Christians, what does it mean to you to pray for the glory of God?

Question

I was reading something today about this passage in James:

James 4:2b You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

The book I was reading asked the question: Are you praying for that your own desires or for the glory of God?

I've meditated on these verses some and thought about this fairly often but I'd like more insight if any of you have some to share. What does it mean to pray for things that will bring glory to God? How does this fit in with praying for our own needs?

Thanks!

Answer 1

To pray in such a way that it gives God the credit. That it furthers God's plan and not our agenda.

Answer 2

Praise is the form of prayer which recognises most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God, (Rom. 8:16) testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them forward toward him who is its source and goal; the one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist. (1 Cor. 8:6) The Doxology of the Eucharistic Prayer in the Sacrifice of the Mass contains these words: "Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen."

Answer 3

One thing that it can mean is that you pray that the decisions that you make and the life that you live would glorify God because you are seeking to do His will here on earth.

Matthew 26:39  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Matthew 5:14  "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Philippians 2:14  Do all things without complaining and disputing,  15  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  5  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  

6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

Answer 4

The Bible says that when we pray according to the will of God, He hears us, and He will answer our prayers.

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to HIS WILL, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." (1 John 4:14-15)

Now, what is the will of God? One way is to look at Jesus' ministry on earth, because Jesus is the will of God in action. Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

Is it God's will to heal? Two-thirds of Jesus' ministry on earth was spent on healing the sick.

Is it God's will to prosper? Jesus blessed the fishermen with a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish. He multiplied 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed 5,000 men, with 12 basketfuls of leftovers.

Is it God's will for married couples to enjoy a blessed marriage? Jesus  turned the water into wine at a wedding in Cana, which was His first miracle. Psalm 128:3 describes a blessed man and his wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of his house.

Now, when we pray according to His will, we are believing in His promises. Because under the new covenant, all the promises of God are Yes and Amen in Christ, to the GLORY OF GOD through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

God is glorified when His promises become true and manifested in our lives. Why not? Imagine a father whose children are poor, sick and needy even though he is rich and well able to provide for his family. That doesn't reflect well on him.

Similarly, when we - the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ - are healthy, whole, prosperous and blessed, we reflect well on Abba Father. Our blessedness in Christ glorifies Him.

The apostle John conveys God's desires for our well-being by writing, "Beloved, I pray that you may PROSPER in all things and be in HEALTH, just as your soul prospers." (3 John 2) That isn't a selfish prayer because unless we first experience His blessings, we cannot be a blessing to others effectively.

Hence, Jesus said to His disciples, "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8) We are blessed to be a blessing, just as God blessed Abraham to be a blessing to many nations - "I will make you a great nation; I WILL BLESS YOU and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12:2)

Did Abraham try to be "humble" and decline God's blessings, saying he is not worthy to receive God's goodness? No, thank God Abraham isn't religious (in the negative sense). Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. In fact, Abraham's faith in God's promises glorifies Him.

The Bible says, "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, GIVING GLORY TO GOD, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:20-21)

Hence, the Bible also says "Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a REWARDER of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

In conclusion, our faith in God's promises (as written in His Word) glorifies Him. Does that mean we should keep asking God for material things and become greedy and selfish? No, in fact, the more we know and experience His goodness and love, the more we are being transformed by His love, and we can't help but want to be a blessing to others, out of an OVERFLOW.

King David is such a man after God's own heart. The Lord has blessed him with abundance of good things, yet David had a generous heart and even desired to build God a house to dwell in. For all his wealth, David did not attach himself to material things. Instead, he used his possessions to honour the Lord. Towards the end of his reign, David declared: "For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You." (1 Chronicles 29:14)

God bless you, sister kl.

Answer 5

praying for his glory will  bring our needs because god cares about our needs we are to tell him our needs but we should be doing so for his glory because we know he is every thing.

Answer 6

In alignment with James, our only need is truth.To think God would not provide us with that is the epitome of arrogance. It is His pleasure and our heritage as his sons to know God's will and truth.

