JAH - Prayers with Faith

Return to Reasoning List

Here is a link to this page:
http://www.jah-rastafari.com/forum/message-view.asp?message_group=741&start_row=1

Prayers with Faith

1 - 10

Time Zone: EST (New York, Toronto)

Messenger: Ark I

Sent: 3/30/2005 11:27:12 PM

Some time ago I attended a bible study of a neighbour and friend. I attended the study once or twice to represent RasTafarI and observe the works.

After the studying of the scriptures, the men went to one side and the women went to another. Both groups were supposed to ask for something to be prayed for in the church. The requests were written down, and what I Iverstand from what they told I, the requests would be read in the church and the people of the church would pray for it.

One man asked for help finding a job, another asked for a promotion at their workplace, another asked for help in their studies, similar types of things were also requested of the others. When it came to I, I asked them to pray for more peace in the world, and for people to not suffer. I was told that I was supposed to ask for something personal and one bredren said, "don't you have anything that you need for yourself".

I said that anything I need from Jah I just ask Jah. I told them that I didn't need others to pray for I.

The bredren then asked, "don't you think that there will be more effect if the people at the church prayed for it", I told him that it was not necessary and that I just have to ask Jah, because I faith and trust is in the Most High.

He said, "but don't you think that there is more power because many people are praying for it". I told him that it didn't matter how many people say the prayer, if a man trust in Jah, then all they have to do is ask. I showed him that I faith is in Jah and I know that all I need to do is ask Jah for what I need.

The bredren persisted with this idea for some more time so I told him that it was truly necessary for the other people and himself to get their prayers answered by having a large number of people praying, but that it wasn't necessary for I. I told him that it is necessary for him and them because that is their faith. But that I have all I faith and trust in Jah, so all I have to do is ask for what I need and RasTafarI will give as RasTafarI chooses. I told them that it was better that they pray for others instead of praying for I.

Ark I
RasTafarI
Haile Selassie I

Messenger: Dreadnut

Sent: 3/31/2005 12:01:37 AM

People turning to doctrine instead of thinking, turning to religion before spirituallity.

Messenger: Jah Bird

Sent: 9/30/2008 8:09:35 AM

This is one of the reasons many people do not realize that the church is them selfs. Many think because their need is being asked by someone they do not have to do any effort and ask, bend that knee.
And I and I know that masses of prayers do not help,esspecially for personal reasons.

Ecclesiastes 5
1Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

7For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

Ark I raspect for the representation of Ras TafarI in this kind of situation.
blessed

Messenger: wahdahdah

Sent: 9/30/2008 8:39:02 AM

GREETING TO ALL CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH JAH RASTAFARI
Nice stream Bredren ARK I ONE LOVE BRAHDAH> I recall a time when a catholic priest told I that I would Die in I faith if I did not attend some church service. the man said it was like embers in a fire if you were to remove one it would go out. I told him I&I repect his opinion but Iman wahdahdah was of RASTAFARI and ONE in the FIRE and the FIRE in Iman therefore the FIRE Will always BURN. Iman from the Root not the leaf (church). he looked at I&I like I was from another planet. He asked I where am I from and what do I believe. I answer him again I man walk with I Father on this Earth but not from it and I do not believe something because someone tells I it is true. I feel it then I &I can know it. IT is called FAITH. The priest then asked and what is your faith you strange man? I simply told him as it is written on the wall I faith is evidence of the things hoped for.
The priest years later was murdered in a robbery of his church and home.
Iman can not see I breath yet it sustains I body with oxygen to live. I man can not see with I physical eyes Faith yet the evidence is shown everyday. If we seek for Lack we will always find lack, if we seek for controversy that is what we find. I man SEEK FOR JAH RASTAFARI and THAT IS WHAT I FIND. IT IS A LAW OF ATTRACTION THAT CAN BE PROVEN SPIRITUALLY and SCIENTIFICALLY> IT is always interesting to I that we need some proof before we believe. But as it is written in reasonings past FAITH does not work that way.
WELL, FAITH HOPE AND LOVE I&I DEAL WITH AND ASK JAH TO BLESS ALL BREDREN AND SISTREN AND FAMILY THAT WHILE THESE TIMES SEEM TOUGH WE LET THOSE THINGS PASS THAT SHALL PASS AND STAND FIRM IN THE LOVE AND LIGHT OF THE MOST HIGH JAH RASTAFARI SELASSIE I WAHDAHDAH

Messenger: lholy

Sent: 9/30/2008 11:27:14 AM

man i believe in your faith when you read the scriptures through faith sarah concive d a baby. if all brethern will have faithf i believe no one will be in need cuz when you ask jah he is willing to give.
man stay
bless

Messenger: Ten

Sent: 9/30/2008 7:13:20 PM

Blessing I n I
As always its irie to read one of Ark I's stories its like the I is sitting here talking to I in person. I think you are very strong to have stood by your word and what I liked the most was the impartiality you had in telling the story. You never said burn this or that or chanted the Christians for offering prayers, you just kept your peace. For those of us who read this we have to decide what to take from the story. I'll be a voice of some disagreement with those gone before because I think Ark I's story is open to interpretation and many things we can learn from I n I encounters in this world. Although I see where the I was coming from, I also see what the power of prayer through many can do. I am not saying the people were right or wrong in asking to pray for the I, but I reason that in the Ible it says even the tears and faith of friends can send a sinner to heaven, anyone can be saved by The Almighty. So would this not be the intent of praying for others? Sometimes it also strengthens a prays if there are more people praying for something, I know on countless occassions when I've sat n prayed with I sistren I n I reach out to each other and connect with The Most High, even with my brother when we trod in heavy mountains and come together to pray I feel JAH power strong in I bones. I am not saying the I should have gone to the church and prayed with the people, but what I'm reasoning is perhaps there was good intent in their offering to pray for you. From I ixperiences I agree Jah give I n I what we need through our own doing and Jah also gives to I through the doing of others. Prayer is the best gift someone can give to another. I know you know that Ark I, you have alot of wisdom and I speak from the perspective of one who was not there and perhaps some things I misunderstand and there are some missing elements to the story. Perhaps the I will reveal more to I in reasoning forward.
Bless Bless

