Prayer, of course, is not informing or persuading God. He is all-knowing and all-loving. Prayer is God informing and persuading us. Prayer is not an attempt to get our will done. Rather, we pray so we can know and do God's will. In our prayer, God persuades us in His love to change our ways rather than do our own thing.
Therefore, we don't need to keep asking God for something unless this helps us know and surrender to His will. Repetition in petitioning God is for our benefit, not for God's. When we let God get through to us, our prayer is answered. Then we should stop asking and start thanking. We're not waiting for God to answer our prayer, but He is waiting for us to let Him answer our prayer. The moment our prayer is answered is not when we see it answered but when we yield to God's will. For example, the prayer of the royal official in today's Gospel reading was answered at 1 PM (Jn 4:52). He found out about it the next day.
Those who have surrendered their lives to God don't repeat their petitions much. They mostly thank God for constantly and quickly answering their prayers. Ask God simply; yield totally; thank greatly.
| PRAYER: | Father, in prayer may I understand that, after I obey the "Yield" sign, the next sign is "Thank." |
| PROMISE: | "Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind." –Is 65:17 |
| PRAISE: | Louise's marriage was a shambles. She made a full Confession for the first time in a decade, and the Lord reconciled her and her husband. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College