The Purpose and Power of Prayer

Here is the YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS1_ni-JYhM

What is prayer? Prayer is our communication with God. I believe, how we define God will define how we will pray, how we will communicate with God. If we define God as self-centered, our prayers will be egocentric. If we define God as judgmental, our prayers will focus on being condemnatory. If we define God as fearful, yes, our prayers will focus on fear. If we define God as love, we will focus our prayers on love. Whichever focus our prayer lives take, that will, most likely, be the way we will live our lives.

What is the purpose of prayer? I believe the purpose of prayer is not to change God. I believe prayer is to have God change us. Whatever our prayer focus is, the more we pray, the more God will change us, to live God’s focus.

There are two questions many, if not all people ask about prayer. One, how do we know our prayers are heard?  And, two, how do we know our prayers are answered? For me, focusing on God as love in my prayers, I can believe my prayers are being heard and answered, by the way God is changing me through my prayers to live God’s love for all.

Having God change us through our prayer life is a life-long process. At different times in our lives, and maybe more often than we will admit to, we pray prayers that are more self-centered and judgmental than loving. Are those prayers bad? No! All prayers, no matter what their focus, are good. We are still communicating with God. Even through those non-loving prayers, God uses them to change us.

That is the power of prayer. In spite of our non-loving focus on prayer, and life, God uses our prayers to continue to change us, to help us define God as love. In doing so, God changes us to live God’s love - for all. I believe, the more we know God as love, God will help us live God’s love for all. What could our lives and world look like if we all prayed for, and were, more loving? Let’s pray about that…

Gracious and patient God of love, thank you for loving me, in spite of all my self-centered and judgmental prayers and thoughts toward you and others. Help change me to know your love. Help change me to live your love for all.  Amen