Prayer is Our Life - Evangelismos Church
One of the most difficult things to do is to pray well. Prayer is like a spiritual barometer of our inner state of health. Even those who are well practised at it can fall into all kinds of strife. Why is this so?
Because prayer demands the attention of our whole person calling upon the mind, the soul, the physical self and most importantly our heart. To turn our attention wholly to God is not easy to do. Yet such devotion is an integral aspect of true love.
Jesus instructs us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
Interests of other kinds that demand our full attention, be they people, activities or material things that take precedence over God can serve as powerful interferences in worship and prayer. Worship and prayer are essential expressions of our love for God. We may feel justified in immersing ourselves in all kinds of activity which are all absorbing and engrossing in our lives. Such activities may include our career, study, occupation, sport, recreation, possessions and so on. But if we allow other things to take precedence over God we will find ourselves in spiritually treacherous ground. For it is only by acknowledging God that we become truly fulfilled in whatever we do, for He is the source of all life and existence. And by this means, by acknowledging Him the source of all that exist and that is love, we can then realise what is paramount in prayer, and that is to practice remembrance of God who is central to every aspect of our life. The more God is forgotten in daily activity, the more difficult it becomes for us to pray or even have our prayers answered because our prayer is reduced to little more than an additive rather than assuming its rightful place as a central and essential ingredient of our relationship and love for God. God not only provides all that we have but has given us life itself to experience those gifts. How can we then enjoy those gifts but fail to remember Him?
What remains for us is to choose those things in life which brings us closer to Him. How is this possible? Prayer should not be considered merely as an activity at the beginning or end of our day. It cannot be an additive but the essence of our relationship with God. It is good to remember God in the morning and the night, but we are no longer mere children to believe only this, for it is not good only to remember Him then. If prayer is confined to time we learn to excise ourselves from God. All that we do during the day can and should be joined to and directed towards God, and this is the essence of prayer.
Is it any wonder therefore that those who choose to practice prayer well are those who dedicate their life to God, as monks and nuns, as priests and as the saints of the Church who live their lives through faith with prayer and fasting in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Categories:Belief
Tags:Fr EmmanuelSpirituality