I have heard many, many prayers in church, we are told not to judge but you can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray and what they ask for! for example some prayers are just full of "can you please bless" and not enough thanks, it reveals to me where they are in the journey!
I remember my time at the MTC in Provo and I heard a prayer where the person didn't ask for anything, it was an amazing prayer, I felt how close the person was to the Lord
Anyone feel the same?
You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
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MMbelieve
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
I have heard some wonderful prayers for sure. The one I remember the most was a priest blessing over the sacrament. It sounded so sincere and honest as if he were directly speaking to God in perfect humility.
I think we can be masters of eloquent prayer if we want but it doesn't really matter. I have heard bad/evil men give wonderful prayers too.
I wouldn't put too much into it especially with public prayers.
I think we can be masters of eloquent prayer if we want but it doesn't really matter. I have heard bad/evil men give wonderful prayers too.
I wouldn't put too much into it especially with public prayers.
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gardener4life
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
I think its pretty funny when someone prays for safety going home from church. XD Sorry but I just had to throw that out there. (Oh and it's Utah where the building is like 2 or 3 blocks away.)
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Crackers
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
My prayers seem to become more personal and meaningful when I stop using thee and thou and all of that. I stumbled onto that realization at some point after a life-long habit of using the formal language I'd been taught (and which I still generally use). I seem to fall into the more common language when I am truly pleading and searching. I also read something somewhere.... no recollection as to what, but I remember something to the effect that that's actually the way we were instructed to pray (in the more common form) by Jesus as per the Bible(???), but it was lost in translation somehow. Someone help me out it you have any idea what I am talking about, 'cause I sure don't.
Along the same line, I have a family member who always seems to be making a direct connection when he prays. There is no flowery language and no extensive monologues, just simple, short phrases that always seem to connect.
Along the same line, I have a family member who always seems to be making a direct connection when he prays. There is no flowery language and no extensive monologues, just simple, short phrases that always seem to connect.
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BeNotDeceived
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Koine Greek
Crackers wrote: ↑July 17th, 2018, 8:49 pm... I also read something somewhere.... no recollection as to what, but I remember something to the effect that that's actually the way we were instructed to pray (in the more common form) by Jesus as per the Bible(???), but it was lost in translation somehow. Someone help me out it you have any idea what I am talking about, ...
https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/eieol/ntgol wrote: ... The Greek in the New Testament is the so-called koine 'common language. ...
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Crackers
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Re: Koine Greek
Well look at that, what a great resource we have here in each other! Thanks for that!BeNotDeceived wrote: ↑July 18th, 2018, 8:12 amCrackers wrote: ↑July 17th, 2018, 8:49 pm... I also read something somewhere.... no recollection as to what, but I remember something to the effect that that's actually the way we were instructed to pray (in the more common form) by Jesus as per the Bible(???), but it was lost in translation somehow. Someone help me out it you have any idea what I am talking about, ...https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/eieol/ntgol wrote: ... The Greek in the New Testament is the so-called koine 'common language. ...
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Durzan
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
How do I pray, and what do you think it says about me? Good question.
In public, I fold my arms and bow my head (have trouble keeping my eyes closed and head down though), and rush through it. Sometimes my public prayers are more meaningful than normal and it brings the spirit, but thats the exception, not the rule.
How do I pray personally? Well, the simple answer is that I don't pray (at least not in the traditional sense), and I most certainly don't do so on a regular basis. You see, for some strange reason I have developed a strong aversion to kneeling down, folding my arms, bowing my head, and closing my eyes. It doesn't come naturally to me all that often, and what makes it worse, is the fact that it actually seems disrespectful for me to do so most of the time. Prayer to me is a conversation between Heavenly Father and myself, and kneeling down for a conversation seems to put a sense of artificial formality to something that really doesn't it nine times out of ten.
But here's the thing, I STILL communicate with God. I don't consider it prayer in the traditional sense. I just talk to Him and with Him, as though He were standing next to me. I speak to Him in my mind and in my Heart, and I "hear" or feel His responses right back. Our relationship is interesting... We talk, we laugh, we ask and answer questions. He pokes fun at me, and I poke fun at Him. When we are discussing a sober subject, we are sober; when we are not, we are not. I'm frank with Him and He's frank with me. Its a beautifully simple and somewhat informal relationship, unfettered by the thought of "you have to kneel down and be formally respectful in order to prey." In a sense, you could say that I always have a prayer in my heart, even if I don't pray morning, noon, and night. And when something major happens, I can call on Him and know that He will respond, whether I am kneeling on the ground, standing up, or laying down. Some of my more profound spiritual experiences have taken place when I am just walking around the block, chatting away with my Father in Heaven.
In public, I fold my arms and bow my head (have trouble keeping my eyes closed and head down though), and rush through it. Sometimes my public prayers are more meaningful than normal and it brings the spirit, but thats the exception, not the rule.
How do I pray personally? Well, the simple answer is that I don't pray (at least not in the traditional sense), and I most certainly don't do so on a regular basis. You see, for some strange reason I have developed a strong aversion to kneeling down, folding my arms, bowing my head, and closing my eyes. It doesn't come naturally to me all that often, and what makes it worse, is the fact that it actually seems disrespectful for me to do so most of the time. Prayer to me is a conversation between Heavenly Father and myself, and kneeling down for a conversation seems to put a sense of artificial formality to something that really doesn't it nine times out of ten.