Messenger: Ras KebreAB

Sent: 9/30/2008 8:15:02 PM

Ini have no problem in that they pray together.
Just as ini chant in inity and oneness.
It is i belief that Jah loves when HIM children speak with one voice.

But i burn fyah on the thinking that the more people pray together,the more Jah will hear, burn that out.

I even burn fyah on those who pray for the same thing again and again,as if Jah hasnt heard the first time.

I burn fyah on the vain things they pray for, when instead they should give thanks for every little thing they have, but no, they pray for more,burn that

And i burn fyah on the way that they pray
writing down requests, "you ask for this","ill ask for that", fyah
what are they thinking? its almost like they are making a shopping list
And although this was not mentioned in Ark I post, the thing i cannot stand the most is when people have to pay the church to have their prayers said during the service.

Perhaps i should do like Martin Luther did and nail this Word to the door of every church,mosque and syngagoue in the land.

"The temple of the most high begins with the human body, which houses our life, essence of our existence. Africans are in bondage today because they approach spirituality through Religion provided by foreign invaders and conquerors. We must stop confusing religion and spirituality. Religion is a set of rules, regulations and rituals created by humans which were supposed to help people grow spiritually.
Due to human imperfection religion has become corrupt, political, divisive and a tool for power struggle. Spirituality is not theology or ideology. It is simply a way of life, pure and original as was given by the Most High."

Would they overs?

Rastafari

Messenger: Ras power

Sent: 9/30/2008 10:32:55 PM

19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21And having an high priest over the house of God;

22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Messenger: Ark I

Sent: 10/1/2008 12:21:25 AM

Ten,

You are right that I story was open for interpretation and different things can be seen from it.

When I said.
-------------------
I told him that it was truly necessary for the other people and himself to get their prayers answered by having a large number of people praying, but that it wasn't necessary for I. I told him that it is necessary for him and them because that is there faith. But that I have all I faith and trust in Jah, so all I have to do is ask for what I need and RasTafarI will give as RasTafarI chooses. I told them that it was better that they pray for others instead of praying for I.
-------------------

I Iverstand that some people need others to pray for them or need more than one person to pray for them. Some have asked I to pray for them and I do, and I sometimes pray for others even if they don't ask (not necessarily because these people need I to pray for them, but because I know Jah will hear I call).

What must be remembered is that there is only one reason that people need others to pray for them. It is because they are lacking in Faith.

Christ was vex when the disciples awoke him to stop the storm because if they had Faith, they would have stopped it themself.

Mark 4
[39] And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
[40] And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

And when the disciples couldn't heal the youth. Christ was vex again because of their lack of Faith.

Matthew 17
[15] Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
[16] And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
[17] Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
[18] And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
[19] Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
[20] And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
[21] Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

So what I said to them and why I originally posted that story was to show people that it is for all to have such Faith, that they should just ask the Most High and know that the Most High will hear them. People have told I many different reasons why they need others to pray, but whatever reason people say to themselves to convince themselves that they need others to pray for them is just a building block of their faith. So by building their faith based on dependence and their own weakness of faith, they make it so, and they will never move away from that until they build their faith using different blocks.

Another reason I showed that story was that no matter how hard somebody tries to convince I of something less than I have Faith in, it will not change I Faith in the slightest way. One thing that is not really evident in I first post is how long he persisted and tried to convince I that having a large group of people pray for I is more effective than just asking the Most High Iself. He went on and on and that is why I finally showed him that "it is necessary for him and them because that is there faith. But that I have all I faith and trust in Jah, so all I have to do is ask for what I need and RasTafarI will give as RasTafarI chooses."

I don't expect everybody to have such Faith. And I own Faith is not as strong as it could be, so I trod to improve it. But even though I don't expect everybody to have such Faith, I know that everybody is capable of having such Faith.

And I also truly know that the prayer of millions of people is not even slightly more effective than the prayer of one Man or Woman, if the Faith of that Man or Woman is strong enough.

Selassie I is One, so millions of people and one person is the same thing, One.

Ark I

Itinual Praises unto Jah RasTafarI Haile Selassie I

Messenger: Ten

Sent: 10/1/2008 9:49:49 AM

Give thanks for your reasoning Ark I. In some way I do overs what you were getting at, there are those who act like lepers in faith, they depend on other's prayers to get them by. But JAH know what is in our hearts so them only fool themselves. Its also a sign of a low self-value and no faith in the Almighty, if you don't believe in the power of you own prayers what makes you think the prayers of a thousand will help you. Ultimately it comes down to the individual and if you've no faith in your own way of worship, then you've no faith in Jah.
It doesn't depend on multitudes or the length of one's prayer or the masses of money you give. It's like the story of the beggar woman who gave the little she did or Mary Magdalene who humbled herself and washed Christ's feet. These are all small acts but have such a great impact because they come from the heart. One simple heartical prayer is more effective than a thousand insincere voices.
Blessed Love

1 - 10

Return to Reasoning List