Some Christians start to pray fervently to God that they will survive their surgery with success, and go on leading a happy, healthy life.

I don't understand this kind of praying, since God knows what He has in store for your future.

My prayer would sound more like, "Lord, your will be done."

I am preparing for my hysterectomy on Wednesday, and so prayer is heavy on my mind...what kind of prayers should I be saying, if any at all ?

I have complete faith that whatever happens to me is God's will, and since that is my mindset, I would have to say that prayer is not really necessary at this point.

Basically, for all the Christians out there, should I be praying as though I were dying, or pray as though I were living ?

I could get deeper than that, but I am about to pass out on this keyboard.

God bless you all.

You have my prayers as you go into this. (as long as you don't find non-christian ones offensive - if you'd rather I didn't pray for you, I won't) Since you are a servant of the Christian god, I'll keep my prayer to a simple 'all goes well, little pain, etc. and 'whatever is best for you'.

We're not the same religion, (which can be a minor or major difference) but we both have uteruses (uterusi?) so on that level I offer you my best, and hope the operation doesn't cause you too much stress before or after.

Absent.

quote:Originally posted by Digital_Savior:

Some Christians start to pray fervently to God that they will survive their surgery with success, and go on leading a happy, healthy life.

I don't understand this kind of praying, since God knows what He has in store for your future.

My prayer would sound more like, "Lord, your will be done."

I am preparing for my hysterectomy on Wednesday, and so prayer is heavy on my mind...what kind of prayers should I be saying, if any at all ?

I have complete faith that whatever happens to me is God's will, and since that is my mindset, I would have to say that prayer is not really necessary at this point.

Basically, for all the Christians out there, should I be praying as though I were dying, or pray as though I were living ?

I could get deeper than that, but I am about to pass out on this keyboard.

God bless you all.



I think that your mindset is right, as all things are God's Will.

I guess if i were in your shoes (ok maybe not since 'hysterectomy' was mentioned)... i believe my prayer would be mostly thanks that i am in His hand, AND that His Will is being done.. no matter what the earthly outcome.

Sorta on the lines of the 3 guys in the furnace (cant remember how to spell shadrak, meshak and abendigo) replied to the question of "can your God deliver you from the fire?"

Their reply was: yup, absolutly, but if He doesnt, it is His Will.

You (and all MGCBtSOoYG members) are in my prayers.

God Bless,

xtreem

Good Luck Digital Savior. My mom had that done, it can be difficult to come to terms with.

Good luck and enjoy the pain killers.

quote:Originally posted by AbsentMindedWitch:

have uteruses (uterusi?)

Absent.

Uteruses is fine, as is uteri. Uterusi would be the plural if the word was uterusus, so no.

Good luck.

Good luck.



Althouh I don't pray I do have a personal take on prayer.

It doesn't really matter what "type" of prayer you say. I don't think that you have say the "right words" in order for God to assist you in surgery/recovery. I always took it like God could read my mind before I prayed. He knows your intentions, your wishes, your desires, your worries, your everything. I usually just took thoughts as prayers, and never worried about "Praying the right Prayer".

Don't know if that makes sense...but there it is.

quote:Originally posted by Digital_Savior:

Some Christians start to pray fervently to God that they will survive their surgery with success, and go on leading a happy, healthy life.

I don't understand this kind of praying, since God knows what He has in store for your future.

My prayer would sound more like, "Lord, your will be done."

I am preparing for my hysterectomy on Wednesday, and so prayer is heavy on my mind...what kind of prayers should I be saying, if any at all ?

I have complete faith that whatever happens to me is God's will, and since that is my mindset, I would have to say that prayer is not really necessary at this point.

Basically, for all the Christians out there, should I be praying as though I were dying, or pray as though I were living ?

I could get deeper than that, but I am about to pass out on this keyboard.

God bless you all.

Although you and I dont agree on alot of things. I'll pray for you in my own way. I hope everything goes ok during your surgery.

Digi:

My family and I are praying for you during your surgery. May the Lord shower you with His infinite mercy and strength throughout the healing and recovery processes.

Everyone:

Glad that so many people from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds can agree to support one another.

God Bless!

Good luck, hopefully everything will turn out right.

quote:Originally posted by MasterPython:

Good luck and enjoy the pain killers.



Hope the operation goes smoothly and without a hitch.

[This message has been edited by Garibaldi (edited 03-05-2005).]

Thanks, guys...its good to see actual reference to personal religious/spiritual beliefs on the subject of prayer.

It has always eluded me...I can't help but think it is moot, since God knows what I am going to pray anyway, and He has already ordained the outcome.

I guess praying is more for "us"...to keep us in the mindset of having a real, personal relationship with Him.

I will definitely enjoy the pain killers...it's the best part of having a surgery, hands down. http://www.totse.com/bbs/wink.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/wink.gif)

I suppose I am not supposed to think like that, but WHO wants to be in pain ?

