Hello everyone I am new to this board. I have a question about a pray that I been standing in faith on and I would like to know if you think that it goes against another's free will.
The woman that I am in love with and I are not together right now(though I am believeing that we will be in the near future), well to make a long story short we dated for two years we took a break, this break turned into 9 months, I came back she said that she was not sure that she could be with me again because of the hurt I had caused her. My prayer was that God touch her heart and remove the pain and resentment from her heart and I prayed reconciliation over our relationship. Is this a prayer that goes against this young lady that I am in love with's free will? I do not think that it does because I asked her before I prayed it if she was still in love with me and she said yes, but I figured I would ask on this board if maybe I am missing something.
-Henry
Prayer Vs. Free Will
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Trustingyou
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zoegirl
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Re: Prayer Vs. Free Will
Henry,
Prayer can be the MEANS through which GOd exacts His will, but it does not replace HIs will.
My thoughts are this. YOu can pray and ask God to change her heart and that isn't the best prayer. Rather ask God to give you and her both wisdom, to guide you and her and IF IT IS HIS WILL, that you would reconcile.
Prayer is not some sort of wishlist where GOd has to obey the prayer. It is the means by which we communicate to HIm and gain wisdom as to HIs will and HIs desires.
As a practical question and forgive the obviousness of it, have you asked her forgiveness? YOu must understand that reconcialiation in a relationship doesn't immediately mean that the relationship is back to what is was before the offense, despite what we may think. IF you hurt her, then your realtionship has lost that element of trust. You are asking her to trust you again and you may have to sit back and wait while she learns that you will not repeat the trangression.
Hope that helps.
Prayer can be the MEANS through which GOd exacts His will, but it does not replace HIs will.
My thoughts are this. YOu can pray and ask God to change her heart and that isn't the best prayer. Rather ask God to give you and her both wisdom, to guide you and her and IF IT IS HIS WILL, that you would reconcile.
Prayer is not some sort of wishlist where GOd has to obey the prayer. It is the means by which we communicate to HIm and gain wisdom as to HIs will and HIs desires.
As a practical question and forgive the obviousness of it, have you asked her forgiveness? YOu must understand that reconcialiation in a relationship doesn't immediately mean that the relationship is back to what is was before the offense, despite what we may think. IF you hurt her, then your realtionship has lost that element of trust. You are asking her to trust you again and you may have to sit back and wait while she learns that you will not repeat the trangression.
Hope that helps.
"And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Jesus Christ"
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Trustingyou
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Re: Prayer Vs. Free Will
Thanks for the response,
Yes I have asked for her forgiveness. I realize that prayer is not a wish list, I feel as though I am following Gods will for my life. I found out later that while were on our break that she had come to my mother and asked her what to pray that I come back and give our relationship another chance.
The reason I came back to her in the first place was because I had been backslidden in the since that I have been raised in the chruch my whole life but when I left for college I went my own way for a while. When i saw how the rest of the world operated I realized that I had made a mistake. I repented and asked God to show me if this woman was who I was supposed to be with.
The next time I saw her a serge of emotions hit me,(which has not happened in a while, and please do not misunderstand this was not a long lost reunion when I had seen her, during our break we still spent a great deal of time together) now you may take that to mean that I saw what I wanted to see in that an not Gods actual answer, however I feel like that was an answer from him. I realize that in prayer the best way to make sure you are not going against Gods will is to put "Never the less not as I will" at the end, but I dont know if what I asked of God was in violation of her free will.
I would also like to state that yes I am bringing up a situation specific to me but I decieded to that it was a question that I should ask when I went to a web site that asks people to post prayer and I saw the same one as mine countless times. It brought up in my mind that perhaps I am asking God to go against someones free will. Also to respond to the praying not being a "wishlist"(forgive me if this statement comes off as sarcastic) but doesnt God say "ask and you shall recieve" , perhaps I am taking that verse out of context.
-Henry
Yes I have asked for her forgiveness. I realize that prayer is not a wish list, I feel as though I am following Gods will for my life. I found out later that while were on our break that she had come to my mother and asked her what to pray that I come back and give our relationship another chance.
The reason I came back to her in the first place was because I had been backslidden in the since that I have been raised in the chruch my whole life but when I left for college I went my own way for a while. When i saw how the rest of the world operated I realized that I had made a mistake. I repented and asked God to show me if this woman was who I was supposed to be with.
The next time I saw her a serge of emotions hit me,(which has not happened in a while, and please do not misunderstand this was not a long lost reunion when I had seen her, during our break we still spent a great deal of time together) now you may take that to mean that I saw what I wanted to see in that an not Gods actual answer, however I feel like that was an answer from him. I realize that in prayer the best way to make sure you are not going against Gods will is to put "Never the less not as I will" at the end, but I dont know if what I asked of God was in violation of her free will.
I would also like to state that yes I am bringing up a situation specific to me but I decieded to that it was a question that I should ask when I went to a web site that asks people to post prayer and I saw the same one as mine countless times. It brought up in my mind that perhaps I am asking God to go against someones free will. Also to respond to the praying not being a "wishlist"(forgive me if this statement comes off as sarcastic) but doesnt God say "ask and you shall recieve" , perhaps I am taking that verse out of context.
-Henry
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zoegirl
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Re: Prayer Vs. Free Will
My apologies if I appeared presumptuous concerning your ideas about a wishlist.
