.
All will hate me for this , but....
ON THE ONE HAND......
I think a little HUMILITY and HONESTY is needed (sad both are so lacking in contemporary Christianity).
God hears ALL prayers of ALL believers.
Do we KNOW those in heaven can't hear us, aren't aware of our petitions??? Do we KNOW they are incapable of praying?? Do we KNOW God doesn't hear their prayers?? Do we KNOW they are unconscience??
We ARE instructed to pray for each other..... we are told to invite others to pray for us...... do we KNOW this forbids those in heaven?
Aren't we told taht in Christ we are alive? At every PROTESTANT funeral I've been to, the emphasis is that our loved one in not really dead in every way.... I've even heard PROTESTANT pastors talk about how this person in heaven still loves us, cares about us, even I've heard this one in heaven in watching over us and even "rejoices with us." Hum...
I have an aunt to says she talks to her husband (who is now in heaven). She says these talks REALLY help her. Maybe Ralph doesn't hear her, but is this SO horrible, so heretical, so condemnable?????
I can't think of how requesting say our grandfather in heaven to pray FOR us.... hurts. Anything.
ON THE OTHER HAND.....
I think a little HUMILITY and HONESTY is needed (sad both are so lacking in contemporary Christianity).
God hears ALL prayers. Of ALL believers.
Perhaps part of the value of prayer partners is that they are HERE...... they can comfort us.... they can counsel us.... they can support us..... they can correct us..... they can hold us accountable..... When I ask someone to pray for me, it's NOT because I think God is hard of hearing, it's mostly because I welcome their Christian love, care, support, counsel, help. Even if my grandfather knows all about me.... even if he 'hears' all my requests I might make to him..... he's not here. He can't talk to me (as he use to do - so frankly, so honestly, so HELPFULLY - I do miss him). He can't counsel me. He can't support me. He can't hug me. He can't yell at me (as he once did - I do miss him). MAYBE..... spending time asking him to pray for me is ...l unnecessary (he already knows what I need) and just not particularly helpful. Now - my brother.... my good friend Mark.... my wife...... THEY can do more that just echo a prayer God already heard.
Of all the practices that Christians sometimes disagree on, I can think of few where it matters less. I wish we'd spend our time talking about DOGMAS that SEPARATE us, rather than so many things that are just customs that probably don't matter much anyway. Many of my relatives are Catholics, and some of them ask friends in heaven to pray for them. I just can't see the HORROR in that. I don't do this. I just can't see the HORROR in that. In fact, I just cant see that EITHER WAY justifies the horrible things that are said to "the other side."
Sorry.
Pax
- Josiah
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