When we think we are on our own in our decisions, we are glorifying the ego, not God.

Trying to fit God's answer into our conditions is asking wrongly. But be compassionate with self and others. We will all, in the end, know how to know God's will.

Answer 7

I pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I also pray that when my fleshly, *runaway* will gets out of sink with His, as it has been known to do at times, that I would have the teachable spirit and bendable neck to receive His rebuke and administer my cross.

Dying to self is an important element in being a vessel that brings forth the glory of God and desires the glory of God.

I look at the apostle Paul's life and I can see clearly the glory of God. That guy not only had a supernatural ministry, almost like no one else, save Pete, but he went the extra mile in sacrificing for God and for God's children - (love). He said that he died daily and gloried in those under His care - Christ being developed in them. (1Cor.15:31; Gal. 4:19) Paul was coming from a place of maturity. He was more than a minister, he was a father. True fathers are concerned with their children's needs AND development. He had matured to that place where God could entrust him with fathering His children. And I think that is what James is pointing out here, that they (the ones he's addressing) have some growing up to do both in their relationship with God and with what they are seeking.

He tells thems that don't have because they haven't asked which points to a lack in their walk with God, and he tells them that their motives are immature. He's saying, "It's not all about you!"

Some people think God is there to revolve around them and meet their every need and desire and they don't even consider that maybe they're supposed to revolved around Him and His will.

Now there's nothing wrong with praying for our needs. Jesus commanded us to. But it's one thing to pray for our needs, it's quite another to be obsessed with ourselves. Immature people are obsessed with themselves tend to be focused on their own glory and comfort.

Dr. Henry Cloud once said, "Immature people expect life to meet all of their demands while mature people meet the demands of life."

I think mature Christians are focused on adapting to Jesus' command to serve one another and help one another grow up in maturity in Christ like James was. Clearly that doesn't always mean doing things that make people happy. It's impossible to be a mature Christian and a people pleaser!

A few closing thoughts -

"A final message our love should send is this: I'll do all I can to help inflame your new nature. I'll also stand against your flesh when necessary." -Dwight Edwards

"Love says, 'I'll go through discomfort or fights with you if that will create growth [in your life].'" - Dr. John Townsend

"The friends that make us grow are the ones that hold us accountable and responsible for all of our actions." -Dr. Henry Cloud

"You love people maturely to help (them) become righteous, not happy with a full tummy and feeling better about themselves - that's just not the goal. Some people before they can get well, need to feel crummy about themselves and you need to be an agent of that..." -Dr. John Townsend

When we grow in God, His glory shines through our lives in greater measures!

Answer 8

Great to see you reading the Word of God!

Ok, Christians are bought with a price (Jesus Christ) and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit,

1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

And not to sound too like- over the top, but given that we are born again, "New Creations" in Him, after a little while, or for some people it is immediate, we want what God wants.

So we would pray in align with His will and not for the lusts of the flesh.

But it is fine I'm sure until we gain some of the meat of God, to pray for that HSV (Holden Special Vehocle)

+or a trip to Australia :-) when it is totally out of lust for the bloke you just met...

Hope I'm making things a little easier for you to understand.

Are you a Believer and follower of Christ?

x

Le7

Answer 9

I would say that praying for the glory of God means giving a selfless prayer. Simply take your will completely out of your mind, and focuss on God's will. An example would be asking for food; Won't God be able to use you much better if you are alive? Or maybe you need money for travel expenses to go to that mission field that God told you to minister to, then request money.

Obviously prayers that are glorifying to God aren't just limited to requesting things for yourself.  Will praying for your friend's mother who has cancer bring Glory to God? I would say absolutely so! Showing love towards others is certainly an act of bringing glory to God.

So in short, my answer to your question is:

A prayer that brings glory to God is simply a completely selfless prayer. A prayer in which the intentions are not in the least bit focused on simply benefiting yourself.

So it's not so much the actual words, but more the motive(though I think it would be rather hard to ask for a Macbook pro with selfless intentions. A big problem that I see commonly is that people try to convince themselves that something they are doing or requesting will bring glory to God, but really doesn't/won't).

