Thursday, June 18, 2020
Bible Text: “When you pray do not be like the gentiles for your Father knows what you need before you asked Him”. Matthew 6. 7- 15
There are various definitions about prayer but personally it is the most essential medium for a believer to encounter his creator. In this encounter Jesus is reminding us not to imitate the gentiles for they only mumbled many empty words. When we pray it is not only a time for us talk but it is also a time to be quiet to allow God to speak to him. In other words prayer is a solemn conversation between the believer and the creator. In this encounter mutual giving and receiving takes place which means that we offer our life to God and receive the life that is given to us by God. It is in this sense that the Lord’s Prayer which was taught by Jesus to His disciples is all about discerning the will of God for us. What is it that God wanted me to do? The Lord’s Prayer is all about teaching us to listen to God so that we can precisely follow His will for us.
Jesus said before you pray God already knows what you need. When we pray it is not at all focused on asking so many favours from the Lord but the very first thing that we have to utter is to teach us listen and obey the will of God for after all I should not worry about my needs when God at the very outset knows everything that I need. In prayer my concern is not so much asking God to bestow good things upon me but to beg the Lord for a grace so that I can fulfil the will of God in my life. If a believer will only have such kind of attitude in prayer, his life will surely be powerful. Remember the Prophet Elijah in the first reading, he raised corpse from death, he sent kings to destruction and heal those in sickbeds. This faithful prophet is teaching us that we can also perform miracles in the life of other people when we pray fervently before the Lord.
Let us be reminded that when we ask Jesus to teach us how to pray, we have to submit our life to God and be ready to fulfill God’s will. Keep in mind that the will of God is not always smooth ways but something that is challenging which entails difficulties and sacrifices.