Dear God, was that necessary?
Fiddler on the Roof is one of the all time favourites and classics, who can deny not enjoying it every time it plays?? I’ve watched it ever since we were little, visiting Grammy’s, and was probably too excited when we got our own copy several years ago! Oh joy! Ms. Tverbger at Our Rabbi Yeshua posted an interesting article talking about how Tevye talks when he prays to Yehovah. Someone recently asked how do you really have a relationship with Yehovah and feel like you have a friend, instead of just talking to the wall. I think it was timely that this article was posted.
Remember in Fiddler on the Roof how comfortable Tevya was saying what was on his mind to God, no matter what? You have to admit that Christian prayer seems distant and formal in comparison. But is this how Jews really pray, or is this just Hollywood?
How do you pray? Formally or like you’re having a heart to heart discussion with a true friend? We always say “oh what a friend we have Yeshua” but what does that really reflect in our relationship with him? I often find that it is more of a distant relationship because no one was ever discipled in the Scriptures by seasoned believers to know what that means. I really enjoyed Ms. Tverberg’s and Ms. Anne Spangler’s book, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Yeshua, that had some really good info on disciplining and how Yeshua taught his talmidim [disciples] in their traditional way. I am supposed to have already reviewed this and I hope to shortly – it was excellent!
Yehovah has been revealing to me somethings about how we as believers prayer today and I’ve found it’s usually not how Yeshua did or told us to pray. It’s actually been an interesting studying, but perhaps on that later on.
Anyways, I used to have trouble praying. It seems there are so many things to pray for that I just let Yehovah read my heart [he can anyway right?] instead of actually talking to him. I’ve done a lot of studying over the past two years that have really brought me closer to him and I’ll admit my prayers aren’t quite like Tevye’s but they are not just repeating the Lord’s Prayer or reciting my needs. He is my “Our Father in heaven….”.
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Posted By Miss Jocelyn Tzahala on October 27, 2009 | Category: God's Listening Ear, I Follow Yahushua HaMashyiach, Ponder Me This
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20 Responses to “Dear God, was that necessary?”
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Welcome to A Pondering Heart. Blessings to you in your visit here! This site is owned by a 18yo young lady, Miss Jocelyn who is striving to please Yahweh in everything she does. She is the second eldest daughter of two wonderful parents, sister to seven siblings, and "momma" to beautiful Nubian goats. Currently completing her education and serving Yahweh until she further serves him in marriage and motherhood. In hopes she might encourage ladies in a Scriptural-worldview she shares about her daily life, beliefs, and heart’s ponderings. Here you will find stories from life on the homestead, encouragement, the Scriptures, photography, reviews, giveaways, memes, and much more!
When I first became a Christian I had no idea how to pray or what I was supposed to do so my prayers were a complete shambles.
A year later, I still don’t pray ‘formally’ so to speak…like I don’t use overly formal language, I talk to God like a friend, I guess? but I do try to structure my prayers in some way or else I get kind of confused…there’s so much I want to say to Him I have to organise it somehow! Usually start with worship and praise and then move on to talking to Him about what’s on my heart lately, prayers for other people, more worship…it depends.
I actually have the most trouble with worship and praise which is why I start there. Not because I don’t want to praise Him! But because I just don’t know what to say. I get lost for words and just sit there saying wow, You’re SO…wonderful and merciful and worthy of all praise…I can’t think of specific things. Sometimes I read Psalms out to Him because a lot of them say what I want to say but can’t get the words out for. I don’t know if that’s weird :s lol.
Anyway great post as usual! (yes I’m a creepy lurker that doesn’t comment much :D teehee) God Bless!
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I have to agree with you on the point that prayer is evolving for me as well. I still say the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning, but then I also as Yeshua for guidance in hearing his and Yehovah’s wishes for my life, and decisions.
It is hard sometimes though, to “hear” them. This is a struggle I am working through.
Have a blessed day!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Changes and a Move! =-.
