The Value of Prayer - Second Entry

It is part of the human condition that we give prayerful voice to our needs. But, we do not have to go into great elaboration. Trust God because he knows us better than we know ourselves. It seems that many prayers go unanswered, but it may be that God responds in ways we do not appreciate. When our motivation is selfishness, he may even answer, no. All prayer is answered one way or the other and we are summoned to submit to divine providence. Jesus tells us not to worry and that every hair upon our heads is counted. Find time to rest in the presence of God. Echo the prayer of Jesus to the heavenly Father, “Not my will but thy will be done.”

As Psalm 139 reminds us, we lay everything before God. Remember the old television show, FATHER KNOWS BEST? Well, while such may not be consistently the case among human fathers, it is always and everywhere true in regard to our Father Most Holy:

O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me! Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar. Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. . . . For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb. . . . Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:1-4; 13; 23-24).

The fact that God is omniscient should not silence our words and activity; but when all is said and done, we would best be silent and receptive to God’s saving Word. Many believers take confidence that Jesus died for sinners on the Cross. What many of them do not understand is that our Lord as God was conscious of all those for whom he was dying in the flesh. While it may be that he pocketed much of his divine knowledge in his mortal life so as not to collapse human experiential knowledge, he called upon his divine understanding when necessary—as regarding the state of men’s souls. At the very moment Jesus was most vulnerable and enduring his sacrifice, he knew by name each and every one of the elect for whom he was dying. When we pray we should acknowledge that Jesus died, not just for a generic and nameless humanity, but for you and for me. He knows us in intricate detail with all our strengths and weaknesses. But, how well do we know him?

It is impossible to talk about personal prayer and not to breech the subject of vocation or calling. Everyone is called by God to the life of faith and charity. Everyone receives a calling within the calling: first to be a Christian and second to a particular way of life—single, married, widowed, religious life, priesthood, etc. Within these callings there may still be another calling—to pursue justice, to care for the sick, to teach children, to help the poor, etc. Such callings are discerned in prayer, not as new jobs to do, but as special opportunities for “becoming” and for grace. One of my favorite Scriptures about receptivity in prayer and the call to vocation is 1 Samuel: 3:1-18.

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time, Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down within the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood forth, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for thy servant hears.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of every one that hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I tell him that I am about to punish his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.” Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

In addition to being attentive, notice that the young prophet had a dire message to share. We communicate to God in prayer, but he also speaks to us in the liturgy, his living Word proclaimed, and in his present day prophets of the Church—particularly those made shepherds of the community.