Praying

 

Praying

I find, especially as I get older, I like to pray. Actually, that’s sort of understating it. I pray because I need to pray. I crave prayer time.

That may sound weird or nerdy or something like that, but it’s become a part of my day and a part of my life. I tend to pray, at least once or twice a day the Liturgy of the Hours which primarily use Psalms.

I pray not because I have all the answers; I have very few answers.

I don’t pray to find out the answers; I pray to allow God’s way to intervene.

I don’t pray for people to get them to see it my way; I pray that I may have an open mind and heart in their presence.

I don’t pray because I am strong; I pray because I am weak.

I don’t pray because I’m so good; I pray because I grapple with my own humanity and weaknesses.

I don’t pray because God needs me to pray; I pray because I need to pray to God.

I don’t pray to come into God’s presence; I pray that I may be aware of God’s presence around me.

I don’t pray for a certain ideology to prevail or one to fail; I pray that people may actually grow up and listen to one another and work together.

I pray an awful lot for peace and for people I love and a lot of people I don’t know. I figure God knows them and that’s enough.

I don’t pray the Psalms because they are all good and uplifting; I pray because they are real and they capture the joy and sorrow, the bliss and pain of life. They are real.

I don’t pray with a lot of certainty; I pray with a lot of seeking and praying the Psalms forces me to seek and wonder. I often wonder about Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. (Don’t ask, it’s a Psalm thing….)

I pray not because I have an abundance of time; I take the time to pray because I have an abundance of need.

Which reminds me…..time to pray.