Hi,
I am just noticing - with a smile in my heart - how many assumptions you both have about rich people, without ever defining what 'rich' means to you....I would love to know....
I consider myself rich, in the sense of being wealthy, not moneyed, and I pray all the time, treat God like a friend who is there, not always able to answer the phone when I call, but who has an A/M and can and does get back to me. Not everyone else prays, and those that do, may not pray all the time. Praying and how often and how long you do it, is not a measure of how great you are before God or of how good you are. It's how you carry your thoughts and feelings forward into your life and those of others that counts.
If you think that rich people in the sense of moneyed people pray more than others, I am not sure how you draw this assumption. In my personal and professional experience, God wants the best for us, but he/she is only going to give this to us if we are grown to it and able to sustain it. If we are sabotaging ourselves, we won't be given the gift we ask for as it would be wasted. So, the logical and spiritual conclusion I have experienced is that to ask for something, and to have any hope of receiving it, you have to have cultivated a high level of accountability towards it. You have to have 'done your bit', made sure you will be able to handle the gift with the respect it deserves. Classic example: someone wants to lose weight, and get healthy, but ultimately never really makes a habit of exercise. This person has not understoood that he/she needs to show God they have a life that is ready for the gift - suitable thinking, suitable behaviours. So, what can a person change - what paradigm can you develop in your life - that will make you ready for wealth?
When we were in debt, I asked for a miracle, and we got one, but not before we had taken the willingness to ring changes in our lives to the nth degree. I used to think I knew what personal accountability was, but this was a whole other ballgame. We had to take it to a whole other level. We literally changed EVERYTHING. We have no overdarft anymore, we cleared our debts, cut up our credit cards, started doing weekly meal plans which cut 30% off our bills, did planned weekly shops, created savings accounts, sorted out our pension policies, and changed the way we spent money and how we communicate and make decisions about money. We kept going, making the changes in our attitudes to money and each other, until one day we got our miracle.Now, I am looking at Stage Two - the last miracle was about clearing our heads regarding money. Now I want to do some wealth building of a different sort and so am contemplating what to ask for and what my part of the bargain is. This is the most exciting part.
Take it from me - prayer is a wonderful thing. But you have to do a 'deal' with God, if you see what I mean, and throw the outcome up to him. It's a contract. You have to fulfil your part of it no matter what. You may not get wealth in the way you were expecting, but you will always get wealth that is right for you. God knows you better than you do.... and isn't that incredible. That we don't have to explain ourselves? It's the ultimate friendship.
All my blessings to you both.
PS If someone wants to sit and be grateful or just meditate all day that too manifests positively in the universe, so there are no 'shoulds' in my view. Scientific studies have shown that in cities where large-scale meditation (TM) has been conducted, crime rates have reduced. It has happened every time a cross/world event has been staged. Some people may be at their best being active, doing work in third world countries, others through quiet contemplation and the energy this puts out. I have met countless people who were people of few words and not active, but who nevertheless had a major impact on those around them. Each person can fulfil their potential in a different way - that's why God made us all so different and gave us free will. He is allowing us to choose to do what we can and want to do, and is no doubt having a wonderful time stewarding us all through this process of self-discovery. I can warmly recommend you to read 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' by Mitch Albom. It is a life-changing book.
