Lately I have been thinking a lot about prayer. Probably because I have found myself wanting to pray more than ever. It actually catches me off guard, I find myself looking for opportunities to retreat to my room to pray alone, or to find a friend to pray with. The other day I was at the gym, 5 minutes into my elliptical routine when I just stopped and knew I needed to go home and pray. Super weird. But it got me thinking about the importance of prayer. It reminded me of a sermon I heard earlier this summer talking about the cleverness of the parables Jesus taught.
In reference to the parable about seeds on a path vs rocky soil vs thorns vs good soil (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8), the pastor said the message is found in how the listeners respond. For example, if you hear the characteristics of the good soil and you ask, "am I good soil? How can I be good soil?" you prove to be good soil.
I have found that prayer works in a similar way. The beauty of prayer is not whether or not the prayer is answered to your liking, but in the fact you took the time to pray for a loved one or that you had faith your prayer would be heard and maybe even answered. I have friends who do not associate with a particular religion say there are times in their life when they have found themselves praying or somehow trying to talk to God, not knowing whether or not he was listening. I would imagine those are the most beautiful prayers of all to reach God's ears. Through stories I have heard and experiences of my own, I have learned that the mystery of prayer is how God works through them. Whether or not God answers them, we see the posture of our hearts when we bow our heads.
"He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea." Psalm 102:17
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