ok, hope I'm not talking to myself although I guess I'm good company lol.

what is prayer? heres some ideas for discussion and the topic is always how we create the afterlife to my pov.

people say things like "that person hasn't got a prayer." or heres one: "pray without ceasing."

church of religious science just says "treat and move your feet." nothing about faith, nothing about emotion there. although I don't think I ever tried it quite that way. I always had to make it more personal than scientific. like Frank Sinatra, lol, we always have to do it "our way." there must be tons of puns, all like rotes.

here's a shortened version what is prayer my pov.
1) ask 2) receive, or 1)talk to God or higher self
2) then listen for the answer.
anybody got any answers what makes prayer work or not work?
I personally don't think it matters which diety you pray to and that includes the higher self concept, as long as you are open to receive the answer to what you are asking and quiet the mind long enough to be able to hear it. after all the sun shines on the just and the unjust unlike. love/light/peace, alysia

I think your tag just about says it all Mairlyn. thanks for response. alysia

Hi Alysia,

I never really understood prayers, but I definitely think they work. 

I really can go on and on about prayers being answered. 

Sometimes I question the fact of them being coincidential but here is one that I believe is not:

Once my kid was in school with a terrible tooth ache.  I was not at home at the time.  I had just walked into Mernard's when suddenly I heard this voice in my ear that said "ROBERT BRAINARD PLEASE REPORT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE!" 

Now on a normal day since I pay attention to NOTHING! I would not have heard this.  However, the voice was very clear and almost thunderous.  So I get to the phone and the school nurse says I'm needed immediately cause my kid has a bad tooth ache. 

The voice in my ear could be coincidential--I'll buy that.  So I get to the school and pick up my kid. I call the dentists office to try to get him in.  They say they're booked up for the week and that we would have to make an appointment or go to the hospital and take him to emergency--something like that anyway. 

So I hang up the phone and not a minute later, the receptionist calls me back and tells me they have a spot and to bring him in immediately.  So bring him in and everything was taken care of.

As I was bringing him in, he told me in the truck that he prayed for the tooth ache to stop and that's when it dawned me that his prayer must have been answered.  The prayer didn't cause the pain to go away, but I believe it caused these series of events to take place.

Here is another one if you've got time to read.  Now this one is just tooooo coincidential.  I remember my wife and I traveling to our new duty station which was in Ft. Cambell, Ky. 

We ended up staying in Hopkinsville which is quite a ways from Ft. Campbell.  Anyway, upon my first day going into Post the MPs pull me over and told me that my tags were expired. 

Now normally they would just tell you to turn around and that you can't come in until you get it corrected.  That way you still have your car.  But nooooooooooooo.  They kept my car and said I couldn't move it until I get my tags corrected. 

Back then I was a scared little kid in a new environment and didn't know anybody.  I called my soon-to-be 1SG for help and he yelled at me and told me to get it fixed and he ain't got time to be giving anybody no ride (His exact words).

It was our only car and had no idea how I was going to get home.  I tried calling a taxi but no one would come and I was getting really desperate.   

All of a sudden I saw these two ladies coming out of the store.  I don't know what came over me, but I asked them for a ride to Hopkinsville, which is a long way a way, and told them I would pay them. 

The reason I say that I don't know what came over me is because it was way out of character for me.  Anyway, they said how much and I said "fifteen dollar's", which was all I had.  They looked at each other as if a miracle had just happened. 

On the way, they were explaining how they needed fifteen dollars for a locksmith and how they had been praying.   They were almost desperate enough to go around and start asking people until I suddenly approached them. 

Well, they took me all the way up to where I needed to be, got everything taken care of, and then brought me back. 

I enjoyed reading them SS. Do you have anymore?

Really good stories, just shows somethings at work anyway!

Ryan

Hi, Alysia and all,

I like this topic and I love listening to all of your stories.  I won't give a personal story although I will say that that prayers are ALWAYS answered, most often with renewed clarity and peace. 

Prayer for me is an opening of the heart.  To share.  I can open my heart to myself,  to nature, to God, to Jesus, to the great mysteries... to my joys, my griefs, my fears, my angers....to you...the list is endless.  Life is an endless source of prayer "without ceasing" as you say, Alysia.

