When you pray for someone, how are you praying? 
	Do you put your energy into the prayer, taking personal 
responsibility for the outcome, trying to direct the results by asking 
that something turns out a specific way (how you'd like to see it)?
	Or do you pray simply?
	Perhaps God is already aware of the situation and is letting 
the person have what the person has worked towards - exercise of
free will.
	Are any of us really in a position to tell God to do things 
differently?

		"Our Father, who art in heaven,
		hallowed be Thy name.
		Thy kingdom come, Thy Will be done,
		on earth as it is in heaven.
		Give us this day our daily bread.
		Forgive us our trespasses,
		as we forgive those who trespass against us.
		And lead us not into temptation,
		but deliver us from evil.
		Amen"

	This is the only prayer Jesus taught us.  It is the only 
one we really need.

	Nowhere does it mention praying that something different
happens to or for someone else - only that each of us has our
needs met (we receive our "daily bread").
	Each of us chose the lessons we want to work on in this 
life before we even came into this life.
	If we assume someone needs us to pray to God on his/her 
behalf, we have just judged that person.  We have judged that 
person to be lacking in some way, and we have judged that we 
know what is better for that person.  Judging a person in this
way also implies God is not doing the job.
	Who am I to say God is doing anything wrong?

	The best way to pray, seemingly from Jesus' example, is
to ask that we be given the lessons we each need to live our
lives and accomplish the goals we each set for ourself.

	I can't find an instance when Jesus prayed for someone 
else.  As close as I could tell, He always simply FORGAVE THEM, 
and THAT always seemed enough to free them.

	Perhaps, even though I remain unaware of it, I set for 
myself a lesson which only a heart attack, stroke and diabetes 
can teach me.  Though I don't remember doing so, it is a path I 
chose.
	Someone's answered prayer, that I be spared that lesson,
will interfere with my achieving a life goal.  If it is a lesson 
I must learn, I will not be spared it for eternity. I will simply 
have to repeat it later (?in another lifetime?), when the other 
person's energy is not present to interfere.
	That person's energy in my space has just interfered with 
my soul's/spirit's progress.  That person has trespassed on my
energy.  I MUST forgive that person, or I leave some of my 
energy in that person's space; but I also ask God to show me 
how to avoid doing the same trespassing into others' space.
	It is not my place to put my energy into someone else's
space by praying for something specific to happen to/for
that person.
	The best we can pray for is that God gives us each what
we most need so we can accomplish what we, as individual spirits
yet parts of God, set out to do and help us not step on each 
other along the way!!!
	We NEED to ask God to enhance our understanding of what is 
set before us, rather than changing it to what we think we want.

	"Be careful what you ask for.  You're liable to get it!"

	I will pray to God that each of us is given what we
need.  And I will ask God to send healing energy to anyone, if
God thinks it is needed.
	I won't tell God to heal you, but it may not hurt to
get attention drawn to your plight... :-)

Hugs,
George

PS  Yes, I'm human, and still don't always get staying out
of others' space right! hehehe


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Written by George P Butler on May 11, 2001 (C)