In First Thessalonians (5, 16-17), St. Paul tells us: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.” How often, however, do we make up excuses when it comes to putting St. Paul’s instruction into action?
How often do we say, “We are too busy?” This excuse should send us to our list of priorities and re-examine where God is. Obviously, He needs to be first of all, if we are to be able to live in His peace. That settled, we will find that prayer (in every form) is our living connection with Him through which He gives us grace, fills us with His love, and helps us to become our true selves. Then, with His help, we will be all the more able to discern the truly important things in our lives and eliminate the unimportant and/or distracting, debilitating, and useless things.
How often are we inclined to think that “prayer doesn’t do that much good, other than giving us the psychological motivation to be better persons?” When we say such things, we forget that prayer establishes and enhances our relationship with God, the Source of our power.
Are we ever prone to think that a loving God should provide for us and protect us from the disasters of life, such as diseases or accidents, without our asking Him? This is true – and He does! But prayer is not meant to inform God or convince God – it expresses our awareness of our need for God who loves us unconditionally and of our trusting dependence upon Him.
Let us pray that God will give us the desire to pray. “O God, we appreciate your attentive ear. Your tender care amazes us. Your heart is ever-responsive to your children as you bless us deeply. You remind us in countless ways that we are not alone. As we pray, we find peace. As we pray, we find hope and strength. As we pray, we find you. Awaken our heart’s desire to know you more and to listen for your wisdom and direction. ‘O God, we lay our requests before you and wait in expectation.’” ~ Psalm 5, 3
