How’s your prayer life these days? I don’t know about you, but for me it often seems my prayer life can be compared to seasons. There are times of plenty and sometimes stretches of drought. It’s a bit like being a writer; sometimes the words flow freely and other times it’s something of a struggle. I hope I’m not alone in this.
I feel like Paul at times. Not Paul, the passionate evangelist, on fire for Jesus. But, rather, the Paul who says even when he knows what he shouldn’t be doing, that’s exactly what he ends up doing.
I was fortunate to have a strong spiritual upbringing, rooted in prayer. The Catholics are not short on prayer. But the prayers I learned as a young Catholic were more a part of the ritual of religion. Don’t get me wrong, they were and still are wonderful prayers. I’m talking about The Lord’s Prayer, The Hail Mary and the Apostles Creed. Those were among the “big three” in growing up Catholic.
Like any familiar prayer, there’s the danger of it becoming simply words that one recites. There’s a risk of heartfelt prayer turning into something you do by rote. But I realized at an early age that the sincerity of my prayers and prayer life rested (and still rests) solely with me. God is God and God is faithfully listening. It’s me that forgets or stumbles or recites something my head may understand, but my heart’s not into.
I’d like to think that God understands my seasons of drought. In fact, I’d say that He’s lovingly pushing me toward a deeper relationship with Him. I know that God desires that I grow as a Christian, not remain stagnant.
As a youngster, the habit of prayer included primarily mealtime prayers and bedtime prayers It was a wonderful foundation for learning the importance of prayer in ones life. Nowadays, I find myself more often with brief snipets of prayers. I’ll thank God for a special sunset or lift a prayer for someone in need who comes to mind.
I thank God that He listens to the prayers of His children and knows what’s best for them. In or out of season.
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