Hi Valentijn, Hi All,
If it was just happy thoughts sent our way, that might be one thing. But unfortunately, some prayers become quite specific about what is wanted, and may not necessarily be helpful. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, Ill share a story I read once.
A man, not a Christian, was moving to a new city, and had made some very good preparations to earn an income by doing some contractual freelancing work. He felt he had paved the way well for himself. He soon noticed however, that some very excellent prospects were failing to come to fruition, often for the most unlikely reasons. He was at a loss as to how to understand these inexplicable occurrences, and how they were keeping him from earning an income.
He was talking with his mother on the phone one day, and at one point she made a comment about the fact she was praying for him every day that he find himself a very good job with some very good benefits. He immediately realized what was happening. His mother's very specific prayers were interfering with his goal of NOT getting the kind of job she had in mind. He had set things in motion to do contract work, and these prayers were not helpful in this regard.
He very diplomatically asked his mother to not pray anymore that he get the kind of job she had in mind. Instead, he requested that she ask that the blessings of Spirit be sent his way, and leave the specific results to a higher power. She didn't quite understand this kind of prayer, but she did agree to make the changes her son had requested. Once her prayers of specificity ceased, this man was able to quickly get the contracts he had envisioned for himself.
This all reminds me of the adage, "Be careful what you ask for, you must might get it." Anyway, I'm very hesitant about having anybody pray for me. Everybody seems to have different ideas about how prayer should be used. I personally feel it's best to leave it up to Spirit to determine what is in my best interests. Just a perspective; not trying to convince anybody of anything. :Retro smile:
Wayne