the Book of Common Prayer. There's pretty much a prayer for everything there!

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SoldierofOne, do you think the difference is that Jews believe that most good and evil are in ourselves? I know I pray for wisdom all the time, especially when studying for tests. I pray that I can discern what to study and that I can understand (in biochemistry, the ability to understand the material is not always there!) the concepts that I need to know.

Solomon was richly rewarded for asking for wisdom instead of favors or earthly goods. Obviously God is not always a trickster.

I do think that, Emmie. Without wanting to sound triumphalist, I don't believe our conception of God would set us up for failure. God's on our team - He wants us to succeed, be good people and to discipline the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and cultivate the yetzer hatov (good inclination) - and to serve Him with both. ('B'chol levav'cha' - with all your hearts!)

Also, our liturgical prayers often address collective needs - both material and spiritual. Just think of the Amidah. We pray on behalf of each other and also on behalf of ourselves.

I also pray like you do, Emmie. I find that it helps me :) Being conscious of both your own strength (and weakness) and tapping into God's strength helps me focus on whatever task is at hand.

And lastly, even if God is a trickster, we Jews are free to call Him on it. Just think Abraham and 'shall the Judge of all the Earth not do justly?' regarding the innocent of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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I'm a lifelong Catholic and I've never heard that. Strength, wisdom, and patience are the 3 things I most pray for.

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I'm a lifelong Catholic and I've never heard that. Strength, wisdom, and patience are the 3 things I most pray for.

Maybe this stipulation is particular to Reformed folks only?

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Maybe this stipulation is particular to Reformed folks only?

If it is, it's definitely not all Protestants. I used to be one (United Church of Canada/Church of Scotland/Anglican/UK Baptist) and these were all things that we prayed for, especially in the Baptist church I went to.

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I never heard that you couldn't pray for these things. I always did growing up and still do at times. We all need more patience and strength and wisdom. Protestant Christian as well, so not all Protestants believe these things. Guess it depends on the church's individual beliefs.

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Evidently the people who preach this do not believe in saying The Serenity Prayer, do they?

Lord, grant me the strength

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

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I was always taught to pray for the strength to deal with situations. Now, as a wiccan, you get taught to be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Then, in my uber-fundie phase, I was taught to pray to submit, to lay on my face on the floor so that I could feel my worthlessness to God and realize how small and unimportant I am. I was taught to pray that I would be a sacrifice to the greatness of God.

That messed me up. A lot.

Now, I just pray for internal peace, but I have a hard time even doing that. I don't know that he or she is really listening. Mild depression, perhaps. Exhaustion, maybe. Don't really know.

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Yes, I was taught not to pray for those things. We were constantly beat over the head with things God would do *if we did* whatever it was. Making an idol of someone/something=it being taken away. Not using your gifts/talents for God=something terrible happening to you. Praying to understand Christ=suffering as He did. Praying for patience=constant testing so that you would develop it. And so on and so forth, ad nauseum.

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Those sorts of things are the only things I ever DO pray for, because I don't believe that God intervenes in our lives beyond just being there to help us get through whatever happens. God isn't going to magically make all the problems my friends are going through right now disappear, for example, but He might be able to give me strength and courage to be the kind of friend they need to help them through it.

That's how I see it, anyway.

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Those sorts of things are the only things I ever DO pray for, because I don't believe that God intervenes in our lives beyond just being there to help us get through whatever happens. God isn't going to magically make all the problems my friends are going through right now disappear, for example, but He might be able to give me strength and courage to be the kind of friend they need to help them through it.

That's how I see it, anyway.

That's how I see it, too. Though I admit to the occasional bout of superstition about my prayer, though I don't think it's theologically correct.

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