Anonymous wrote:Novenas and prayers to saints aren’t magic spells we can use to guarantee a desired outcome, but God does work through prayer. I encourage you to ask St. Jude to pray for you in your seemingly hopeless intention, and that you will be shown the truth and given the gift of faith. This internet stranger will pray for you as well.

+1

No harm in asking friends, whether earthly or heavenly, to pray for you. Sometimes it is hard in difficult times to pray for oneself - asking a friend (whether on earth or in heaven as the saints are) to pray for you is helpful. Try also to pray directly to the Lord. Prayers are always answered, but not always as we anticipate. Remember the most important thing is walking with the Lord no matter what the circumstances. I will pray for you!

No. Praying to saints does not help and it is not Biblical. Jesus taught us in the Bible to pray exclusively to His Father, God.

I am presently going through a very difficult time. It has brought me closer to God and to my daughter. This would not have happened if this difficult situation had not presented itself. I am still going through the wilderness though. I'm praying for a happy ending.

Yes,

Pray straight to God and cut out the middleman.

I truly wish you well and I'm sorry you are suffering.

I don't think there are saints interceeding on our behalf with God and Jesus.

I'm agnostic and pray.

My friend gave me Buddhist boot camp during a really hard time and it helped a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I’m just like you in terms of your spiritual identity and this past year has been absolutely hellish for me. I had a situation so desperate I prayed and prayed. I believe my prayer was answered in the most remarkable way.

OP here. Thank you for sharing this. It gives me comfort. This year has been hellish. And in so many ways, I've felt betrayed and gaslighted and I've done everything in my power to improve things. But nothing I do seems to matter, and I'm just at a loss. I know so many people in the world have it so much worse, and I feel horribly guilty for praying for help. But I feel a bit hopeless about a situation, and it's grinded me down. I'm not a very religious person, but I don't know where else to turn. I said the st. jude prayer. I'm not sure if I did it right or if I'm supposed to keep saying it or what. But I said it with sincerity and humility. I'm not sure what else to do.

If things work out you can thank st Jude. If not, either the answer was NO, or there’s no one listening.

Anonymous wrote:OP I’m just like you in terms of your spiritual identity and this past year has been absolutely hellish for me. I had a situation so desperate I prayed and prayed. I believe my prayer was answered in the most remarkable way.

OP here. Thank you for sharing this. It gives me comfort. This year has been hellish. And in so many ways, I've felt betrayed and gaslighted and I've done everything in my power to improve things. But nothing I do seems to matter, and I'm just at a loss. I know so many people in the world have it so much worse, and I feel horribly guilty for praying for help. But I feel a bit hopeless about a situation, and it's grinded me down. I'm not a very religious person, but I don't know where else to turn. I said the st. jude prayer. I'm not sure if I did it right or if I'm supposed to keep saying it or what. But I said it with sincerity and humility. I'm not sure what else to do.

OP I’m just like you in terms of your spiritual identity and this past year has been absolutely hellish for me. I had a situation so desperate I prayed and prayed. I believe my prayer was answered in the most remarkable way.

Novenas and prayers to saints aren’t magic spells we can use to guarantee a desired outcome, but God does work through prayer. I encourage you to ask St. Jude to pray for you in your seemingly hopeless intention, and that you will be shown the truth and given the gift of faith. This internet stranger will pray for you as well.

Yes
I have prayed the full novena a few times and my prayers were answered

I wish you all the best...

I'm sorry what you're going through. But why not trying praying to the LORD Himself? Here's what the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:6-7: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

Ask forgiveness for your sins through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and you will have an advocate to the Father, and you can cast all your burdens on Him and have confidence that He will take care of you.

I will you all the best.

I'm agnostic. I once was Catholic, but that's a long story. There's a hopeless situation -- at least it seems hopeless -- that is causing me great angst. I know it's out of my hands, and I feel sort of helpless in it. But it is something that is so distressing. I said the St. Jude's prayer. I even feel guilty about that, because I'm sure I don't deserve the help. But there's an outcome I'm waiting to hear about, and I feel like all signs point to it being a devastating outcome.

Is it wrong to ask St. Jude for help? Is it naive to believe that my prayers will be answered? I need some consolation. This thing, which is no fault of mine and I've done all I can to turn it around, is weighing heavy on my heart. I've had a lot of disappointments over the years, and I can deal with that; it's part of life. But this is a particularly devastating thing. I don't often ask for help or divine intercession, but I am now.