A Brief Word on Prayer

This is a reflection I prepared on prayer to share with some students on retreat. It's my combination of Scripture and theological-spiritual advice for prayer. Hope it's simple and enlightening...

Prayer is our opportunity to share ourselves with God. God cares for each one of us and loves each one of us immensely, and He wants us to share ourselves with Him. God made us and knows us. Listen to David from the Psalms:

O God, you search me and you know me.

All my thoughts lie open to your gaze.

When I walk or lie down,

you are before me,

ever the Maker and Keeper of my days.

God knows us completely, so why must we share with Him? Can't He just read our minds? God is aware of all we are but think of it like a friendship. If you care about a close friend, but you only learn about them by overhearing things they say, is that the type of friendship you want? If they don't talk directly to you and you can only learn about them second-hand from what others are saying, how would you feel? God wants us to come to Him directly. It will mean more for us to go to Him personally rather than rely on Him to do all the work. Listen to the prophet Isaiah's words from God:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name: you are mine.

You are precious in my eyes and glorious, and I love you.

Everyone who is named as mine.

Our friendship with God is like any friendship; we must both talk and listen. How do you feel when a friend comes to you and does all the talking? Maybe it's necessary sometimes, but mostly, you want to share in conversation. God wants to hear all you have to say. But He wants you to listen, too. It may be hard to quiet yourself. You might be tempted to get frustrated or just start talking again. You might get quiet but then struggle to know what God's voice is or where it will come from. The key is to leave yourself space for the quiet, so that God can use the silence to speak to you. Listen to God coming to Elijah in the First Book of Kings:

Then the LORD said,

"Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;

the LORD will be passing by."

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains

and crushing rocks before the LORD--

but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake--

but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake there was fire--

but the LORD was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak

and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?"

Finally, have faith that God answers every prayer. Sometimes what you ask for will come to you just as you hoped. Sometimes God will ask you to wait a bit for what you've asked for. Sometimes God will answer your prayer in a different way than you expected him to. But never, ever, will God say to your prayers, “No.” Trust that God hears you and grants you grace and strength in His infinite Wisdom.