Anyway, no matter the end to all this, I trust in God.

I'm not really worried, I am just trying to be the kind of Christian He wants me to be. Still a little foggy on the power of prayer.

Again, thank you all for your well-wishes. Totally unexpected (the thread was not about me, really), and appreciated.

God bless.

quote:Originally posted by dagnabitt:

Good Luck Digital Savior. My mom had that done, it can be difficult to come to terms with.

Actually, I asked for it. I just had to find a doctor that WOULD.

I am only 26, and for some reason doc's freak out about how young I am in regards to having this surgery.

But I have endometriosis, and adenomyosis, and I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Constant pain is draining...and I am done.

I already had my tubes burned to smithereens, so I won't be having any more children. (I have 3, and that is ENOUGH !)

Don't really need a uterus then, do I ? *lol*

What did your mom have that she was in need of a hysterectomy ?

Glad she is ok.

Thanks for the post !

She had some pain issues as well, i'm not sure the exact nature of it. And for her it didnt work, although I know it does for many. She has really bad arthritis now, I'm not sure if it was related to that or not. Anyway, even if it was a choice stay strong.

[This message has been edited by dagnabitt (edited 03-05-2005).]

God will humble you. We know that God isn't the giver of death, but life. "I come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." It is also written, that unless you forgive those who offend you, God will not forgive you.

Imagine this..You leave windows of opportunities open every day. Millions of them. If I were going to attack you I would come in through one of those windows and see to it that I do my job, and cause destruction, if I can. If you're unforgiving, that's a window of opportunity. Jesus says if we believe we are healed, then we are healed. You have to have faith in the word. Always pray that God's will be done, and not your own. Know that God's will isn't that you die.

You understandin' me?

I don't think I even came close to insinuating such a thing.

I wasn't coming from the perspective of someone who feels as though the delicate balance of life and death was dependant upon the emotions of an unseen God.

Where I am coming from is that in all things we should be praying...and basically, I don't know how to pray for something like this.

If I say, "Help me get through this.", I am being self-centered. If I say, "Lord, your will be done.", I am denying everything that is human (instinctually) about me.

Honestly, I already know the answer. As I said above, I know that the prayers should be geared around what God has planned for my life, and that I need to exhibit trust and faith.

But I still wonder about prayer...and if it really affects anything...and what everyone else thought about it.

I don't fear death, in either case.

Actually, I could care less about the outcome. I won't lie and say that I don't look forward to going "home" (A.K.A. Heaven), but I also recognize the selfishness of that kind of thinking, in relation to my family, and more specifically, my children.

Children are always a labor of love, to include living life.

I would venture to say it is no different for God.

His patience with our existence is a labor of love...but this is becoming a tangent.

Suffice it say that I think you misinterpretted not only the context of what I said, but also its intention.

Thanks for the response, though.

dagnabitt - Well, I know for a fact that osteoporosis is prevalent in women who have had hysterectomy's.

However, that is only the case in women who have had their ovaries removed as well.

I have not heard anything about arthritis and hytserectomy's being related. Perhaps it is.

Only my uterus is being removed, so I won't have to worry about that aspect.

I have known a few women who have had this procedure done, and none regret it.

I understand that some women feel "empty", because of the reality of not being able to have children anymore...

As I said, I am not concerned with that.

I miss work 3-4 days out of every month. I'll be walking down the hallway, and suddenly feel as though someone has run me through with a branding iron.

The pain gets deeper than that, but I don't want to gross anyone out.

I just don't want to deal with this for the rest of my life. I have been thinking about it for almost 3 years now. I am positive that this is the solution I that will work for me, and I won't look back.

I seldom do.

Thanks for sharing that information about your mother...I am sorry that she has suffered, I hope it gets no worse.

quote:Originally posted by AbsentMindedWitch:

You have my prayers as you go into this. (as long as you don't find non-christian ones offensive - if you'd rather I didn't pray for you, I won't) Since you are a servant of the Christian god, I'll keep my prayer to a simple 'all goes well, little pain, etc. and 'whatever is best for you'.

We're not the same religion, (which can be a minor or major difference) but we both have uteruses (uterusi?) so on that level I offer you my best, and hope the operation doesn't cause you too much stress before or after.

Absent.

Thank you.

quote:Originally posted by Digital_Savior:

Some Christians start to pray fervently to God that they will survive their surgery with success, and go on leading a happy, healthy life.

I don't understand this kind of praying, since God knows what He has in store for your future.

My prayer would sound more like, "Lord, your will be done."

Well, I do hope your surgery goes well! Best wishes!

I find it interesting you mention this. So you are indeed getting surgery, and perhaps praying or not. I think surgery definently has it uses. Where am I goign with this?

I do not understand some christians, who do not believe in surgery, but prefer prayer solely as their means of medical attention.

