Pray in Faith 

   “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will be moved.” (Matt 17: 20). 

   When we pray we must first ask that our prayers be in accord with the will of God and secondly, we must have the faith that God can and will answer our prayer.  Without these two things our prayers may be of little use.

   But what about when we have sincere faith and desire that our prayer be according to God’s will and still it seems our prayer isn’t answered?  I’ve written many times that I believe there are three ways in which our prayers may be answered: yes, no, and not now.

   God will answer our prayers, but it may not be the answer we seek.  Of course, we expect an immediate yes to our requests.  But we do not know the mind or the will of God.  What we believe to be beneficial and right, may in fact be harmful to us or others.  In these cases, God’s answer to our prayer may be “no”, and rightfully so.  God will not give us what is evil or harmful.

   At other times the answer may be “not now”.  St. Monica prayed for many years for the conversion of her son St. Augustine.  Through her faith and perseverance her prayers were eventually answered; Augustine became a great saint.  Sometimes we also need to persist in prayer, remaining confident that God will answer our prayers, but in His own time, not ours.

   Faith requires that we are willing to accept God’s answer to our prayer whatever it may be.  If it is “yes”, let us give Him our thanks.  If it is “no”, let us recognize that God knows what is best for us and thank Him for protecting us, even from ourselves.  If the answer is “not now” may we continue to pray with the faith and persistence of St. Monica, always trusting in God.