I can sit before my prayer as if I sit before the ocean.  The ocean retreats to the source and returns to me over and over.  Each time there is a whisper or a roar or a laugh but never a silence.  It is always answered!

love, blink

Very cool story mystic. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

Love, Mairlyn

SS..........I love your stories! I'm sure that you have heard of, if not read the poem, FOOTPRINTS. Whenever things in life get me down, I think of that poem and then hold faith that I will get thru the tough time.
I thought that your story about the guardian angel was awesome.
I don't know how many guardian angels we are supposed to have in our lifetime, but I had an encounter with one of mine a few years ago.
This encounter occurred in the early summer of 1997. I was living in this small town for over 12 years and could easily recognize the faces of all the locals in the area. At this time, I was working as a floral clerk at a big grocery store.
This particular day, I was at work...I was really feeling the burdens of my life that were dragging me waaaaaaaay down. My life seemed hopeless. I hated myself for the mess I had gotten myself into with respect to a bad marriage, my 2 kids were paying a huge price for it...there was huge domestic abuse problems including his drug and alcohol use....I was shut out from the world, from my family..from life....from everything...all because of this person I was married too....I was having to go to work with covered up bruises, lumps and bumps...and every penny that I made at my part time job, went into his pocket......'or else'. God, life was a living hell then...and this day, I was really feeling it.
Do you have any idea how much I prayed at that time for release from this hell? Holy!!! I think that I spent every second of my free mind time to praying for some help......mainly, to get me and my kids away from this maniac. Day and night...night and day....and in my sleep....I prayed.
It's all very strange in many ways, because also at this time, there were other things in my life that were starting to change...things were happening in a positive way that I could never have made happen....I was doing things and making changes for myself and my kids for the future, that I could never have mustered up the courage to do before...there were just so many things that were changing...and too many times I would say to someone: I don't know why I am doing this..but here I am.......or,  'It feels like someone is leading me by the hand'......
This day at work, I was outside on the front sidewalk area of this store, working with all the plants, flowers and other floral product out there. I would generally keep a good eye on people who were in my little area there...in case someone needed help, etc......I was doing something (can't remember what) and suddenly there was this little old lady standing next to me. I had no idea where she came from....she was just 'there' all of a sudden. I should have seen her walk into this area...there is nothing 'normal' to explain how she was able to get beside me without me noticing. But she managed it.
I heard this sweet, musical like voice say: 'Excuse me....."......and I looked up and there she was. I nearly jumped out of my skin....she startled me. And as I looked up to see who was there...and the second my eyes locked onto her....I was literally overwhelmed in this HUGE feeling of love. I cannot explain to you or anyone, the immense love that surrounded this person...the love that poured out from her...........AND......she sparkled. Not actual sparkles.....but, just an inside/outside sparkle. She glowed with this golden sparkle....like she had sunshine beaming out of her. Absolute beauty radiated from her...and her eyes, I couldn't believe her eyes...the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen....and a color of blue that I don't recall ever seeing before....almost a silver, sparkly blue....She was petite....her voice like music....I know now, that she was not earthly..I didn't know it at the time...but it didn't take me long afterwards to get it figured out. I wasn't expecting any visit from guardian angels or anything or anyone. All I had been doing was crying and praying to God to help get me and my kids to safety.
At that first moment I looked at this lady, I was so overwhelmed with all that she radiated...it was only her and myself there.....strange coincidence actually, because this was at the height of plant bedding season. It was normally packed with people in there.
I just stared into her eyes.....then she continued to speak...her whole face was lit with love and joy and peace the entire time she spoke to me....this was just so unreal. She put her hand onto my arm as she started to speak....I will never forget what she said to me: "I just had to come to tell you that you are so beautiful. You are such a beautiful woman...you look like a barbie doll. Is everything ok with you dear? Is your life well? Are you happy?  I know you must have children...and let me tell you that they love you more than anything in their lives...And your husband? Does he love you?  Let me tell you not to worry dear because everything is going to work out for you. You will see...everything is going to be fine. You may not be happy now but you will be very happy soon. I just had to come over and tell you this. They say that when you say something nice to someone, that something even better comes to you...and so I came to you to tell you this"
