"We don't know what causes changes in human minds, who tears down walls between nations and human beings, whether the origin of those peaceful revolutions are to be found in public demonstrations or perhaps in prayers. We may at least trust in the effect of our prayers on those who start such movements."
(P. Anselm Grün OSB, 1990 as a reaction to the fall of the Berlin Wall
from Living Vine Church - God loves honest talk. Realism is at the heart of His own character. He hates darkness and deception. Darkness is the domain of His enemy. Therefore, a second essential to confidence in prayer is to learn to be honest about what is in our hearts. God can handle our complaints, our foolishness, our fears, and our failures. God won't be surprised or threatened by our anger, our confusion, or our childlike pleadings.
(P. Anselm Grün OSB, 1990 as a reaction to the fall of the Berlin Wall
from Living Vine Church - God loves honest talk. Realism is at the heart of His own character. He hates darkness and deception. Darkness is the domain of His enemy. Therefore, a second essential to confidence in prayer is to learn to be honest about what is in our hearts. God can handle our complaints, our foolishness, our fears, and our failures. God won't be surprised or threatened by our anger, our confusion, or our childlike pleadings.
What does not please God are the cheap lies of flattery, ritual praise, insincere words repeated over and over without regret for what is really happening in our own soul. We need to put away our practices of fearful coverup, our sophisticated deceit, and our formal language of prayer long enough to lay foundations of truth.
Prayers filled with civilized lies are as unacceptable to God as they are unreflective of our own hearts. That is why, in order to enter the throne room of grace and begin to pray with confidence, we must learn to tell the truth when we pray. To do this, we have to spend time in self-evaluation and confession of sin. We must tell God how we really feel about Him, about ourselves, about our problems with people, and about our needs, frustrations, desires, and painful memories. We must also be honest about our desire to make His will our own. If we don't want to do His will, then that too must be brought to the light so that we can ask God Himself to help us to overcome our rebellion and foolishness.
Can Prayer Change Things?
article on prayer from The Mountain Retreat
God ordained prayer to be the vessel of changing things
article on prayer from The Mountain Retreat
God ordained prayer to be the vessel of changing things
Prayer can change one's circumstances
Prayer has the power to change the one who prays
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