Prayer

MuleJule

Well-known member
I can add myself to the list of ones who often fall asleep praying, and adding PS as I recall things I need to add. I know that many many times I have dozed off before saying "in Jesus' name, Amen" but I like the idea of getting in the routine of saying that first, or at the beginning of the day. I feel, while it is essential for Jesus as our mediator, to pray through him, Jehovah knows we are dust. He also knows how much mental and emotional pressure we have and that our minds are under so much pressure and we have been psychologically manipulated so as to not have much of an attention span or mental clarity / energy. He knows all this and still hears and sympathizes with us.

I think of Nehemiah's short prayer.
Neh. 2:2-5: "..so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king..."

He didn't have time (mid-conversation with the king) to say anything but probably "Jehovah please help me." I find myself thoughout the day saying "Help me Jehovah" "Thank you Jehovah" etc. in addition to the long more formal prayers, but also prayers where I feel like I'm rambling on to my therapist. I just know our merciful father hears it all and knows our intentions.
 

mreader

Well-known member
Paul also advised us to "persevere in prayer, remaining awake in it." It requires effort, attention, focus.
that is absolutely true (in regards to the prayer) and especially it requires an effort, I know that because I have to quite often to discipline myself to do not skip the prayer but stick to It. it is so easy to sleep away...if I allow myself. But after the prayer I always feel better - that I gave my time to JEHOVAH and spend time with HIM.
 

mreader

Well-known member
After I left Watchtower in May of 2021 (coming up on one year) i stopped praying. But then I started to pray again after i returned to Jehovah around November of 2021 but i noticed that my old habits were coming back and that is if i don’t pray out loud with audible words, my thoughts often get jumbled together and i get distracted and nonsense comes out- like real nonsense. So praying out loud is the best way for me to get everything out that i want to say to Jehovah. Sometimes i forget stuff and i’ll say “P.S.” and then say some more things and then end it again in Jesus’s name. This P.S. thing can sometimes go on for several P.S.’s. Lol

Also, sometimes i forget to pray, so i schedule daily reminders on my iphone throughout the day to remind myself to stop what i’m doing and pray. It’s easy to forget. I’m forgetful.

I keep going back to that scripture in 1 Thess 5:17 Pray incessantly. Why did Paul write that? Because he was inspired to know that we are going to need Jehovah more than ever and prayer is our lifeline to him.

I recall this one elder told the congregation one time that he often prayed while driI.

After I left Watchtower in May of 2021 (coming up on one year) i stopped praying. But then I started to pray again after i returned to Jehovah around November of 2021 but i noticed that my old habits were coming back and that is if i don’t pray out loud with audible words, my thoughts often get jumbled together and i get distracted and nonsense comes out- like real nonsense. So praying out loud is the best way for me to get everything out that i want to say to Jehovah. Sometimes i forget stuff and i’ll say “P.S.” and then say some more things and then end it again in Jesus’s name. This P.S. thing can sometimes go on for several P.S.’s. Lol

Also, sometimes i forget to pray, so i schedule daily reminders on my iphone throughout the day to remind myself to stop what i’m doing and pray. It’s easy to forget. I’m forgetful.

I keep going back to that scripture in 1 Thess 5:17 Pray incessantly. Why did Paul write that? Because he was inspired to know that we are going to need Jehovah more than ever and prayer is our lifeline to him.

I recall this one elder told the congregation one time that he often prayed while driving. We all chuckled- he was a sweet brother, he passed away some years ago from old age.

I just wanted to share that experience.
I have a schedule for the prayers too (or as I call: to spend time with JEHOVAH) – and I stick to it. Without the schedule everything would be chaotic and I would never remember to pray. Sometimes I feel as if something push or discourages me to sit down and pray. Or suddenly I feel a need to do something at home first before the prayer…. It is a misleading feeling. If that happens I get tougher for myself and do the opposite to my feelings. I think this is a demons work against to discourage and to distract me……...after the prayer I always feel better.
 

mreader

Well-known member
i am not going to ask @Driven to track that scripture down for me. haha.

thanks for sharing that verse. It’s exactly what i needed to read rn.

