Prayer 

   What is prayer?  How do we approach it and what do we expect to achieve by our prayers?  Do we expect that our prayers will be answered quickly and with the answer we desire?  Are we willing to accept “no” or “not yet” in answer to our prayers or do we insist that “Yes” is the only acceptable answer?

   Prayer comes in many forms and people pray in many ways.  Some love the traditional written prayers; others are more comfortable with an unscripted personal conversation with our Lord.  To me prayer is often a time to sit quietly in silence, spending time alone with the Lord in solitude, locking the world outside and being alone with God.

   St. Therese of Lisieux said, “For me prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and love, embracing both trial and joy.”  The “Little Flower” as she is called knew the secret to prayer.  It is not a laundry list of things we want God to do for us.  It is not a complaint line demanding God fix what we want fixed.  It is above all a heart to heart experience with the God who loves us and wants nothing more than to have a sincere loving relationship with each of us.

   Prayer is also a powerful weapon.  In my book “Thoughts of God” I wrote that when we pray, Satan cringes.  I believe our prayers are the most effective and sure way to thwart the evil that Satan wants to bring upon us and on this world.  The distractions and disruptions we so often experience during prayer is the devil doing his best to interfere with our communion with God.

   Finally, prayer is, in my opinion, the most important and effective way to grow closer to God, to become more attuned to His will in my life and to seek the strength and perseverance to follow Him wherever He chooses to lead me.  Without prayer I would be lost with no way to find my home.