How is prayer an expression of christian faith

The apostles believed in God; they gathered in the upper room to pray as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit. Paul believed in God; you can see it in his many prayers. Prayer is our expression of faith in God. All these people expressed their faith through the volume and sincerity of their prayer. We have a nickname for James, the brother of Jesus.

Is it just coincidence that the church exploded? When the disciples came to Jesus in Luke , they did not ask Him to teach them how to pray. They asked Him to teach them to pray. And what did Jesus do? After providing a short pattern of prayer, He told them about the Father. Prayer changes history. The cries of Isaac reached the ears of God and we have a nation of Israel today.

The cries of Israel reached God and He delivered them in a mighty way from the land of Egypt. The cries of Hannah reached God and Samuel was born. The cries of David reached God and He established a great kingdom.

The cries of Solomon reached God and God gave him incredible wisdom. The cries of Hezekiah reached God and Jerusalem was the only city in the entire region not captured by the Assyrians. The cries of Manasseh reached God and he was restored back to his throne. The cries of Jeremiah reached God and he was rescued from a dungeon. The cries of Daniel reached God and dreams were interpreted.

The cries of Jonah reached God and he was saved out of certain death. The cries of Jesus reached God and the church exists today. The cries of the thief on the cross reached God and he is in Paradise. As new Christians, we often are excited about our fresh relationship with a God who can do anything.

We pray, believing, and we receive. But then we pray, believing, and nothing happens. Then we grow in doubt and begin to change our theology. Some change is good. If we think that God is a genie in the sky who will always do what we ask, then that theology needs to change. Some change is bad. If we think that God is going to do whatever He wants and that prayer is ineffectual as a change agent in this world, in our lives, or with God, we err, not knowing God.

Results 2 and 3 are not arbitrary results, but both are the desired result of one who really seeks God in prayer. When we pray, two wills are involved, His and ours. Sometimes, as in any relationship, one party has to align with the other. Sometimes our will has to align with His. Sometimes His will aligns with ours. Prayer acknowledges these different outcomes. He delights to give good gifts to those who ask Matthew But though we may not realize it at the time, sometimes our will is not in our best long-term interest, nor in the best long-term interest of others or this world.

God knows what is best. Therefore, we need not fear to pray for what we want as long as we trust that if what we want is not best, God will take our request and do with it what is best. Again, our prayer is an expression of faith, because we pray knowing that sometimes we may not get the outcome we desire. Sometimes, however, we adopt the attitude that God will do what He will do and therefore we have no need to pray.

This is simply not true. Vocal prayer is well suited in communal or liturgical prayer such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, or a blessing before a family meal. CCC Meditative prayer is ordinarily grounded in spiritual reading. It is a search for understanding and discernment of what God is calling us to do. By engaging our mind and spirit, we draw closer to Christ.

Two popular forms of meditation are the Holy Rosary and lectio divina. The Holy Rosary, which also utilizes vocal prayer, is a meditation on the events of the lives of Christ and his Mother. Lectio divina is a meditative reading of Sacred Scripture or other edifying texts such as the spiritual writings of holy men and women. You can find Alastair at the church website: www. Join our Newsletter. Home Blogs Spiritually Speaking What does prayer mean? Sep 24, AM By: Rev. Alastair Mccollum. Share on Facebook.

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