Prayers

Praying is quite simply talking to God. Some people prefer to recite prayers taught to them when they were young - like the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary. Others just like to talk to God as a loving Father and friend; and there's nothing wrong with that.

Sometimes when we pray it is to ask for something. A new job, a promotion at work, or perhaps we pray to get over an illness which threatens us or a loved one. Whatever it is we normally expect quick results and we get angry when "God doesn't answer our prayers".

Let's consider this for a moment. Maybe God is answering our prayers and saying "No". Perhaps what we are asking for is not the best way forward for us right now. Remember when you were a child and you asked for something from your parents and they said "no" or "not now"? We often expect instant results from our prayers. Yet God in His infinite wisdom does not work to our timescales. He has His plans for us and it could be that what we are asking for right now does not fit with His plans.

So we get angry and perhaps rebellious. God can take that - after all He suffered our anger on the Cross did He not?

Perhaps the answer lies in our attitude to prayer. Instead of getting angry we should accept His will and wisdom. Isn't that what our Lord taught to pray? "Thy will be done" He said. Do we really mean it when we pray? Or do we mean "Thy will be done as long as it is what I want"?

In accepting His will we show that we trust Him to know best what's in our interest. It does not take away in the least our free will to do what we want and to rebel if we wish, but it shows our acceptance of His will and direction for our lives.

Also, maybe we should learn to pray for what we need and not for what we want. And like in all conversations, perhaps we should learn to listen to what He is saying to us rather than be impatient when we don't get our way!

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© Copyright V Moubarak 2007