Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
Life is so short. However, during our short time on this Earth, we are going to face adversity. There will be those times when we want to do nothing more than lash out at a person who is treating us badly or is saying bad things to or about us. It is in these times that God teaches us restraint and prayer. There are times that a fitting prayer may be a very few words uttered in a moment of need or as an expression of thanksgiving. There are other times that it is appropriate for a prayer to be lengthy and emotional. Say, for instance, the prayer of Jesus on the night of his betrayal. As we pour out our hearts to God in deep anguish, we may spend the entire night or day talking with our Father. What makes prayer effective is that it comes from the heart, a heart of faith, committed to living for God to whom we are speaking. What prayer is not, is just quoting some memorized lines without even thinking of what we are saying or using a lot of words to sound good or make it last for a long time. We pray to God because he wants us to do so. We pray to God because he can fill our needs that we cannot fill on our own. We pray to God because he is in control of all things, both big and small. He made us and knows what is best for us. He has promised to answer our prayers but has not promised to always give us everything we want. An answer of no is just as much an answer as yes or later or any other response he sees best for us at the time. So, just as Jesus prayed, we too must ask for the will of God to be done in all things. This is true in our personal lives and the problems we face on a day to day basis. It is true when we ask for healing on the part of ourselves, our loved ones, or some other person for whom we care.
Spiritual Steve 