Last Night, I Prayed…

And so begins the newest blog series called “Last Night, I Prayed…” As I travel farther and further into this discernment process, I’m realizing a couple of things about prayer.

First, its important; like really important…most likely, in fact, the most important thing in the entire process. Through God, all things are possible. That is something that each of us should know by this point. Nothing leading to the advancement of our lives or the salvation of souls can or will happen without the help of God. It might sound stupid that I didn’t really realize how important prayer is until now, especially because I had always thought I had a firm grasp on it. It wasn’t until I delved deep down in this discernment stuff and started experiencing the saving consolation and peace that prayer can bring that I realized the true impacts of prayer.

The second thing I learned is that God really does respond to our prayers. Most of the time, we think that just because we can’t see or hear God that he doesnt hear us or respond to what we tell him. Wrongo! The Lord works in mysterious ways, and that’s the truth. God does not shout or have the loud booming voice that movies have made us believe he has. He speaks to us all in his soft, peaceful voice. It sounds silly until one actually experiences it…and then it truly becoming something unbelievable and unimaginably marvelous. Sometimes, all we have to do is just shut our mouths and minds, open our hearts, and just listen. It’s hard for most people, especially my age, to feel comfortable letting God in…much less sitting and being quiet. But if we want to experience the full extent of the grace which God intends for each of us, it is necessary.

These two points, I believe, are the foundations of any good prayer life. We must realize that life without God would be unimaginably different and difficult beyond measure. Through him, all things come. For good, for bad, for rich, for poor, he is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. In addition to this, it is imperative for us to relax, release, and relinquish our woes to the Lord. God wants us to be saved and God wants us to be free with him in the Eternal Kingdom. This is not possible without first letting him in and truly believing that he hears and answers our prayers.

So that’s all pretty much the background on what’s going on here. There’s obviously so much more to prayer, which I think is sort of ironic since on the outset prayer seems like such a simple concept.

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So here we begin. Last night I prayed for and about all of those who do not believe in the existence of God. This is one of my favorite debates to have regarding the Catholic faith. Frankly, this is because I don’t even see why it is a debate.

There are tons of reasons why people say that they don’t believe in God. They don’t see him, they can’t hear or feel him, etc etc. The list goes on and on. I will admit that there have been times in my life when I was not sure God was hearing what I was saying. I was not sure that he really cared for me.

I cannot say for sure when I felt these feelings go away, but ever since then, something has been different.

I pretty much asked God that he would continue to watch over his people and help them to see his glorifying light. It’s hard for him, though, and I don’t really blame that. I mean if someone gave you the cold shoulder for days, weeks, months, or even years on end, would you really be all too eager to talk to him or her? Most likely not.

This just goes to show, however, the infinite power of God’s goodness and grace and that he will truly stop at nothing for us to realize his undying love.

We are a noisy people, and sometimes sitting in silence with God will get us and him to say more than ever. He is there; he is with us. Sometimes, I need to remind myself to stop being so analytical of God and his wondrous love because it will drive a person mad trying to understand something which can not be understood on this mortal planet.

You can see God, though; and you don’t really need to look that hard. Have you ever heard a baby laugh, the wind rustle through the trees on a perfect summer night, or the rumble of distant thunder?

God is unstoppable, and his power is infinite. May we all come to realize this and may we come back to the church which has guided and loved us for over 2000 years.

In Christ,
Ryan