But here's the thing, I STILL communicate with God. I don't consider it prayer in the traditional sense. I just talk to Him and with Him, as though He were standing next to me. I speak to Him in my mind and in my Heart, and I "hear" or feel His responses right back. Our relationship is interesting... We talk, we laugh, we ask and answer questions. He pokes fun at me, and I poke fun at Him. When we are discussing a sober subject, we are sober; when we are not, we are not. I'm frank with Him and He's frank with me. Its a beautifully simple and somewhat informal relationship, unfettered by the thought of "you have to kneel down and be formally respectful in order to prey." In a sense, you could say that I always have a prayer in my heart, even if I don't pray morning, noon, and night. And when something major happens, I can call on Him and know that He will respond, whether I am kneeling on the ground, standing up, or laying down. Some of my more profound spiritual experiences have taken place when I am just walking around the block, chatting away with my Father in Heaven.
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BackBlast
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
Folding arms is negative body language. It's a form of blocking. We teach it to children to help them be quiet as it kind of says to a neighbor, "don't interact with me". It's bad for prayer if you are the speaker as interaction is more what we hope for and kind of a bad habit we have created in the church.
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Durzan
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
Huh. Never thought of it in that way. Seems I stumbled upon a somewhat enlightened view of prayer.BackBlast wrote: ↑July 18th, 2018, 4:41 pm Folding arms is negative body language. It's a form of blocking. We teach it to children to help them be quiet as it kind of says to a neighbor, "don't interact with me". It's bad for prayer if you are the speaker as interaction is more what we hope for and kind of a bad habit we have created in the church.
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Crackers
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
It's also a form of submission. But I like your take on it and will have to consider that.BackBlast wrote: ↑July 18th, 2018, 4:41 pm Folding arms is negative body language. It's a form of blocking. We teach it to children to help them be quiet as it kind of says to a neighbor, "don't interact with me". It's bad for prayer if you are the speaker as interaction is more what we hope for and kind of a bad habit we have created in the church.
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BackBlast
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Re: You can tell a lot about a person in the way they pray
Incongruent body language is hard to keep. Which is to say, a position that is associated with a feeling or way of thinking is hard to maintain if you are not feeling or thinking that way.
Example, gravity defying body language such as arms up in the air, or toes pointed upwards, happy feet, are signs of happiness, excitement, celebration. It's difficult to maintain if you are not actually feeling that way.
The opposite, the heavy body gestures of slumped shoulders, head bowed, like the weight of the world is on you tends to follow downcast emotions and is hard to maintain if that is not how you are feeling.
Or a situationally difficult thing to do. Go into a crowded elevator and while standing there, cross your legs by your ankles and tilt your head to the side 30 degrees or so for multiple floors. Most people will find this extremely difficult if not impossible.
There are a lot of such things. People who pray in private and feel that they are also receiving answers will very likely quite naturally stop folding their arms, even if completely absentmindedly and even if they start that way. It just don't fit the way you feel.
If you look at this position
It looks open and receptive. Open hands, palms inwards and upwards. It looks that way because that's generally what the position means. There is a reason you can't find any paintings of Joseph Smith with his arms folded. It's terrible body language for communing so it makes for a terrible picture of communing.
Anyway, you don't need to adopt a particular position. There is no "right position" IMHO. It may be useful to simply let your body language follow your own feelings and not necessarily deliberately adopt a memorized posture.
I think there is a limited realm where adopting a posture may help you feel the way you want to or believe you should feel.
Bowing the head is another thing we teach, and is common in the church. This is also submissive body language and that's generally a good thing with respect towards God. I find kneeling somewhat distracting if kept up for very long, though adopting a very submissive posture at the beginning of a particularly important and deliberate prayer I personally find useful.
Example, gravity defying body language such as arms up in the air, or toes pointed upwards, happy feet, are signs of happiness, excitement, celebration. It's difficult to maintain if you are not actually feeling that way.
The opposite, the heavy body gestures of slumped shoulders, head bowed, like the weight of the world is on you tends to follow downcast emotions and is hard to maintain if that is not how you are feeling.
Or a situationally difficult thing to do. Go into a crowded elevator and while standing there, cross your legs by your ankles and tilt your head to the side 30 degrees or so for multiple floors. Most people will find this extremely difficult if not impossible.
There are a lot of such things. People who pray in private and feel that they are also receiving answers will very likely quite naturally stop folding their arms, even if completely absentmindedly and even if they start that way. It just don't fit the way you feel.
If you look at this position
It looks open and receptive. Open hands, palms inwards and upwards. It looks that way because that's generally what the position means. There is a reason you can't find any paintings of Joseph Smith with his arms folded. It's terrible body language for communing so it makes for a terrible picture of communing.
Anyway, you don't need to adopt a particular position. There is no "right position" IMHO. It may be useful to simply let your body language follow your own feelings and not necessarily deliberately adopt a memorized posture.
I think there is a limited realm where adopting a posture may help you feel the way you want to or believe you should feel.
Bowing the head is another thing we teach, and is common in the church. This is also submissive body language and that's generally a good thing with respect towards God. I find kneeling somewhat distracting if kept up for very long, though adopting a very submissive posture at the beginning of a particularly important and deliberate prayer I personally find useful.