I suppose a question that you raise has been dealt with by stronger Chrisitans than I. I can only offer a linited understadning and plenty of experience in waiting. I have a chronic illness and have had it for ten years and can't remember a time that I haven't asked to be healed. I am single and in my thrities and you can't outnumber me for prayers about relationships.
Ask and it shall be given. I suppose that the questions it begs is "what are you asking for" and "when wikll God fulfill it" and in what attitude and wisdom are you asking.
What are you asking for....IN maturity you can ask that rather than GOd change her heart but that you would grow in wisdom, maturity and love such that you show Christ's love to her. You can change you, you can ask God for wisdom and maturity for her. And in that maturity you can ask that, if you are the one that God has for her, that the relatinoship would grow in GOD"S time. And that comes to the second question....when
It might be tomorrow, it might be next week, but more likely it will be longer. If that relationship is to be mature, you must LET IT GROW, just like a proper watering and food for a plant, relationships will not be solved immeidately. If you are expecting this to be solved immediately, then you must change your attitude.
Immediacy is a symptom of infatuation (forgive me, not trying to insult) but wisdom and love, as Corinthian's states, is patient. Love her, prayer for her. None of your prayers can change God's will. I am a firm believer in that. When HE wants to heal me, it willl happen, When He wants you in a relationship it will happen. (it might just take "seasoning" in some broken relationships to see that happen) What is that cliche country song?
"I thank God for unanswered prayers"
And be prepared to wait. If God intends her for you and you for her, think of it this way, it will happen.
Paul asked three times for God to remove his thorn and HIs response was that HIs grace is sufficient.
I suppose a question that you raise has been dealt with by stronger Chrisitans than I. I can only offer a linited understadning and plenty of experience in waiting. I have a chronic illness and have had it for ten years and can't remember a time that I haven't asked to be healed. I am single and in my thrities and you can't outnumber me for prayers about relationships.
Ask and it shall be given. I suppose that the questions it begs is "what are you asking for" and "when wikll God fulfill it" and in what attitude and wisdom are you asking.
What are you asking for....IN maturity you can ask that rather than GOd change her heart but that you would grow in wisdom, maturity and love such that you show Christ's love to her. You can change you, you can ask God for wisdom and maturity for her. And in that maturity you can ask that, if you are the one that God has for her, that the relatinoship would grow in GOD"S time. And that comes to the second question....when
It might be tomorrow, it might be next week, but more likely it will be longer. If that relationship is to be mature, you must LET IT GROW, just like a proper watering and food for a plant, relationships will not be solved immeidately. If you are expecting this to be solved immediately, then you must change your attitude.
Immediacy is a symptom of infatuation (forgive me, not trying to insult) but wisdom and love, as Corinthian's states, is patient. Love her, prayer for her. None of your prayers can change God's will. I am a firm believer in that. When HE wants to heal me, it willl happen, When He wants you in a relationship it will happen. (it might just take "seasoning" in some broken relationships to see that happen) What is that cliche country song?
"I thank God for unanswered prayers"
And be prepared to wait. If God intends her for you and you for her, think of it this way, it will happen.
Paul asked three times for God to remove his thorn and HIs response was that HIs grace is sufficient.
"And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Jesus Christ"
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Trustingyou
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Re: Prayer Vs. Free Will
No apologies needed.
At first I did believe that it was infatuation (I might even go as far to say that in the past it might have been just that) but I know that in my heart waiting is not the problem, I'll wait as long as is needed no problem there. The problem arises when I ask myself "am I asking the right things, if I'm not then God will not answer and I will have waited for noting".
So for me if I know that I am in accordance with Gods will I am willing to wait for her as long as it takes, I would just like to know that I am indeed waiting on the right thing.
And I realize that is not something that anyone but God can answer but I was just curious if asking God to heal her heart and touch it if that would conflict with free will. Because I have had conversations with her in which she has said "I am still in love with you I am just so hurt I don't know if I can be happy with you". I guess I just want to know that in this situation waiting is in the Lords will, But I guess that is just part of why having faith can be so difficult. T
his is the first time I have actually written anything on one of these boards but I have been reading thru them for quite sometime and I found a sign that I really like I believe it goes "Faith seeing the invisible , believes the unbelievable and get the impossible". So I guess I am just going to wait in faith, I feel like I have done all I know to do so I am going to stand.
-Henry
At first I did believe that it was infatuation (I might even go as far to say that in the past it might have been just that) but I know that in my heart waiting is not the problem, I'll wait as long as is needed no problem there. The problem arises when I ask myself "am I asking the right things, if I'm not then God will not answer and I will have waited for noting".
So for me if I know that I am in accordance with Gods will I am willing to wait for her as long as it takes, I would just like to know that I am indeed waiting on the right thing.
And I realize that is not something that anyone but God can answer but I was just curious if asking God to heal her heart and touch it if that would conflict with free will. Because I have had conversations with her in which she has said "I am still in love with you I am just so hurt I don't know if I can be happy with you". I guess I just want to know that in this situation waiting is in the Lords will, But I guess that is just part of why having faith can be so difficult. T
his is the first time I have actually written anything on one of these boards but I have been reading thru them for quite sometime and I found a sign that I really like I believe it goes "Faith seeing the invisible , believes the unbelievable and get the impossible". So I guess I am just going to wait in faith, I feel like I have done all I know to do so I am going to stand.
-Henry