Col 4 Persevere in prayer, remaining awake in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open a door for the word so that we can declare the sacred secret about the Christ, for which I am in prison bonds, 4 and that I may proclaim it as clearly as I ought to.

i admit i have fallen asleep many times while praying silently. That’s not a good thing. How could i expect Jehovah to pay attention to my prayers if i can’t even stay awake to finish them?
keep in mind that nobody is perfect. Don't blame yourself that you fall asleep. That happens to my daughter too as to everybody else. My daughter can sleep 24 hours a day and it is still not enough for her (sometimes I can't believe to my eyes......). but my advise is better to have a few words with JEHOVAH but from your deep of your heart than a litany of everything and nothing. Personally, when I pray I focus on the most, really most important things that matters to me and I skip less "important" things. You don't need to spend hours on prayers because that will make you probably tired instead focus on short ones and keep doing that in spite of whatever difficulties you face.
 

mreader

Well-known member
I try to avoid the mania of feeling compelled to pray to Jehovah only when I spontaneously "have a problem." In fact, that is wearing prayer as a charm.

So I decided to pray consciously for small things that are very important to me. For example, when my children return from school and I see that they are well, I thank Jehovah in a short prayer. If the sunset is especially beautiful today, I thank Jehovah. If I got a good job today, I thank Jehovah again.

By doing it "consciously" for a while, it now comes naturally to me and I feel like I'm giving Jehovah the glory he deserves.
that's great:)
 

Jess

Well-known member
I can add myself to the list of ones who often fall asleep praying, and adding PS as I recall things I need to add. I know that many many times I have dozed off before saying "in Jesus' name, Amen" but I like the idea of getting in the routine of saying that first, or at the beginning of the day. I feel, while it is essential for Jesus as our mediator, to pray through him, Jehovah knows we are dust. He also knows how much mental and emotional pressure we have and that our minds are under so much pressure and we have been psychologically manipulated so as to not have much of an attention span or mental clarity / energy. He knows all this and still hears and sympathizes with us.

I think of Nehemiah's short prayer.
Neh. 2:2-5: "..so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king..."

He didn't have time (mid-conversation with the king) to say anything but probably "Jehovah please help me." I find myself thoughout the day saying "Help me Jehovah" "Thank you Jehovah" etc. in addition to the long more formal prayers, but also prayers where I feel like I'm rambling on to my therapist. I just know our merciful father hears it all and knows our intentions.
💯 me too!
 

Medi-tator

Well-known member
Do you have to officially say "in Jesus name" at the end of every prayer? How does one persevere a continuous prayer throughout the day by consistently concluding every prayer "in Jesus name"?. How come at Matthew 6:9-10 Jesus never said in the model prayer to utter "in Jesus name" at the end? I get it that it's a given to express to Jehovah acknowledgement of Christ naturally in one's prayers....but do you think Jehovah hears /acknowledges small snipets of prayers throughout the day that didn't include "in Jesus name"? Sometimes it feels odd and forced to stop and start a prayer with "in Jesus name" hurriedly every time. What say you?
I like to think that I am showing proper respect to Jesus by saying that prior to a prayer to Jehovah or even during a prayer in the event I forgot to open with that statement of respect. Do I think Jehovah cares or not? Not really. Again, I do it to show respect all the while trying to continually acknowledge the undeserved kindness shown to me every single day, and in some cases every single moment if I am in continuous and ongoing "prayer mode". So in my imperfect way, I can honestly say that yes, I do get hung up on saying every prayer in Jesus's name. If that causes me to die at Armageddon, I can live with that, at least temporarily that is LOL.
 
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BARNABY THE DOG.

