Can you pray too much?

itullian · #1 May 18, '12, 1:39 pm

Sometimes it seems you can pray and pray and pray till the cows come home (mooooooo), and nothing happens.

other times you say one little prayer and presto, abra cadabra, bodda bing-bodda boom there it is.

my sainted mom used to say" say a quick prayer to God and/or a Saint and let it go."
God bless you mom.

maybe she had something there?

what do you guys think?

DebChris · #2 May 18, '12, 1:50 pm

Remember that prayer is communication. It is "lifting our hearts and minds to God." We are called to pray unceasingly. Prayer is not about changing God. It is about allowing God to change us. As with any communication, we must listen as well as talk.
As humans, we can become focused on a specific problem we are facing. With a quick prayer we place that problem in God's hands. "Let go and let God." Allow God to handle the problem, or to show you what steps to take to deal with the problem as He says fit. Sometimes our prayer shows that we are still holding on to a problem instead of trusting God to handle it or lead us.

bscastro · #3 May 18, '12, 2:57 pm

This is a pretty deep question. But one thing to remember is that sometimes the answer to your prayer may not be what you expect.

God bless,
Bryan

meltzerboy · #4 May 18, '12, 3:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by itullian

Sometimes it seems you can pray and pray and pray till the cows come home (mooooooo), and nothing happens.

other times you say one little prayer and presto, abra cadabra, bodda bing-bodda boom there it is.

my sainted mom used to say" say a quick prayer to God and/or a Saint and let it go."
God bless you mom.

maybe she had something there?

what do you guys think?

I think HOW we pray is as important as how often or how long. By that, I don't mean merely whether we pray standing or sitting or, as in Judaism, with our whole body (so-called "dovenning"). What I mean is whether we pray mechanically or with sincerity and meaning. Sometimes due to habit or when we are in a hurry, we may fall into a mechanical type of prayer, which is probably not the best form. But can we pray too much? It is possible but I think more often the reverse is true.

Oneofthewomen · #5 May 18, '12, 9:33 pm

I have two thoughts on prayer- one is in my signature.
The other is a quote from Kathleen Norris-
Prayer isn't about asking for what you want,
but being transformed in ways you never imagined.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itullian

Sometimes it seems you can pray and pray and pray till the cows come home (mooooooo), and nothing happens.

other times you say one little prayer and presto, abra cadabra, bodda bing-bodda boom there it is.

my sainted mom used to say" say a quick prayer to God and/or a Saint and let it go."
God bless you mom.

maybe she had something there?

what do you guys think?

fred conty · #6 May 19, '12, 5:56 am

The prayer of giving praise and honor, and of giving appreciative thanksgiving, or of conversing with God our Father, should all be given the front seat. The prayer of petition cannot be said enough if is for the grace to follow God's will, or for our neighbor.

The last type of prayer, which belongs there in last place, is asking for something for ourselves. I think it belongs there because of what God told Solomen. Because you didn't ask something for yourself but rather to be a wise king to rule your people, I will give you riches, and ..., and ...

Just a thought.

**JRKH** · #7 May 19, '12, 6:30 am

Wonderful answers so far...it is indeed a deep subject with many aspects.

The first thing I thought of when I read the title was - Yes it is possible to "pray too much". Not because prayer itself is bad, but in the spiritual journey we are warned of allowing some devotion or other to become the object instead of a tool.

After reading the post...I see that you are referring mainly to prayer of petition. The Gospels tell us to ask and then to act with confidence that we have already received what we asked for. So I would agree with your mom that the best prayer is a short one...Then move on in joy and confidence and "see what happens".

Peace
James

randirhoades · #8 May 19, '12, 9:29 am

Dear Friend,

Jesus said to pray without ceasing. And all things whatsoever that you shall ask for in prayer: believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:21.

Faith is the key; that and thanksgiving and supplication to our Heavenly Father. Plus, ask anything in Jesus name and it will be given to you. But remember God's timing is not our timing and sometimes what we ask for is not in God's plan for us.

I've had to learn that. I have faith that God can do all things for us and takes care of us like He does the Sparrows but He also helps us to help ourselves. I've learned that too.

With faith, great love and belief, do not quit praying. Have genuine sincerity in your heart. Make time without being disturbed to meditate with our Holy Father. And praise God in your prayer that He is an awesome God and thank Him for the blessings you have already received. God hears you and knows your needs.

Love ya'll,
Sheila is my real name.

randirhoades · #9 May 19, '12, 10:18 am

Oh and you have a smart Mom.

♥

nuntym · #10 May 19, '12, 2:02 pm

+JMJ+

You can never pray too much. Doing something that you think is prayer, however, is too much even for a few seconds.

The difference, it seems to me, is sincerity.

CatholicLife · #11 May 19, '12, 5:49 pm

Never. Isn't there four creatures who perptually worship God in heaven ?

Kontrak · #12 May 19, '12, 5:57 pm

Luke 18: 1-8 “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city that kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

http://xaua.com/?page_id=2293

The Syrophoenician Woman

21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting [j]at us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and began [k]to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said, “It is not [l]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; [m]but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed [n]at once.

laircy · #13 May 21, '12, 5:49 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by itullian

Sometimes it seems you can pray and pray and pray till the cows come home (mooooooo), and nothing happens.

other times you say one little prayer and presto, abra cadabra, bodda bing-bodda boom there it is.

I think there might be two reasons for this
1) It seems we tend to pray longer for the things we find less likely to happen, leading to my second point 2) If we find it less likely to happen, that means we are having less faith. So perhaps, by praying shortly for something, you demonstrate more trust in God.

But can you pray too much? In general, I think not. For a specific petition, possibly.

melchesidechpio · #14 May 22, '12, 4:46 pm

you can never pray too much

Alfonsus · #15 May 22, '12, 8:55 pm

Like other said, prayer is communication.
And it is 2 way communication: you to God, and God to you.

The first part is easy to swallow, the second part is sometimes (if not often) seems hard and bitter.

We need to start praying anyway. When I was a kid, the only prayer I know is petition to get what I want. God is kinda of vending machine wish granter. I collected novenas, prayers, all things that people said *powerful* to get my wish come true.

For a child, God granted what is a child able to grasp.
But we get older, we mature. But too bad sometimes we are maturing physically, emotionally, but not spiritually. We are asked to be like children before God, but not childish forever.

So here comes the second part of communication. God start communicate with us, by not granting some petition we ask. He knows better, we don't.
His response will agitate us. He prompt us to know him better, first and foremost. To leave aside our notion of "my vending machine God."

I know I need to pass that too. Struggling to know or understand God. We know God better, little by little.
Sometimes some petitions were granted in a way beyond what I asked. And I feel wonder, grateful, close to God.
Sometimes some petitions were granted, delayed. Then I need to ask, why Lord? And start reflecting the whole situation.
Sometimes some petitions were never granted. Then I feel agitated. Then I need to again reflect and make a new decision: keep on following him even grudgingly, or have my own way.
Sometimes I did make my own way, and during the course feel God nudging and I returned.

Reflecting now and here, I see that not granting all my petitions the way I want, was actually a very big favor from God to know him better the way he is. At least, a first step to discard "my vending machine God" and start asking "who are you, Lord?"
It compels us to find answer, talk to spiritual director, share with others, read the Bible, read the saints, hear others, change our understanding or even way of praying, hear God better...

So now, I can pray from time to time, "for all petitions that were not granted, blessed are you Lord, and thank you."