Prayer Transcripts

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Someone on the Christian Radio station asked,  "If you had a transcript of all of the prayers you said in the last year, what would it reveal about you?"  She asked if we thought our transcripts would show that our prayers had been more about making our lives easier, or developing our character to be more like our Saviors.  How much gratitude will we have given in contrast to requests made?

I have also read an article that suggested we pray for the things where our will and God's will overlap.  In a Christian story I read, the character explained that instead of asking for a piano, she would ask for the opportunity to develop her talent.  Instead of asking to be able to go on an exotic vacation, she might ask for the opportunity to learn about other cultures and peoples.  If she wanted someone to treat her better, she would ask instead that she would learn to love them no matter what.  She knew that it was possible that she would get answers to those prayers in ways she hadn't imagined, but she believed that God would answer them.

I do think it would be interesting to see the transcripts of a year of my prayers.  I have had thankful prayers, and prayers where my mind wandered all over and so the prayer kept getting off track.  I've gotten stuck in plenty a prayer rut where prayers were feeling a little repetitive, and I've had other prayers where I felt like Heavenly Father was helping me to know exactly what to say.  I am sure that I often pray for what I want, without even taking the time to consider what God wants. 

I am thankful for people who share what they have learned, and ask questions that give me good things to think about.  My hope is to continually learn to pray better, so that if I did see a transcript of my prayers, they would lean more to learning God's will than asking for mine, and that they would be more full of gratitude than a constant list of what I want.