“This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

Exploring Prayer

Growing up I remember my mother had a book mark with a picture of praying hands, and these three words on it, “Prayer Changeth Things.” But it is not the words alone that make a prayer. Our minds, our hearts and wills must be involved in order for prayer to be really effective. We do not enter into prayer to use God solely for our own purposes, but to allow God to use us for his purposes. Prayer may be a dialogue with God, not just a one-sided conversation, but also listening to what God has to say to us. Through faith and prayer each of us has the power to make a difference, but in order to use that power we have to be in partnership with God, and not to think we can do it all by ourselves. When we put aside our pride, our egos, our prejudices, we allow God to work his miracles through us.. So prayer does change things, and it is we who are changed in profound ways. How God responds to our prayers is a mystery, so let us explore that mystery and open ourselves up to the creative spirit of God.

lhart@gwi.net