My hand and Jake’s hand folded in prayer
“Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.”
Luke 22: 42
When we pray we say “God, I need help with this problem or that problem. For example I can’t pay my bills. I need money. Can you please help me pay my bills?” Then we play the lottery and lose. We call on God again and say “I thought prayer worked! Never mind!!” and many of us just stop praying.
God is a mystery. Our human minds will never be able to comprehend God, his thoughts, actions or immense love for us. Many of us can’t even understand or fully believe in His existence. Faith is a gift given to us by God. Faith is what motivates us to pray when we just can’t logically think it is the right strategy for meeting our needs or desires.
Prayer is complicated but at its core it is communication with God. Jesus introduces to us God as “Abba” translated daddy, a gentle, loving and forgiving father. Jesus also gave us the prayer “Our Father”. In it we praise God ask for his mercy, for our daily bread and for the blessing that we are able to bring His kingdom to our world today.
God gave us complete free will, no strings attached. We can do whatever we want in this lifetime. Although God can intervene and does through miracles, He wants us to find the way to Him. The surest way to God is through prayer. We can talk to Him at any time, in any place. We can tell Him anything. Our prayers may not be answered the way we want them answered but that doesn’t mean He did not hear us.
We cannot understand God and we are unable to see the future. God knows what we NEED. At the end of our lives we will be able to look back and understand a little more of how those prayers were answered.
Never stop praying. Come to God with your petitions, quandaries and praise. Ask for miracles and healing. End your prayers sincerely with “Your Will Be Done.” Although we think we know what we need God indeed knows best. Never stop praying. God loves to listen to your voice.
