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pray about joining

English translation: ask God for guidance about whether to join

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:pray about joining
Selected answer:ask God for guidance about whether to join
Entered by: Matheus Chaud

14:02 Jun 14, 2018
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Religion
English term or phrase: pray about joining
This is a letter from a reader of a religious book to its author:

I have had many people tell me that they see grace and anointing on me.
(...)
The revelation that others see the glory of God on me is very precious.
Some people have asked me to pray about joining their ministry team, that is new but encouraging.

I asked this question in my language pair (English to Portuguese), but there was no consensus. Some of the interpretations were:
- to pray to God for wisdom to decide whether she should join a ministry team
- to beg/strongly wish that she would become a member of the ministry team

I'd like more opinions about that. Thank you!!
Matheus Chaud
Brazil
Local time: 11:19
ask God for guidance about whether to join [in practice, consider joining]
Explanation:
I am pretty sure it means the first of the options you've quoted. Formally speaking, it means ask God to tell you whether to join. An atheist would say that this amounts to considering whether to join: the voice that answers your prayer is really a voice within yourself, and if the answer is "Yes, join", that amouints to a personal decision to do so. However, even though an unbeliever might say that you get the answer you really want, a believer who prays naturally sees that answer as coming from God.

So "pray about" is a personal, individual matter between the believer and God. Obviously those who ask her to pray about it are hoping that God will tell her to join, but the expression itself doesn't actually mean that (the second option you've quoted).

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Note added at 52 mins (2018-06-14 14:54:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is an expression used by Christians of various denominations, from Pentecostal:

"Through a series of life challenges, God led Linda to Christian Life Ministries. After going through CLM’s training and working as a sit-in, Linda was asked to pray about joining the ministry team as a counselor and in 2004 she became a full time staff member."
https://www.clmrapidcity.com/linda-johnson/

to Catholic:

"Pastoral Care Volunteers Needed
This ministry serves the sick and the home bound in our parish boundaries by bringing them the Eucharist, visiting the lonely, praying with the dying and their families. [...]
Please pray about joining the ministry."
http://ctk-catholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/169250.01...

In a non-religious context the equivalent would be "was asked to consider joining" in the first case, with the implication "was urged to join", and "please consider joining" in the second, with the implication "please join".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2018-06-14 18:21:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You might almost say, I think, that this means "they asked my to consider, with the aid of/by means of prayer, (the idea of) joining their ministry team". It is acknowledgement that a believer will make a decision of this kind with God's help, by praying about it.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 16:19
Grading comment
I'd like to thank you all for contribution and help! Particularly Charles, with his always helpful explanations and research.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4ask God for guidance about whether to join [in practice, consider joining]
Charles Davis
4 +1to pray to God for wisdom to decide whether she should join a ministry team
airmailrpl
4 -1say and ask God to do something magical for allying
zahra Helali jula


  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
say and ask God to do something magical for allying


Explanation:
say and ask God to do something magical for allying or joining

zahra Helali jula
Iran
Local time: 17:49
Native speaker of: Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  B D Finch: Remove "and ask": "say God to do" can then be seen to be wrong. The source term doesn't involve "magic" and "allying" not only doesn't mean "joining", it requires the preposition "with" and a complement.
6 hrs
disagree  AllegroTrans: Jumbled and meaningless construction
17 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
ask God for guidance about whether to join [in practice, consider joining]


Explanation:
I am pretty sure it means the first of the options you've quoted. Formally speaking, it means ask God to tell you whether to join. An atheist would say that this amounts to considering whether to join: the voice that answers your prayer is really a voice within yourself, and if the answer is "Yes, join", that amouints to a personal decision to do so. However, even though an unbeliever might say that you get the answer you really want, a believer who prays naturally sees that answer as coming from God.

So "pray about" is a personal, individual matter between the believer and God. Obviously those who ask her to pray about it are hoping that God will tell her to join, but the expression itself doesn't actually mean that (the second option you've quoted).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 52 mins (2018-06-14 14:54:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is an expression used by Christians of various denominations, from Pentecostal:

"Through a series of life challenges, God led Linda to Christian Life Ministries. After going through CLM’s training and working as a sit-in, Linda was asked to pray about joining the ministry team as a counselor and in 2004 she became a full time staff member."
https://www.clmrapidcity.com/linda-johnson/

to Catholic:

"Pastoral Care Volunteers Needed
This ministry serves the sick and the home bound in our parish boundaries by bringing them the Eucharist, visiting the lonely, praying with the dying and their families. [...]
Please pray about joining the ministry."
http://ctk-catholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/169250.01...

In a non-religious context the equivalent would be "was asked to consider joining" in the first case, with the implication "was urged to join", and "please consider joining" in the second, with the implication "please join".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2018-06-14 18:21:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You might almost say, I think, that this means "they asked my to consider, with the aid of/by means of prayer, (the idea of) joining their ministry team". It is acknowledgement that a believer will make a decision of this kind with God's help, by praying about it.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 16:19
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 172
Grading comment
I'd like to thank you all for contribution and help! Particularly Charles, with his always helpful explanations and research.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheri P
1 min
  -> Thanks, Sheri :-)
agree  Robert Forstag: Without a doubt.
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Robert :-)
agree  B D Finch
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Barbara
agree  AllegroTrans
17 hrs
  -> Thanks!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to pray to God for wisdom to decide whether she should join a ministry team


Explanation:
pray about joining => to pray to God for wisdom to decide whether she should join a ministry team

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 11:19
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans
1 hr
  -> thank you
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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