Answer 10

Remember playing that game "telephone" when you were a kid?

You know, someone whispers "Elephant" and they whisper to the next kid, who whispers to the next kid, and after many kids it comes out as "Giraffe".

Stories were told to children and they told those stories to their children and then finally they were written down, and then those stories were translated and re-translated through the generations... until we have hundreds of religious denominations, and several translations of the Bible.

Why is there the New Translation, The New International Version, The Living Word, The King James Version, The Douay Version, etc.?

Go see what the same passage says in other versions.

I have several translations on my book shelf and decided to look for myself, and they all say something slightly different, with The Living Bible referencing wanting to fight and kill for the things we want.

Who knows what James was thinking or heard or originally wrote down 2000 years ago.

Sheesh.

Answer 11

HI

I know that I pray that God be glorified in everything.  I know that I am much happier when I don't pray out of selfishness, but pray earnestly that others come to know Jesus.

We don't have to pray for our needs, God has already promised to supply them!

Answer 12

It means that you should not pray for what is best for you, but to pray for what best pleases God. If you do this, He will provide for you because He knows you better than you know yourself.

Answer 13

If I were Christian I would pray that I'm not s******g up God's plan with my prayers.  See, God has this plan and if I pray for something else, isn't that kind of selfish and thoughtless of me?  And if I was going to get what I wanted anyway, should it really matter if I bothered God for it?  It's better to give thanks and be happy I was in God's plans, otherwise, I wouldn't be here!  OR maybe I'd be here talking to myself and no one else, which also makes the whole procedure kind of pointless.

Answer 14

Glorify your Name, Glorify your Name, Glorify your Name in all the earth.

When God answers our specific prayers, we are to thank God & give God the Glory. For He is Great & greatly to be praised.

Every answered prayer & expression of love from God should result of our glorifying God.

Answer 15

To pray for the Glory of God is to be filled with His Holy Spirit. To spread the Gospel everywhere we go, for the time is so short.

I pray for wisdom to testify for Christ and wisdom to recognize evil spirits, there are plentiful now days.

In prayer first I Glorify my Father, I praise Him and Thank Him for all He is doing in my life. My children and all of my grandchildren.  I pray for those in need, those who do not know where to turn for assistance's.

Always for the people of Darfur, Sudan,

The Congo, Zimbabwe, for our Military  and the Coalition Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. For truth and justice for the poor, for the ones that are being oppressed.

I always ask God to lead me,guide me in the path He has declared that I follow. I pray that God will help to have a better prayer life with Him and to be a Blessing for someone in need today so that He may be Glorified.

Answer 16

What glorifies God?

Answer: When our lives are a living witness...being kind to others...Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

...It's NOT that I have attained this, but we are all to earnestly covet the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way...WHATEVER we do, when we eat or drink or go about our business, it is to be done for the glory of God...if we spent ENOUGH time in worshipful prayer (I've NEVER done this) why can't the Glory of God be our ONLY goal?

As for God meeting our needs, I would refer anyone to Hebrews 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

"God having provided some better thing"  is on my mother's headstone. It is a sure promise.

Answer 17

It means are you praying for your own means and objectives

Or are You praying for God's Will be done

In another words What Is Your Motive.

If you do not do it for the Glory of God you are wasting your time

On judgment day God will surely let you see your motives

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>...

Now we move to the second part of your question

This verse will tell the story.

Psalms Chapter 37 verse 4

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

If you listen to God's still Small voice and obey Him

God will give you something in your heart that no money will ever be able to buy

In addition He will supply you needs in such a loving way

You will be in complete joy.

God knows what we need more than we do

I must put the icing on this 3 layer cake

John 10:27

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Gorgeous question ,It has been my pleasure.

May God Bless All Of You

P.S. I believe I answered your question and I am really pleased that this should help.

Give someone else the 10 points.

That would make me happy because there are some fine answers that people took there time to answer from their heart.

I have been rewarded by the love I felt reading them.