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I have never been good about “formal” prayer. So I don’t like to pray at church because everybody else seems to have a lock on how to pray. I pray best by myself and I pray out loud. Mostly while driving in the car. And I talk to God like I am talking to a friend. I read a book years ago (and, I’m sorry, but I can’t remember the book) that had a character in it that pulled up an empty chair across from him and talked to God like he was talking to a friend sitting in the chair. That made such an impression on me. It made me realize that my prayers don’t have to be “formal” and they don’t have to make perfect sense. As you mentioned, God knows my heart and he knows me, so they just have to be a conversation with God. He knows that I ramble and go into great detail while I am talking to my friends so why would he expect anything different from me. In fact, one friend suggested I might be insulting Him by worrying about the wording of my prayers as if He were an acquaintance judging me instead of a personal friend who longed to hear my voice.
And I may be totally wrong. I just remember my grandmother stopping in the middle of the pea patch in the middle summer, looking up, closing her eyes, and saying “Thank You, Lord for the breeze” and thinking she’s talking to a friend.
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Yes, I too have found it doesn’t have to be formal, like you think it would have to be. I have heard what I do for prayer called “breath prayers”. They are just prayers you say on the go and from your heart. Not formal at all. Like say I had a friend I was praying for. My prayer would be something like this, probably even more informal…
“Oh, my, Lord, please be with her and help her through this tough time. Oh, that must be so hard to face right now with everything else going on in her life. Please give her wisdom and comfort her heart.” Something like that. Sometimes, I don’t even form whole sentences. It’s more like thoughts from me to God. I talk to Him just like I do to my best friends and my sister. Like he is there with me. After all, He already knows my needs, the needs of the people I am praying for, and what is going to happen in the future! So I basically am just crying out to God to be with them and comfort their hearts usually, for healing and protection. :)
Sometimes, I pray scripture as well. Not entire scriptures, but more bits and pieces from different ones. Like I have a verse I have been repeating to myself this week, but I don’t always use the entire verse (I am still memorizing it), but the Lord comforts me with just the bits and pieces, I don’t NEED the whole thing, word for word. :) So those sometimes make me feel closer to God and like He is having a conversation with me, privately, and what He has to say is just to me, and that makes me feel close to Him. :)
Blessings!
~Rachel~
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Prayer for a New Car…and a Friend =-.
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I like that movie too! Esp. when he sings “If I Were A Rich Man”. We have some male goats that sounds JUST like him sometimes!! LOL!
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I loved this Joc! You’re exactly right!
Something that I noticed recently when reading the psalms is that David was very blunt and bold when he was praying to God. He wasn’t afraid to ask God to conquer the people who were troubling him.
And if we can’t be honest with God who can we be honest with?
It’s so refreshing to be able to kneel and just pour your heart out to him. And that is exactly what he wants us to do!!
Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention!
Love and hugs,
Ellie
.-= Miss Ellie´s last blog ..People and Hair. =-.
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Great post Jocelyn. I’ve had Sitting at the Feet of Jesus on my bedside table for several months, but have been sidetracked with some home school books that I have been reading and some other things Hubby and I have been studying. I need to pick it up. About 15 years ago I went through an illness that was not deadly but made me feel like I wanted to die. During that time when many hours I could only lay flat on my bed in pain, I had so much time to talk to God and I learned to talk to Him as a friend. Though that illness has left me with chronic, painful migraines, I do praise Him for all the things He taught me spiritually during that time. I am respectful of God and His Holiness, but I do feel I can talk to Him openly about anything and I’m so thankful for that. When the world closes in around me I know there is always someone I can go to. I don’t know why we aren’t discipled more in prayer. It’s such a VITAL aspect of our relationship with Him!
.-= Theresa´s last blog ..I Don’t Want To Be A Casual Christian =-.
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Individual Prayer to our Saviour is sacred, pure & of divine nature…
HE hears every word, HE enjoys every moment, as HIS child, no matter what is said, HE wants to hear all…
Blessings dear Jocelyn…
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“Tomorrow morning, if YOU wake up & the sun does not appear… I will be there !
I will be there, when you feel like being quiet, when you need to speak your mind, I will listen & I will be there, when your laughter turns to crying, we’ll be together, cause I will be there…
Tomorrow morning, if YOU wake up & the future isn’t clear… I, I will be there…
As sure as seasons were made for change, life times were made for challenges, I will be there…
I will be there, so you can cry on MY shoulder, when the mirror tells you that you’re older, I will be there, to watch you grow in beauty & tell you all that you mean to ME…
I will be there, I will be true to all the promises I have made, to you & to all my children…
Just as sure as seasons were made for change, life times were made for ease, I will be there & we will be together…
Cause I, your Heavenly Father, will always be there..!”
