When you pray do you usually picture anything in your mind?
398789
When I pray I try to visualize what I am praying about, either what I'm thankful for or what I'm asking for.  For me it keeps me focused and keeps my mind from wandering, especially during longer prayers.
894350
Only when daydreaming
928717
I sometimes do. The Lord will put someone on my heart and reveal the problem. That way I can send them a note or call them, and I know how to pray for them too.
1182517
Well, there are many different ideas on prayer and how it works. It is true, though, if everything is predetermined, then there is no point to prayer (at least prayer to change things). \n\nHowever, it would seem from the Bible that we are to pray to change things. Specifically, I think about Jesus  talking to his disciples about prayer and telling them about the women who stands outside the judges house and begs for his intervention and is eventually persuaded to act. And when Jesus teaches the disciples to pray he says "... give us today our daily bread...," a specific request. Additionally, we are told that God delights to give us the desires of our hearts, and uses the example of a parent delighting in giving a good gift to their child. \n\nThe problem of prayer is only one of many many problems with the theology of predestination. Here is a link to an essay on Open Theology. It is a biblical based theology that says perhaps God does not even know exactly what will happen in the future, no less has it all planned out. http://www.franciscan-anglican.com/Foreknowledge.htm\n\nGood luck to you in you theological struggles. Wisdom, grace, and peace to you!\n\nAddendum for your addition:\nYou seem to ask the question about God's plan through the lens of predestination. A plan is just that; a plan. If I say that I have a plan for my vacation, I am expressing to you my hope or perhaps intention. I think that this is closer to what God has for us. However, I think that we are also active participants in that plan. If God wanted little robots then God would not have created free will at all. Additionally, how specific is this plan? I think that God has a plan that all of us would be fulfilled and spiritually mature. But that doesn't say anything about whether I should be a doctor or farmer or move here or date this person. I could fulfill God's plan for my life on any of those paths.\n\nBut there is also this implicit idea that your will and God's will are likely to be in conflict or at least incongruent. However, if God has created you and knows you and your interests, experiences, etc., it seems most likely that God's plan and your true desires would naturally fall into line. If you want your best and God wants your best then your desires are God's desires. Jesus said "My yoke is light and burden easy." Relax. All will be well.. :) Peace
663028
When you're thinking you're talking to yourself in your head. So obviously its your own voice you hear. If you were thinking of a particular incident(e.g. a date), you recall the visions, sights, smells, sounds and voices. You remember exactly as you stored that information in your brain right?
433429
The thoughts that run through your mind
696927
When do i think what?
419234
Yes it does.  If you truely do not believe in a higher power, why would you pray?  Sounds like a sarcastic question to me.
825952
I got into that a while back. I was indoctrinated by someone who had me bring some offerings such as an orange, a handkerchief and some other items to a ceremony where he uttered my "magical" word. Mine was "Om". I was to take this magical word and chant it in my mind continuously while I closed my eyes and sat in meditation for around 15 minutes. 2 minutes in the beginning to clear you mind and think of nothing, then repeat the magical word over and over again for the rest of the time. Towards the end, stop for another 2 minutes and think of nothing, then slowly open my eyes. If I'd open too fast, or stop in the middle of my meditation, I usually got a bad headache immediately.\n\nSeems to work for me, but it was definetely not better than praying in Islam.
495129
i have actually thought some of those things myself. I do feel selfish sometimes when it slips out when i ask God for petty things. i try to remember that God already knows what i need so theres no point in asking;   but i always pray for all the Mom's and babies in the world every day. and i always thank God for everything he has given me and my family. I hope that makes sense. I try to keep my prayers beyond winning the game etc. but i commonly ask God just to 'help' me or others just in general if they just need a boost.
156895
You can pray, "empty your thoughts," make sure you have everything sorted out for the next day....\n\nAnd learn to include the word "get" in your question.  :D
746455
Yes I pray, no set number of times, and I pray for whatever is needed.  I pray just to thank God for the blessings he gives me many times a day.  The first thing I say every morning is Thank you Lord for this beautiful day (no matter what the weather is that day).
742006
yes...praying is talking to God...while building ur relationship with him and doing ur daily walk, u will want to pray and talk to him as much as possible...when i pray, i make sure to thank him...in everything, give thanks, then i tell him i love him and then lift prayer requests to him...u can pray anywhere...anywhere at all!  at school, before you eat (to bless the food), going down the road, while reading ur bible, in ur bed before you go to sleep, when you wake up, in the shower...absolutli anywhere, absolutli anytime!  my favorite place to pray is the alter...it's supposed to be meeting with God and u can feel his pressence the strongest there...prayer is amazing and you should definatli do it!  good luck and i'll be sure to pray for you!  :]]
247384
I think when you wish for something you know it your heart it may not come true..it's just a chance ..but with prayer, you know in your heart god is listening to you and it really may happen and and if not he'll at least help with it...so wishing is just playful..praying is more serious...
900572
there was one time when i started praying very hard to god....things were not going good in the family...so i just had to rely on him...at point this happened...i started getting vision of the future..in the beginning i used to see the future of my dad only....they were negative in nature, yet came true.i even got a vision of 2004's election where i saw bush cheating to stay in whitehouse.  this came true too....everytime i saw all this i felt helpless cuz i knew that i had no power to change anything...after some time i  just got fed up...n once again i started  telling god not to show me this kind of stuff...but it was of no avail...i kept getting those visions...i got frustrated...then once i cried during prayer..i screamed 'please, have mercy on me'....after this i never saw anything else...i returned back to my normal life.
498952
i do believe in prayers and the power behind the prayers.i cannot say how many in numbers have come true, but it has been alot. i learned the hard way that not all that i ask for i get. one has to remember that what we want may not be what God wants us to have. sometimes the answer is no and we have to accept that. i love to pray cause God is always there for me and he knows me inside and out, and accepts me the way i am. he does answer prayers so don't stop! remember: P U S H - pray until something happens!! God bless you!!
1149620
What works for me is every morning when I get in the shower I start of by singing a praise song and then I ask the Holy Spirit to channel the course of my thoughts and direct me in my prayers. I always try to "pray God's Word back to Him". In other words as I'm giving the Lord the burdens that are on my heart I'll say something like "You Word says such and such about this situation but I'm having trouble...". \n\nAnother tip to having valuable prayer time is to be thinking of what God's revealed will for situations is in the Bible and praying along those lines. As to praying without ceasing, for me that means that throughout the day when something bothers me I say a quick prayer about it when I have a chance. I might go outside on a break if I'm at work or something like that and pray where people can't overhear me.