What I am saying is, (this is just an example)I have heard of a few stories where

a child was hit by a car, and was severely wounded, and ended up intensive care. Surgery would required for this child to live, but the mother says "No". That prayer is the only thing that is needed to help her child. Meanwhile, the child is suffering and about to die. The mother remains stubborn, the doctors realize that they must take the situation into their hands so that the child may live, and file for custody of the child on behalf of the state - just so they can perform surgery and the child can live.

I know that paragraph may not be very clear, but I am not great at retelling the story.

But basically it is this:

1. The child is about to die, and requires surgery to live.

2. The mother does nto believe in surgery, but only in prayer, and does not give the hospital permission to perform surgery on the child.

3. The doctors know something must be done, and that praying ONLY is ridiculous, and that it is not going to save the child (from obvious medical inspection).

4. Doctors file for custody over the child, and basically take the child away from the mother, so that they may perform surgery and the child may live.

Hopefully, that helps.

Now here us what I do not understand...

I realize this is not all christians, but why are some like this?

How can they honestly let their child die? I just don't understand. If you love your child, how can you just sit by and do nothing (praying is not going to save the child according to doctors)?

Are there any christians here who hold similiar beliefs and care to enlighten me?

And why is it not all christians feel this way? Is not christianity all, more or less, from the same background?

I am just trying to put myself in the parents point of view, and that decision just doesn't sit well with me.

I also try to imagine being the suffering child, and I think I would like to live. And if I heard the doctors saying "You need surgery, or you will die", and then I hear my mom say "Don't give him surgery"...

what the crap is that?

Thanks in advance.

I got tired of reading everything.

Just wanted to wish you my best Digi.

You're my favorite!

Aw, thanks, Tribe !

I didn't forget about my testimony, either.

I want it to be "perfect". Or, rather, seamless.

Does that make sense ?

*hugs*

I AM getting surgery, and I AM praying. The nature of the prayer is what I was asking about.

Everyone sees prayer and its purpose differently, so I was curious to see what everyone else thought. I am not yet decided.

The reason I do not think the same way about surgery as some Christians do is that I don't believe God has a vested interest in healing my uterus. It has nothing to do with my spiritual walk, and doesn't really affect my ability/desire to witness to other people.

"Give to Caesar what is Caeser's, and to God what is God's."

While Jesus was talking about money in that scripture, I think it applies to us in this aspect as well.

Though God is not concerned with my uterus (or at least I don't perceive Him to be, because I can't possibly see how it COULD matter), I am.

Therefore, I will do something about it, since I have the ability to.

Now, where I think God's involvement begins in this situation is in my survival of this surgery.

Not in a dramatic sort of way, but I am putting my life in the hand's of fallible men.

The possibility of anything going wrong is slim to none, but if it should, God's will be done. You see what I am saying ?

I think in the example of the child hit by a car, that the mother is taking the scriptures out of context by saying that God controls all things.

I am not saying that I am right...it is very possible that I have misinterpretted the whole thing. But I have not been convicted otherwise, and I have not seen any scripture or heard any explanation of why I would be wrong.

That accident could be a tool to teach that particular family (or a physician or a nurse, etc.) a lesson. That doesn't mean they shouldn't give that child the medical attention they need, in my opinion.

I do have to wonder at doctor's getting custody of the child, though...a portion of my surgery requires that I either accept or deny the benefit of having a blood transfusion, in the event that anything should go wrong. I had the right to decline it, which means that the medical staff would be forced to let me die. I did actually choose to deny it.

If I can do that, then why can't a mother refuse certain types of medical care, without the fear of having her child taken from her ?

Anyway, off topic.

I have to disagree with your statement, "Praying ONLY is ridiculous."

There are many examples in the Bible of people encountering Jesus, and simply "believing" that he could heal a member of their family that suffered from illness, and it was done just as they had believed. Jesus was rewarding them for their faith. (praying = faith)

I don't think that having my uterus taken out is really a matter of faith. Perhaps it should be, but I feel no conviction whatsoever that this is the case.

I cannot tell you what exactly every person who makes these hard decisions is thinking, but here is some food for thought:

God tells us that our family is merely on loan to us. In the spiritual realm, we are all the same "family", not broken up into small families based on name and blood, as we are here in the physical world.

In light of this, when thinking about faith, I assume those people who choose NOT to take advantage of the healthcare that is available to them consider the outcome of the situation to be a part of God's plan.

We are also told that our love for God should be supreme over all other love. It should be God first, then your spouse, then your child.

I find that to be extreme, and somewhat excessive, however. (to refuse medical attention)

Perhaps it is only the "accident" itself that is meant to teach something...maybe it has nothing to do with whether or not the child dies. Who are we to decide that ?

I'd rather not play Russian Roulette with my children's lives, because I DO love them. It almost seems as if it is a "test" for God...and more often than not, we will lose.

