Why do you pray ?

Rev Hellfire

It's a pretty simple question 'why do you pray', but one I'd be curious to hear people’s reasons for doing so.

Now I'm not looking for a justification in the belief in god, I’m working from the basis that if you answer you believe (not necessarily in the Christian god, but that’s the one I have in mind).

But additionally I’ll ask what would you define prayer as and when would you typically find yourself doing it. And is prayer different to praise.

Ohh one finally thing please, pretty please, if you feel the need to quote scripture, don’t, supply a link instead those who wish can look it up.

Puck

Hello. I pray because I believe that God's quite fond of me (although I don't deserve it) and wants me to grow closer to Him. Communication is necessary for any relationship so, even though I know that God know's what I'm thinking, I talk to Him. On the times when I can put aside all the religious jargon and routine petitioning of God and actually talk to Him I end up feeling a lot closer to him. I usually pray in the morning (read: whenever I get up) and at night (whenever I decide to go to sleep). I pray before reading The Bible and ask God to help me make sense of it. I also pray whenever I feel worried or just anytime I feel the need to talk to Dad. Sometimes I'll meditate on a verse of Scripture. Sometimes I'll play some music on my guitar, I don't know if that qualifies as prayer but I like doing it and it makes me feel closer to God.

John Doe

I pray by talking intimately with other people, by reflecting on important issues, by playing music I like, by listening to music I like, by being friendly, generous and compassionate, by reading, by writing, by learning new languages and by working out maths problems. There might be a few more things, but essentially I pray when I do something that I like doing and do it very well. I do these things to make me feel happier and more fulfilled, which I see as being closer to God.
These 'prayers' only count if you accept my definition of praying, which is doing anything that makes you feel closer to God.

Excelsior

I have a relationship with God. I seek to place that relationship at the centre of my life. As I try to talk with my wife, my family, my colleagues and my best friends on a daily basis, I try to talk to God. Sure, he knows it all already, but often my wife or my dad can tell exactly how I'm feeling before I open my mouth. It is still important to speak it to them though.

Prayer is honest communication with God.

I would do it all the time in the shower or while brushing my teeth. But also while reading the Bible or studying other texts, before arriving or at the beginning of meetings with work and at church events. My prayer life fluctuates with how chaotic I feel, I think that is true for everyone.

Prayer is an essential aspect of praise. Praise is the overflowing of appreciation towards God in all aspects of life and that tends to imply communicating with God.

Suff

I pray to thank GOD for everything in this life. I ask forgivness for my sins, I ask for his mercy on judgment day, to help me take care of my family and to help me in my life to become a better man.
I pray 5 times a day (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and at night) when it comes to prising GOD I do it all day from the sec I wake up, I thank him for making me wakeup and allowing me to mention his name, when I go to bed I thank him and ask him to have mercy on my soul if I did die that night.

I do consider myself to be religious person, my prayer is one of the main Pillars of my life.

UU

Well you're probably wondering how I can pray when I don't believe in a supreme being known as God?

Well my version of praying is informal and formal. It is informal every second of every day when I think, when I breathe, when I meditate and reflect on the past, present and future possibilities, and especially when I thank the universe and the people in it for helping me and letting me help them. In short, I pray to humanity.

It is formal when I pray in service on Sunday which is the strongest point of my spiritual prayer of the week.

I don't pray like many people. Not like Muslims who bow down and pray towards Mecca four / five times a day or like many observant Catholics who say a morning prayer when they get up, the Angelus at noon and six, and half a dozen other prayers. My prayers are all personal except for the "Our Father" in church on Sundays.

If I could only say one prayer in life, that would be thank you.

Instead of saying "God Bless", I say "May The Universe Provide"!

Asiaprod

Interesting question.I don't know if this question applies to Buddhists.

Lets see, our equivalent to pray would be a our morning and evening recitation of the Lotus Sutra, which just repeats our commitment to adhere to Buddhist ideals. It is not a prayer to any one. The chanting aspect, however, possible does relate to pray as mentioned in the original post. It is the repetitive chanting of a phrase which opens our lives to the interactions of the mystic law that permeates everything. This is not some thing I intend to explain here, as it belongs in the Buddhism forum..

If I take this to be representative of prayer, then an amazing thing happens. By changing the names of the objects in {......} I found that Excelsior answered the question for me also exactly as I would have.

I have a relationship with {God} the Mystic Law. I seek to place that relationship at the centre of my life. As I try to talk with my wife, my family, my colleagues and my best friends on a daily basis, I try to {talk} communicate {to God} with the mystic Law.

{Prayer} Chanting is honest communication with {God} the mystic Law.

I would do it all the time in the shower or while brushing my teeth. But also while reading the {Bible} Sutras or studying other texts, before arriving or at the beginning of meetings with work and at {church} Buddhist events. My prayer life fluctuates with how chaotic I feel, I think that is true for everyone.

{Prayer} Chanting is an essential aspect of praise. Praise is the overflowing of appreciation towards {God} the mystic Law in all aspects of life and that tends to imply communicating with {God} the mystic Law.

Hope you don`t mind Excelsior, but you wrote is so much better than I could.:o

Rev Hellfire

Yes it must be said Excelsior does have a way with the words.

Excelsior

I should point out that my mystic law talks back to me.

Asiaprod

Excelsior wrote:

I should point out that my mystic law talks back to me.

Wow, there is another thing we share in common:)

robindch

> I should point out that my mystic law talks back to me.

Ah, but does it listen to what you said to it in the first place?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1710622,00.html

would suggest not.

Puck

Prayers to God are always heard and answered. They are not always answered with a "yes" though. What sort of rubbish parent would give a child whatever they asked for?

samb

First sign of madness?

Kojak

I pray because I want to talk to God and keep up my relationship/connection with him.

CathyMoran

I pray as a method of connection with God. It is also like having a chat with a very close friend who I deeply respect. Another reason why I pray is because sometimes it can be very enjoyable though there are times when it can be tough.

In terms of how I pray, well, sometimes it is as that of the sacredspace website (www.sacredspace.ie), I did attend one of their retreats and found it very uplifting and spiritual - I do think that the Jesuits have a cool way of looking at prayer. Sometimes however the prayer is very ordinary, I will say an act of contrition and then one or two decads of the rosary.

I try to pray on the bus in in the morning, though this does not always happen and there are times when I just do not feel like praying, I will pray if something moves me or if I hear of someone who is hurting (illness, bereavements etc, tragedies), I go through phases of praying on the website quoted above at night and also sometimes if I wake up in the middle of the night and I feel scared I will pray.

Fallschirmjager

well, i pray for thanks at least 2 times a day. i dont personally look for anything, well perhaps one thing and that is to look after my family, sometimes just to know he is there.

Fallschirmjager

CathyMoran wrote:

I pray as a method of connection with God. It is also like having a chat with a very close friend who I deeply respect. Another reason why I pray is because sometimes it can be very enjoyable though there are times when it can be tough.

In terms of how I pray, well, sometimes it is as that of the sacredspace website (www.sacredspace.ie), I did attend one of their retreats and found it very uplifting and spiritual - I do think that the Jesuits have a cool way of looking at prayer. Sometimes however the prayer is very ordinary, I will say an act of contrition and then one or two decads of the rosary.

I try to pray on the bus in in the morning, though this does not always happen and there are times when I just do not feel like praying, I will pray if something moves me or if I hear of someone who is hurting (illness, bereavements etc, tragedies), I go through phases of praying on the website quoted above at night and also sometimes if I wake up in the middle of the night and I feel scared I will pray.

that is a cool site...very impressed