“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I am helpless. It doesn’t change God–it changes me.”—-C. S. Lewis
Nothing is more self-evident than this quote by C. S. Lewis. Prayer does not change God. He is, was, and always will be the same…the Alpha and the Omega, the same loving Father, unchanged. His love for us remains the same always, sinner or saint. He loves us as we are. The thing that changes, or makes a difference is our love for Him. Our love for Him changes through our prayer habits. Our devotion to God the Father, His Son, the Holy Spirit, and our Blessed Mother brings about the changes inside of us. In prayer, we get to talk with the Lord one on one. We have the chance to open our hearts and soul to Him. We can develop a greater relationship with our Father, who only asks 2 things of us–Love Him above all others, and love our neighbors.
Since the passing of Evan, I definitely learned that I could not survive on my own. I could not help myself. I was truly helpless. It was only through Him that I saw the way out of the darkness. There was no other solution. The grief and depression would have swallowed me whole, consumed me from the inside until all that was left would have been an empty shell. Prayer is what changed me. Prayer is what brought me back from being dead to Christ. My faith in our Father was the only thing holding me here. It was prayer that ensured I would be saved. Not only my own prayers, but the prayers of all my family and friends, our community, and their friends. You must remember, even if you are not praying yourself, someone, somewhere, here or gone, is praying for you. It is unfathomable to realize the number of those who are praying for you that you are totally unaware of. Always be mindful and thankful of that fact.
Developing a better prayer life is much easier than you might imagine. After my first retreat at Manresa, I realized how easy it was to make time for prayer, or should I say find time to pray. I found that time driving home from the retreat that weekend. No radio. Just prayers the whole way home. I incorporated that into my drive to and from work every day, and have been doing so since August of 2017. Basically a 40 minute round trip. At first I would just pray and meditate on common prayers, (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be), but it evolved into adding more prayers into the mix, which led to the creation of a whole new devotional which I will explain in a future post. I also learned that a complete Rosary can be said in that 20 minute time frame and that has made a huge difference in my mood getting to and arriving home each day.
All I am trying to say is that it’s not hard to slip prayers in throughout the day. Like myself, I found numerous chances with idle time on my hands and mind to slip in a prayer here or there. Any quiet time you find will do. An Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, St. Michael’s Prayer, whatever your favorite prayer may be. Even something as simple as “Jesus, I Trust in You” works well, especially if you meditate on those words and truly put your trust in the hands of Jesus. There truly is no right or wrong way to pray. Give the Lord some of the precious time He has graciously given to you. Thank Him for allowing you to partake in the glory that awaits you, the room in His house, and the feast at his table.
Since this rejuvenation of my prayer life, I am more at peace with myself and others, my road rage has become a thing of the past…(for the most part), because I am in prayer mode and don’t let petty inconveniences on the road get to me like they used to. So, all I ask of you is this-give it a try. Make time for prayer throughout the day. Talk with the Lord for help to get through the day. Thank Him for all He has blessed you with. You won’t be disappointed. And when you start to see that change, you will realize, as Mr. Lewis said, God is not changed by prayer, but we as believers are.
God Bless You Brothers and Sisters,
You are in my prayers,
Scott