I don't think it is wise to place such a burden on God (not because He is incapable of handling such things), because we can't really know what His plans are for our lives until AFTER we have gone through the lesson He has given us. Hindsight may end up teaching us that we SHOULD have sought medical attention to save a life, because God really didn't have anything to do with it at all to begin with.

And maybe I am way off here. It's all speculation, because if there IS a scripture that deals with this subject, I don't know what it is.

I am sorry if that doesn't help you at all. I can't give you anything definitive without spending 3 hours studying it. It is 1 a.m. (meaning, it ain't gonna happen tonight ! *lol*)

I also must say that my having my uterus out is NOTHING like having a child be mortally wounded by a 2,000 lb. vehicle.

One is an emergent situation, and the other is not.

Anyway, that's the best I can do.

Thanks for asking, and God bless.

Thanks for the response. I wanted to hear another opinion.

About the "Praying ONLY is ridiculous" part...i was not sure of the words to use to portray the doctor's feelings. So, bad choice of words, but I think his feelings were like yours; that he did not think that God vested interest in saving the child from internal bleeding. And the mother's belief that praying would, should, or could save him - was simply not enough, and that this child's life & situation is not the time to test out the theory, or to be gambling.

And as for the custody over the child, it is a legal issue. It has to do with seeing what is fit of a parent. I do not know the exact or law or anyting, but the ability & reason that they can file for custody, is the same reason the state can strip a parent of their child for abuse, neglection, etc. It falls in the same place. So your choice to deny a blood transfusion, is done so as an adult and it is your life.

But the same decisions, can not necessarily be made for a child. I guess in some way, it the same reason why some people are against abortion. It is about making the decision for someone else on whether they should live or not (in this case a child). Know what I mean?

As for the outcome of the surgery, my mother had this surgery last year, and she came out just fine. So I am sure you will be fine too!

So, I had my uterus removed, as well as my right fallopian tube.

Doc also found some endometriosis hiding behind my uterus, so that was cauterized.

In a heck of a lot of pain right now...but still feel it is worth it.

Want to know the odd thing ? I didn't end up praying at all.

I was admittedly too nervous to really think about it when I "went under".

I was far too drugged during my hospital stay to pray then, either.

I don't think that it really affected the outcome of my surgery either way, oddly enough.

Perhaps that supports my opinion that praying is only to teach US, and not about communication with God, since He already knows what's in our hearts.

So, now I am back to square one about the importance of prayer, and the fact that my perception of it (either way) doesn't really have much to do with what actually happens as a result of it.

If that is not too confusing...

Please be gentle. I am high on Percocet.

*lol*

And now back to my movie...Flight of the Navigator. http://www.totse.com/bbs/wink.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/wink.gif)

The best thing to do before surgery is take a valium and/or try to get some sleep. Praying is just going to make you more anxious about it, and if what you say is what you believe, won't really do anything.

I think that depends on the prayer...

If I simply said, "Lord, your will be done. I trust that you want what is best for me, and that no matter what this will result in your glory and honor.", then I stand to lose or gain nothing, and I am given the quiet comfort that only the Holy Spirit can provide.

If I said, "God, I really want to feel perfect after this. I don't want to feel too much pain, either.", I would stand to be disappointed. Not to mention the fact that a prayer like that shows I am not considering God's will in the outcome.

It is the difference between looking through my eyes, and looking through His.

Anyone ?

Ok, this is a shameless bump.

This is the one topic that I battle with continuously, and it would be nice to get some answers.

Not saying that any of you have some, but you could try !

*lol*

My understanding of Christianity is intellectual, at best. It lacks the insight that belief and conviction bring.

That said, it seems to me that with an omniscient and omnipotent god, the only purpose of prayer is to confirm your devotion and satisfy the human need for communication. The devine communication, IMHO, would be continuous because your faith would be the channel to hear it (even when understanding isn't always clear.)

The 'pleading' prayer, or prayer for intervention, would seem to me not only unnecessary, since god has already made these decisions according to his plan, but would seem somewhat insulting (to God), asking him to change his plan for you, or assuming your judgement on what would be best for you is better than his.

I don't think this invalidates all prayer as useless. Praying for others seems more to be a way of expressing support for them than asking for changes in a devine plan. It seems more directed towards giving them strength than changing any preset conditions.

Giving material assistance is a different matter, of course, since any help you give must of necessity (at least by my previous take on 'omniscience')be part of what you are meant to do.

Of course, this may simply be an extension of my own philosophy of 'get your hands dirty and help'. Prayer conveys good wishes, and gives energy and strength to the recipient, but I don't feel it makes any actual difference to god.

This is from my (probably limited http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif) ) understanding of Christianity. My own religion is based on smaller gods, and prayer has a different meaning, and a different power, than it does in monotheism.