Just let me tell you....she never stopped talking....I managed to get a few words in here and there, but, she just held my eye contact and kept talking.....The words that I did speak to her were lies...all lies....and I had this horrible feeling as I was telling her them...almost like she knew. And that I was lying to someone in the same light as Jesus himself....it was an awful guilty feeling. I told her that my life was great...that I was very happy and that my husband loved me. I guess that is why I was having such a hard time holding the tears back as I spoke these lies....because in reality, my life was a hell....and I was hurting bigtime inside.....and, all that I wanted in life was a happy loving home....and a good, loving man.
All that was going thru my head, was 'who is this lady....why is she talking to me like this..and how does she know so much about my life?'
This lady looked like she could be between the ages of 90 and 100.....she was old....but she wasn't. Does that make any sense? She was clearly and old woman....but she didn't look it...and I just don't know how to explain that!
I was nearly in tears as she spoke.....I was really having a time trying to keep myself from losing control...I don't know if she sensed that her words were really touching me or not..but she just carried on talking in a calm, soft and, musical voice.
I was just completely in shock over this.
As she was saying her final sentence to me, I turned my eyes downward and looked away from her....I was nearly crying and I just couldn't let that happen....especially in front of this lady who seemed so darn sweet, pure, sincere, godly, angelic.....all of it.
Not even a few seconds passed and I looked back up at her....but she wasn't there. My eyes popped. Now come on....I know she was just there and I know she didn't walk away...she couldn't have because I would have seen that.....even heard her footsteps.....so what kind of trick was my brain playing on me. I ran over to the main store doors and looked around...I saw her nowhere...I ran into to the customer service counter which was right at the door....looked in all directions...she was nowhere to be seen. I asked the girl at the counter if she had seen this person....no she hadn't.
What the heck?
I literally ran back out the doors and to each end of the sidewalk....she was nowhere...I scanned the entire parking lot...she was nowhere.
geeze...I thought that I was losing my mind....but I know she was there...that she had talked to me....and I could still feel the incredible impact that her words and her 'appearance' had on me.
How did she know all this personal stuff about me? Just how did she know? I had never seen her before in my life....this was too strange for me. I thought about this entire incident for the rest of that day....by the time I went home after work, I had resigned myself to the fact that she must have been an angel....
Nope....in this little town, I had never seen her before. But you know what? I did see her one more time....I guess it was nearly 2, maybe 3 weeks later.
It was Father's Day....that now 'ex' had come home drunk and wanted to go out for dinner to his favourite restaraunt. He wouldn't allow the girls to come with us....didn't matter to him that it was father's day and that they wanted to come too...as usual, it was his way OR  his way...
For one thing, I didn't want to go out with him in the condition that he was in...I was used to him being this way and I had learned quickly in our life together, that going into public with him while he was like this, was going to be an excruitiatingly humiliating experience.....because not only was he drunk, he was also being obnoxious, aggressive...and well, everything else that goes with it. I had no choice to go out with him that day...it was either go on my own 2 feet or go with him his way...and I knew that I didn't want that. All  could do the whole time, was to pray, yes pray, the entire time, that we could get thru this whole thing quickly and with the least amount of humilation etc as possible.
We get into this 'favourite' restaraunt of his.....he orders more booze....saki of all things, one of the worst booze related drinks for him to tolerate....and before you know it, he is creating awful scenes with me in this place.
Thankfully, for me....there was no one else in the place to eat at that time....no one else to hear him...no one else to see.....no one else to see what I was feeling, going thru.....how he was treating me.....ya right...so I thought. I got up to go use the washroom at one point.....and wouldn't you know it...there was someone else in the place....2 little old ladies sitting in a booth, only 2 spots away from us. Why I never saw them before, I do not know.....there hadn't even been a server attend their table. As I begin to walk past this table, this one little lady looks up at me....with a painfilled look in her eyes....and she just looked into my eyes as I walked by...never said a word to me....just let me walk by.....and it was this same lady that I was approached by at work only a few weeks earlier.
She had seen it and heard it all.....no more lies for me....and strangely enough....I knew that she already knew anyway.....I was only fooling myself back then.
I never saw her again tho....and things changed on a more dramatic note after that.....changing in very big ways.....within 6 months of that time, my kids and I were on our way to starting a new life...and a host of other great changes underway. Unbelieveable.
I still don't know what the purpose of her second visit to me was.....I do think that maybe she just wanted me to know that she knew all along that my life wasn't as I had portrayed it to her......that I didn't need to pretend anymore....and that she was there to help me get thru this and into safety.
And that is my experience with an angel!! I wish I could explain to you all how she looked, how she sounded, what she radiated.....but it is all just too unimaginable to the human mind to describe.....literally.
I know, she was not from this world.