Gimme That PlayStation

Prayer:  A practice of communicating with one's god; a request, a petition.

So the point is that if I'm praying I should be asking, not telling.  I'm not great at asking but I'm quite good at telling.  Another good word for prayer is supplication which is defined as a humble request.

"We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only.  We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped.  We are careful never (Ed. Note: NEVER) to pray for our own selfish ends."  P 87 BB.

Others:  Other people.  (Ed. Note: Grrrrrr.)

"Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all our activities.  'How can I best serve Thee - Thy will (not mine) be done.'  We can exercise our thoughts along these lines all we wish.  It is the proper use of the will."  P 85 BB

So when I add the qualifier "if it be your will" to my prayers I find that I've gotten increasingly comfortable with the asking for a specific thing.  I used to think this is selfish and that's probably because it is selfish.  However, I also believe that asking for something is a way for me to show my humility.  I'm not demanding it anymore, just asking for it.  It is a statement of powerlessness and a recognition of where the power lies.  I don't think my higher power is angry with me when I ask for a specific outcome as long as I try to remember that the wisdom of the answer is in his hands.  That's the "this is out of my control" part of the prayer.

Ask, don't demand, but ask.  Sometimes you get the PlayStation.