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I’ve been improving in this area recently. I just don’t think repeating the same words over and over again is the same as actually pouring out your heart to Yehovah. Thanks for such a wonderful post! I haven’t seen Fiddler on the Roof but now that you’ve mentioned it, I really want to!
.-= Paulina´s last blog ..I Like The Online You Better =-.
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Miss Jocelyn's Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Yes you must see it! I cannot believe there are people who haven’t. lol :P
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Miss Toria's Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Just fast-forward when he’s in bed….it’s a wicked dream, or so we’re told because we’ve always fast-forwarded that part!
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Fiddler on the Roof is also one of my favorites! (I actually have some of the the songs from the movie on my Ipod. =p)
As for prayer, I just think of how many times in Scripture that the Creator is referred to as “the Father”. I believe we are to take that literally when we talk to him – like we would our parents.
I think Christians go to polar opposites in prayer:
- They are either too lax (remember those horrible “Jesus is my homeboy” T-shirts?) where they talk to God just like they would to one of their friends, with absolutely no respect……
- Or, they are way too formal, like they are trying to communicate with a stubborn dictator and put nothing of themselves into the prayer whatsoever.
When we go to Him like a Father, we are able to put ourselves into the prayer, relaying our concerns or joyfulness or whathaveyou like we would to a good friend, but still keep a level a respect in there (after all, He IS the Creator of the Universe and we are just but lowly servants).
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Amen! I too, used to have a lot of difficulty with my praying. I praise the LORD that He has helped me a great deal in this area!! Now – I tend to talk to Him at the oddest moments – concerning just about any topic. I praise HIM that He has brought me that much closer to HIM!! Praise the LORD! :)
To the KING be all the glory!
Rebekah
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
.-= Rebekah´s last blog ..Sewing Day =-.
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This reminds me of a movie that we usually watch around the fall feasts..”Ushpizin” You may have seen it I love one scene where the wife is sitting on the balcony of their tiny apartment. The shot is tight at her head and shoulders, she is smoking a cigarette. She is saying “You are amazing. Do you know how much I love you?” At first we are to think she is talking to her husband. But as the camera pulls back we see that she is alone and is talking with HaShem (her heavenly Bridegroom). There is another scene where the husband is sitting on a park bench and he is talking out loud to the thin air. But as he continues we see that he also is praying and ends up shaking his fists in frustration as his prayers become passionate and overtake him.
This movie is set in modern day Jerusalem in a Chassidic community during the feast of Sukkot. It shows several different expressions of prayer and is very real and authentic. I highly recommend it. It ranks up there with Fiddler in our house.
Blessings on your journey,
Teresa/Navah
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This is a great post! Wow, it had me thinking! Psalms is such an amazing example of how we should pray and is a great tool for while we are praying. David is an amazing example about how we should pray and so are many other people, weither from Biblical time or from now!
.-= Maggie´s last blog ..Photography Contest =-.
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Isn’t Fiddler about a bunch of sisters who rebel against their father?
(I haven’t seen it in many, many years, so I may be amiss here.)
God bless,
~Hannah L.
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Miss Jocelyn's Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I would say Chava is the only one really in rebellion, though I think Hodel could also be considered rebellious too in her engagement. However, that is not the main theme of the story (about the daughters). :)
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Yes, I recently read that you cant just say in prayer – please forgive my sins, you are not really sorry for them that way and so you are not forgiven, fogivness only comes out of those who confess the sins they remeber doing, I am really careful now (or try to be :D) and I always add after I have tried to ask forgivness for every sin I can remeber ‘please forgive me for all the unintentional sins!’
Blessings,
Meggie4u
.-= Meggie4u´s last blog ..Tagged by Chelonia =-.
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Lol, I love that movie too. :) That one scene where he prays it really at first doesn’t strike one that he’s actually “praying”. So many people don’t realize that prayer is just talking to the Lord, not something of a contest to try and outdo the next person and see how formal and fancy you can get with the words.
.-= Sarah.j.s.´s last blog ..Chocolate Coconut Gluten Free Protein Bars =-.
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