Well-known member
After I left Watchtower in May of 2021 (coming up on one year) i stopped praying. But then I started to pray again after i returned to Jehovah around November of 2021 but i noticed that my old habits were coming back and that is if i don’t pray out loud with audible words, my thoughts often get jumbled together and i get distracted and nonsense comes out- like real nonsense. So praying out loud is the best way for me to get everything out that i want to say to Jehovah. Sometimes i forget stuff and i’ll say “P.S.” and then say some more things and then end it again in Jesus’s name. This P.S. thing can sometimes go on for several P.S.’s. Lol

Also, sometimes i forget to pray, so i schedule daily reminders on my iphone throughout the day to remind myself to stop what i’m doing and pray. It’s easy to forget. I’m forgetful.

I keep going back to that scripture in 1 Thess 5:17 Pray incessantly. Why did Paul write that? Because he was inspired to know that we are going to need Jehovah more than ever and prayer is our lifeline to him.

I recall this one elder told the congregation one time that he often prayed while driving. We all chuckled- he was a sweet brother, he passed away some years ago from old age.

I just wanted to share that experience.
It really warming to the soul when one reveals their humanity in the way you describe. I do not pray verbally. And I experience the exact same thing that you do…my mind goes off on a tangent….mind you, my mind is nearly always at a tangent now! If I ever do not feel like praying, or would rather be doing something else (I used to feel this about visiting my mother on occasion), I remind myself that Jehovah says that if we cannot be bothered with Him, he will deny us. And that’s fair enough. So I don’t, and he has not! Yet, as I relate to Jehovah often, I weary of just asking. I have nothing to give, other than faith and my love for what and whom He is and has done and so wonder at what is of substance, of value, and of meaning to Him. So, though I do speak with? To? Jehovah daily, what I have found is given to me, is appreciation. I have been making a jewellery box in my shed these last few weeks and got around to oiling the wood yesterday, and the grain in the oak was revealed and I was actually amazed at what I saw in the patterning of the grain. The symmetry, the colours, the hew, the texture, the silken lines that wander through the fabric of the wood. Incredible. Who could match such design? That was my prayer - appreciation, acknowledgement that for all my work, it’s completion is not mine, but of Jehovah. That for me is the meaning of prayer - to see the meaning, the outworking, the sharing of His creation and to be able to acknowledge and find joy in His provision.
 

BagdadBill

Well-known member
I had a conversation with a coworker once, and it turned to why God doesn’t speak to us audibly and personally. I had mentioned prayer and this was his question to me. I countered that if God replied to me aloud that it would probably scare me out of my wits. Is Jehovah listening? He hears everything but chooses to listen to heartfelt prayer. I have felt that my prayers were always repetitive and lacking.
 

TheJehuChariot

Well-known member
It really warming to the soul when one reveals their humanity in the way you describe. I do not pray verbally. And I experience the exact same thing that you do…my mind goes off on a tangent….mind you, my mind is nearly always at a tangent now! If I ever do not feel like praying, or would rather be doing something else (I used to feel this about visiting my mother on occasion), I remind myself that Jehovah says that if we cannot be bothered with Him, he will deny us. And that’s fair enough. So I don’t, and he has not! Yet, as I relate to Jehovah often, I weary of just asking. I have nothing to give, other than faith and my love for what and whom He is and has done and so wonder at what is of substance, of value, and of meaning to Him. So, though I do speak with? To? Jehovah daily, what I have found is given to me, is appreciation. I have been making a jewellery box in my shed these last few weeks and got around to oiling the wood yesterday, and the grain in the oak was revealed and I was actually amazed at what I saw in the patterning of the grain. The symmetry, the colours, the hew, the texture, the silken lines that wander through the fabric of the wood. Incredible. Who could match such design? That was my prayer - appreciation, acknowledgement that for all my work, it’s completion is not mine, but of Jehovah. That for me is the meaning of prayer - to see the meaning, the outworking, the sharing of His creation and to be able to acknowledge and find joy in His provision.
Burt, you're a true poet. God adores and loves that you see the Invisible amongst the visible.
 
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