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Can prayer be selfish?
Today’s Question: “Is it selfish to pray for healing for ourselves or others? How about praying for success when we’re looking for a job? Sometimes prayer seems self-serving, but didn’t Jesus teach us to ask for these benefits?”
My Answer: Now, Friend, there’s a tricky question that never goes away! On the one hand, the Bible teaches us to accept suffering as a normal part of human life in this fallen and broken world. We’re taught to face unpleasant circumstances with grace and dignity. But, on the other hand, we also learn from the Bible that we’re to ask God for things. We’re taught to ask not just for what we need, but also for what we want. How can both ideas be true? Where’s the balance?
And that’s just it. Both ideas are true. There is a balance point.
As background, if you’re the analytic sort, prayer can be broken down into five categories: praise, thanksgiving, confession/reconciliation, intercession, and supplication. (True confession time. In other articles, I have broken prayer into just four categories, omitting confession/reconciliation. And still other times, I have broken prayer into two categories: speaking and listening. So, don’t get hung up on these five categories. It’s a literary tool, and nothing more).