Don't you love how many times a child can ask, Why, Mom? Why is the sun round? Why are snowflakes white? Why do I have to pick up my toys? The Why's that children come up with can drive anyone nuts, but they really have a natural curiosity about life and they are always in the learning mode. They love to know why things are the way they are and why the world works in the way that it seems to work. Some of the whys are simple to answer and some are not so simple. When it comes to praying, if we've never asked why anyone bothers to pray, it is worth a little contemplation and some attention. Like children, we must develop a natural curiosity within us when it comes to praying. We need to keep our spiritual selves in a learning mode. In our spiritual innocence, we can ask Why pray? Do we pray because we've been told to? Are we praying to change something or someone? Are we praying to feel closer to God? Do we pray because we need God's guidance? Are we praying out of guilt? There are many valid reasons to make the time to pray. Sometimes we pray because we think we should pray and then having made a commitment to include prayer in our everyday life, we pray because we want to pray, and we pray because we need to pray. We pray because we are spiritual beings first and foremost and physical beings second. We are spirits that have manifested into the physical body we see in the mirror. Because we are spiritual in nature, we pray to strengthen and nourish this part of who we are and to make our spirits stronger and more real than the physical world around us. We pray in order to transform our inner selves. We pray in order to become more in tune with God-in-us. We pray in order to see the world around us as God sees it. We pray in order to think the thoughts of God. We pray in order to align our lives with the lifeforce of our Creator. We pray because this is our connection to all that is divine. Just like we drink because our physical body is thirsty. We pray because this is how we quench our spiritual thirst. It is as necessary to pray as it is to eat food. Our physical bodies will die if they are not nourished. Our spirit will die if we do not pray, and the spiritual form of death is judgment, hatred, lack, fear, jealousy, anger, guilt, sickness, negativity, and resentments. If we do not take the time to pray for our spiritual health, it will eventually take its toll on our own physical health, our family's health, and even our global health. We all need to love to pray as much as we love to eat, love to text, love to spend time with our loved ones, love to sleep in, love to have a day to yourself, love to read a great book, love to get a pedicure or a massage. The more we pray, the more we will desire prayer, and the more we will love to pray. Pray for all kinds of reasons, but pray because you love to do it and you love how it makes you feel and how it transforms yourself and the world around you.
Pray because you love who you are, and what you are becoming, when you participate in this mystical and spiritually magical interaction with God. Next Week: Creating a Prayer Space
As soon as I pray, you answer me, you encourage me by giving me strength. Psalm 138: 3
What do you find most challenging about prayer?
Write about a time when you prayed and you witnessed God's action in your life?
What is your favorite prayer? Why is it your favorite?
