this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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Freedom of religion. Just -- you know -- not your religion. (lemmy.world)
submitted 9 months ago by GabrielBell12fi to c/tumblr
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (3 children)

There seems to be a misunderstanding here. I assume you're referring to Psalm 55. Psalm 55:16-19 (NLT):

But I will call on God,
and the Lord will rescue me.
Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress,
and the Lord hears my voice.
He ransoms me and keeps me safe
from the battle waged against me,
though many still oppose me.
God, who has ruled forever,
will hear me and humble them.

That's not a mandate, it's a description of how often David prayed. But there is a mandate in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

God is always listening, and He doesn't like it when prayers (as in people who pray) babble just to check boxes. The same almost certainly applies to scheduled prayers. If there's a legitimate purpose, there's nothing wrong with that, but praying just because it's praying time doesn't make sense. Especially since we're supposed to keep the comms open all the time anyways.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Thanks, i thought it was explicitly stated.

[–] rustydomino 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Not sure how you are interpreting the Thessalonians verse, which EXPLICITLY says “never stop praying” as god doesn’t like it when people pray for no reason. Seems to me that, at least for this specific verse, this is exactly what god wants.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

I didn't mean that was how I was interpreting Thessalonians. That bit instead stems from Jesus talking about how to pray. He said something along the lines of "don't babble like pagans, who think they'll be heard because of their many words."

"Never stop praying," depending on how you read it, either means "be praying at literally every moment," "never abandon the practice of prayer," or some more vague "be in the attitude of prayer all the time." I always thought it was the latter, as some translations say "pray without ceasing." The first just doesn't make sense. I'll have to do some more research later. But that's why I said "we're supposed to keep the comms open all the time anyways."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I'm back with more research. In the original Greek, the word used there was "adialeiptōs," which is typically translated as "without ceasing." Looking up its definition, I got "without intermission, incessantly, without ceasing." The word was also used as part of the following verses (KJV because it's a more direct translation):

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers (Romans 1:9)

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

And in adjective form:

that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. (Romans 9:2)

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day (2 Timothy 1:3)

The most common interpretation among theologians seems to be the "keep the comms open" kind of thing, but it looks like another valid interpretation, especially given that last verse, is more like "don't take any days off from prayer." Nor periods of the day. In other words, be praying a lot, and never pause that practice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice

That's just playing The Sims.