IT TAKES A LIFETIME TO LEARN ABOUT PRAYER AND TO DISCOVER ITS SECRETS

Prayer:From Technique to Loving Relationship byRobert M Solomon

In the childhood phase of prayer, we discover that prayer is powerful. When we pray, things happen.We therefore buy plaques declaring confidently that "Prayer changes things" and display them prominently in our homes. The danger arises when prayer is treated as a powerful tool, and praying is seen as an efficient technique to make things happen. Prayer, then, is like a remote control in our human hands. We press some buttons to move God and mobilise heaven.

In the teenage phase of prayer, we begin to slowly realise that the remote control does not work as we think it should. Now we learn that God is powerful. We cannot dictate to Him what we want. He alone determines what to do and when to do it. Sometimes, He answers our prayers and at other times He seems to ignore our pleas. He is in total control. Disappointments set in and we throw away our remote controls.

Then we discover the wonderful truth that God is love. We enter the adult stage of prayer. Neither the maxim "prayer is powerful' nor the one that "God is powerful" are, on their own, sufficient in teaching us about prayer. Somewhere along the way, we realise that God is loving and He longs to speak to us and hear us speak the language of love. Prayer is the language of love, a language of intimacy. So let us turn our attention to God in true prayer. As we pray, things may change - sometimes. But one thing is sure. As we pray, we will be changed. For Love changes us.