On February 14, Ash Wednesday, we begin our Lenten journey once again. Prayer is one of the great spiritual disciplines of the season. In Confirmation Class, we explore prayer as we look at the Lord’s Prayer. That discussion leads to many questions. When do we pray? What do we pray for? Do we fall asleep when we pray at night? The list goes on. Of course, the central question is why pray. What do we believe happens in prayer?
The Confirmation Class always wrestles with these issues. On the surface, prayer seems to be our requesting God to act. Does that mean that God would not act unless we pray? Does that mean that God is unaware of what is happening in the lives of people? If we prayer more often or have more people pray is God more likely to do something? Most classes do not like where these questions lead and so they open themselves to interpretation.
What if we begin with the understanding that prayer doesn’t really change God, prayer changes us. We don’t convince God to act, but in praying, we open ourselves to the grace of God that is already in action. For the person for whom we pray, we don’t convince God to do something, but we pray for that person to become more open to a loving God who is already at work.
I believe this is the power of prayer and why we need to be continually in prayer. As I look at my own life of prayer, I am amazed at the number of times I have prayed to God to be with me only to discover that, once again, God is already there. Or I have prayed for forgiveness only to discover that, once again, I’ve already been forgiven. I have prayed about situations only to have my prayer change me within those situations. On the other side, when others have prayed for me, like when I was in the hospital. Those prayers had the power to help open me to a gracious God who already held me in his hands. And for that reason, those prayers meant the world to me. There is power in prayer. It is the grace of God that changes us. My prayer is that we continue to pray through this Lenten season and beyond and allow ourselves to be open to a gracious God who is already at work in our lives and the lives of others.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
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