Prayer for useful things

When God speaks, the only appropriate attitude seems to be to listen and fulfill his will. However, the first prayers we commonly know from our lives and the Scriptures are praying prayers. Man feels weak, exposed to security, asking God for help. That’s where it comes from the definition of prayer as suggested by St. Basil – “a request about the appropriate thing with which pious people turn to God. “
Here and there, voices rise against this “begging of favor” in heaven. In ancient times, Marcus Aurelius already criticized this attitude: “We should not impose our will of God, but, unconditionally accept the will of his. ” In a Christian setting, this sentiment the Quietism leaned forward. Their reason is valid when they think that God is only a general law or immutable idea. There is no discussion with laws or ideas. These require complete subordination.

On the contrary, relationships with a person are necessarily dialogical. And a real conversation presupposes a hearty chat and submission of suggestions from both sides. It’s big the privilege we have been given: God created us to talk to him; not only does he address us in words, but he also listens to what we call him and wants to hear our pleas. We read about examples of such requests on almost every page of the Old Testament. It will stand out even more, when we compare biblical prayers, especially grief, with Babylonian or Egyptian prayers. Literary criticism points to many external similarities. And yet, there is a significant difference. In the Egyptian cult, he was very impersonal, official.

The Babylonians celebrated the deity with many celebratory titles. The Jews, on the other hand, we’re aware of their special relationship with God. Yahweh closed with Abraham, the covenant, and is always ready to help his people if they turn to him. To better understand the mystery of the divine. Fatherhood, we must have the basic principles
of the incarnation of the Son of God before our eyes. By becoming a God-Man, did not diminish the value of man but rather improved it.
Human dignity includes free will. Primitive the church fought as a delusion the so-called monotheism, which he assumed that Christ did not have a human will, that is to say, was replaced by divine will.

In modern times, N. Berdyaev writes against the “too much servile “concept of God’s will in the sermons. God is The Creator; man is his image, so he must be creative with him. Like a true father from us, God expecting proposals, plans. He accepts them categorically and is willing to cooperate to realize if they can join a large mosaic image of the universe.
In simple words, this situation is expressed in the Gospel the following challenge: “Ask, and you will receive; look for, and you will find; knock, and it will open to you! Because everyone he asked received and that seekers are finders, and he knocked, it will open. After all, who is among you that will give your own son a stone when he asks for bread? Or if he asks him for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If so, you, though evil, can give to your children good gifts, the more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him ”(Mt 7: 7-11).