Questions about Prayer

Does praying for something that is not happening in your life now, mean that you are going against God's will for your life? Can you ask others to pray for you to help you get what you want?

Prayer has been a huge part of my life since I was a girl. I have had many answers to prayers and it seems my heart is often drawn out in prayer. I had many people pray for me when we were trying to conceive Joseph (and Caroline and Henry for that matter). When we were nearing the end of the IVF process with Joseph, we had a family fast and broke the fast together, and many friends joined us in the fasting and prayer. It was a great source of support at the time. If I am praying about temporal needs, I still think that is okay, like finding a job, or being led to people who can help meet my family's needs. If it is a more selfish motivation, I still think it is okay to ask, but I don't think that prayers will be all that helpful if I am praying in the wrong direction. The act of prayer is something however that requires me to examine my goals and motivations and determine if I feel they are aligned with God's desires for me and my life. The examination is an important process, and part of the reason why mighty prayer is referred to as work. That is something I have learned about prayer lately.

I have been praying for the same thing for over 10 years (the opportunity to be a mom at home with my kids) and have yet to receive the answer I want to that prayer. However, I have had the burden lifted and my life has gone in directions where I can see that the time was not right for me to have what I have asked for. My current situation has been necessary to make other important things happen in my life. But there have been times when I have felt that my prayers have been in vain, and that I felt far from my Father in Heaven. When I have changed the way I pray, asking for guidance on what to pray about, I have felt those answers in terms of lifting the burdens, making them easier to bear, and lifting the despair and grief that I have sometimes felt. I still pray for this desired outcome, which I feel is a righteous one, but I have a new perspective on it these days.