Why Christians don't pray like Jews?

no one else was around me...that i could see anyway.

i was going through a strange time. one i've spoken of here on the forum. one that really rocked my world, and the catalyst was spiritual in nature.

i had just received a phone call from my ex-husband, who was on anti-psychotic meds, drunk, and stoned at the time. when i questioned him at a later date, he did not remember the call. he spoke to me in a taunting voice and inflection, not of his own. and he spoke of, or insinuated to things that i was going through at that time, that he had absolutely no way of knowing about. it really freaked me out. i'm normally a very placid person, and even when i am afraid or stressed out, i don't show it overtly. when i got off the phone with him, i felt as though i had just spoken with the devil himself. like something else had taken over him in his "absence". and i was shaking so hard i looked like i was having a seizure. i've never been so scared.

I have had 2 similar experiences in my life. Once i was on my computer doing my forum stuff when my younger sister came inside, she was maybe 13 maybe 14 at the time and she had been out with friends and i suspected she was under the influence of alcohol, but it was different somehow. She got onto another computer but i could feel she was looking at me. And in a voice i had never heard from her before and have not heard since she said, "I know who you are". In an instant i knew it was not her i turned to her and looked her in the eye in a dismissive way she then giggled in an uneasy and nervous way, I then turned back to my computer and continued where i had left off.

Second instance was at a rail way station. I had bought a ticket and was going to a vending machine to bye some junk food (eaten a bit of that junk in my time) and i had a strange but also calming feeling I had noticed a Mongoloid teen probably 15 or 16 (hard to tell sometimes) in the foyer as i was buying the ticket at the time he did not look strange at all. He had the presence of a Mongoloid kid. But as i was sitting down at the rail side seating waiting for the train, i could feel someone was looking at me. I slowly looked around and there was the Mongoloid kid sitting a few seats away looking intently at me. But his face had changed, he was no longer the Mongoloid kid his eyes where sharp and intent with a pensive look of fear with strong curiosity. What ever was looking at me. (and it was not the Mongoloid kid) feared me and was amazed at me all at one time. I thought in that instance to call out to him to leave the kid. But at the time i thought that i had no business calling out a demon cause i did not think i had been given the gift to do that kind of thing. As i was thinking these thoughts the train came into station and as i was getting up to get onboard i could see a fearful being sitting stunned almost in shock as i walked by to get on board.

i just didn't know what else to do. normally when i pray, it's either the lord's prayer or something very conversational in nature,

Conversational ones are the type i do mostly. Unless i am praising Him. I never say the lords prayer.

or a combination of both, and usually, i'm in bed or just wherever i may be...nothing ritualistic at all.

Same here. nearly always in bed. I often start talking with God and don't recall ending the conversation. I get such a feeling of peace when i talk to God that i can fall asleep without knowing it. I sometimes feel a bit guilty about not finishing a conversation the right way, But i understand He Understands. :D


but when it's serious...when i'm saying to god, "hey, this is serious, and i really need your attention", i get down on my knees. this was the epitome of one of those times.

Well i have prayed to God in some serious situations. once during an earthquake and at a few auto accidents but i always make a conscious effort not to let anyone know i am praying. I never fall to my knees, outward signs of religiosity are to me an insult to the intelligence of God.

he absolutely bellowed at me. i had heard his voice many times before, but never so loud and emphatic. not angry, just authoritative. i just don't think, and especially given what i was going through, that he wanted me to be weak in any way, or to show weakness or fear.

and it helped.

Well if it was God then maybe He was providing you with a strong commanding voice of assurance to wipe out the fear you had for the other voice you heard over the phone.


Thanks for sharing this experience with me Lori. Been very interesting.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 
As for lying on your face when praying. Yes some prophets did do this, But it is unclear to me if they all did it by there own accord or God caused them at that moment to fall flat on their faces because they where in the presence of God.

I do know that even today when catholic clergy in the last ceremony as they are becoming priests ly down flat on their faces as they are receiving the final blessing.

The whole concern about making the right appearances and doing the right pre-describes physical actions while praying reveals people who have no personal connection to God but a fear of offending God. It's pathetic really. God knows the intentions of the one addressing Him. One can talk to God sitting on the toilet seat without any problem if one has the right Spirit towards God. But another who has the wrong Spirit can pray for days dragging themselves on the ground till there knees are bloody red raw and they will receive nothing of worth from God at all.

Attitude is everything. The rest is just empty show.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 
Correct. The "calling out a demon" thing is still fairly weird, however, but so long as you didn't actually try to call out anything, I suppose it's reasonably innocuous.
 
Sam, you're always pontificating about Jews and their history. Your impeccably balanced insights into the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict alone identify you as a leading scholar in judaica. Obviously you must know many Jews personally in order to have such great knowledge. Why don't you just ask them?

None of the Jews I know actually pray. They are the "modern" Jews, i.e. Jews by race, not Jews by religion [there is The Devil Inside who is a religious Jew, I could have asked him, but he's banned]. I don't consider them Jews, but atheists, but apparently by the laws of Nazism they are considered Jewish. Seems very odd to me but I come from a country where people think they are untouchables by birth so who am I to judge?
 
Back
Top