WHY PRAY?

      "My Lord, God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead... but I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost...." Thomas Merton
      "God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time...taking (as Jesus did) the sinful world as it is... trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will.... Amen. (adopted from original prayer written by Rheinhold Niebuhr)
      "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, light; where there is sadness, joy; Lord, may I not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.... A powerful prayer for transformation from St, Francis.
     
      Prayer is essentially a dialogue that springs from surrendered trust... and the desire to walk with God each day. We have needs of course- wants too- and God is eager to hear all of them, but prayer is not a matter of listing all of things we would like from God. It is, instead, the simple desire to speak and listen to him, just as we would with anyone else whom we love.

"Pray and let God worry." Martin Luther.
"I don't pray because it makes sense to pray. I pray because my life doesn't make sense without prayer." Noah Benshea
   
"Prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the prayer." Soren Kierkegaard
"Go where your best prayers lead you." Frederick Buechner

"For me prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a look to heaven, a cry for recognition and love, embracing both trial and joy." St. Therese

"Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God himself, Prayer begets faith, faith begets love, and love begets service on behalf of the poor." Mother Teresa

      Prayer is necessary for our Christian journeys and it lies at the very heart of our commitment and faithfulness. Prayer is the engine that fuels our growth as Christians and it is the source of our deepening relationship with God. Prayer feeds on itself and increases our confidence in God's love- not because we get all that we want- but because we get to know our God with greater clarity and intimacy! Prayer works! It transforms lives. It builds communities and increases faith. We will be much more Christlike if we pray. We will be more likely to have the courage and the acceptance that Niebuhr prayed for... if we pray. We will be more likely to put our burdens and our grief in God's hands, if we pray; and we will be far more likely to see the Image of God in others and in ourselves if we pray. So, let's pray! Let's be a praying people. Let's be people who pray. Let's pray, not as a way of getting what we want from God, but as a way of building our relationship with God. Let's pray because we trust God and whether his answer is "yes" or "no," let's keep on praying because praying is its own reward. Over the years, God has said "no" to many of my prayers. I prayed that both my brothers would live, but they died, and I prayed the same prayer for many others whom I've loved as pastor (they died too.) Still, I prayed... and I even prayed more because I wanted to know my God and I and receive His guidance!
      Prayer is the language of love between God and His people, but there some people, even in the church, who don't pray much, if at all. Some of them may have a cherished sin that they don't want to give up and this will kill any prayer life because a passion for sin and a passion for prayer don't coexist very well. Some people struggle with prayer because they struggle with a sense of unworthiness; some people quit praying because they didn't get what they asked for the last time they prayed. Some people just get out of the habit of praying and even as prayer begets more prayer, praying less inevitably leads to less prayer. Some people, despite the witness of Scripture and the testimony of others, cannot bring themselves to believe that God is listening... and some people think they are not qualified to pray. They say that they don't know the right words or how to express them, but in truth, prayer is simply God-talk... which anyone of us can engage in. "I believe- help my unbelief," is a prayer. "Thank you," is a prayer. "Remember me," is a prayer.
      We can all pray and as Christians we must pray. I pray that we will grow in Christ, each one of us, and as a community. I pray that you will be compelled to pray, each day and along the way, out of your love for God. I am not an authority on prayer, but I've learned some things along the way and I will close with the top ten reasons I pray.
1. I pray because Jesus did, each day and when he needed strength;
2. I pray because I love God and love demands conversation;
3. I pray because I need to express my deepest thoughts and feelings;
3. I pray because I need guidance. I don't know which way to go;
4. I pray because I need assurance. Life is difficult. The path is uneven;
5. I pray out of love for others and I'll never quit offering intercessory prayers;
6. I pray because I need to. I don't feel right when I starve my prayer lfe;
7. I pray because I am part of God's family and I am invited to speak freely;
8. I pray to seek forgiveness for actions, words, and motives that are not loving;
9. I pray to enlarge my heart. Without prayer, my heart only has room for me;
10. I pray to make sense of my life!
      Pray that we all become prayer warriors. Pray that we will look forward to talking with, and listening to, God. Begin today. Pray at first as a spiritual discipline, then pray because your conversation with God is comforting and helpful to you... and you will find yourself praying because prayer is part of who you are! You will be empowered, comforted, heard, and healed. Amen!