As a child, I was never taught to pray. Throughout my English high school I became cynically familiar with the daily rote prayers offered in each morning’s assembly. I drifted, year after year, through a kind of atheistic nothingness, confident in my teenage omniscience that religion was a crutch for people who couldn’t otherwise make it on their own.
Religious conversion for me was an especially high hurdle, requiring first a belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Redeemer of mankind, as well as a decision as to which church’s doctrine made the most sense to me. It’s a years-long story, much too complex to relate here, but I mention it because it was through that process that I finally came to understand the power of prayer.
Decades later, I’ve learned to pray to a loving Heavenly Father in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. After much practice and plenty of failures along the way, here are some other things I’ve learned:
--That thoughtless prayer is ineffective.
--That prayer, when motivated by sincerity and driven by faith, can be a powerful and literally life-changing experience.
--That answers to prayers can be specific if the prayers themselves are specific.
--That a loving Heavenly Father is personally interested in our growth and progress, and that seeking the mind and will of the Lord is more important than seeking affirmation of our own mind and will.
--That taking the time to ponder, study and weigh issues before prayer is a significant help.
--That we have to listen for answers as intently as we ask the questions.
--That “casting burdens on the Lord” is a liberating experience.
--That prayer may never be more meaningful than when the life or health of our own child is in the balance.
--And that among the most effective prayers we can offer are those for someone other than ourselves.
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