Prayer

Prayer fascinates me because it may be the only way to communicate with God outside of time and space. It also fascinates me because of its universality: it is observed all over the world by many faith traditions. 

Within the Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam prescribe formal and informal prayer as key pillars of faith. Eastern traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shinto incorporate prayer as petitions to spirits or to highlight devotional focus.

This suggests to me that prayer is a shared constant of the human experience. We all innately possess the capability, and many of us are driven or called to practice prayer regardless of our formal beliefs. This universal pull toward prayer has played out in my own life, even during times of doubt.

I recently wrote about the importance of prayer during a long period of apostasy in my life. Prayer is the lifeline that kept me connected with God during this challenging time, and it is what prevented me from losing Him. Perhaps it’s more appropriate to say it’s what prevented Him from losing me.

Today, I want to spend a little time discussing prayer and why it’s important to me as a Catholic Christian.

Why should we pray?

We should pray because God wants us to. The Bible is replete with God’s desire for our prayers. We quickly learn that prayer is encouraged throughout scripture. We learn that God calls us to prayer from the beginning of creation:

Genesis 3:9:

But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Through the middle:

Joshua 5:14:

He replied, “Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, “What do you command your servant, my lord?”

Nehemiah 8:6:

Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

1 Chronicles 21:16-17:

David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 

And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but do not let your people be plagued!”

Proverbs 15:29:

The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Until the end of time:

Revelation 5:8:

When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

To Protect Against Anxiety

In his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously stated “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” In context, he was referring to the fear that paralyzed a nation as it suffered the Great Depression.

Almost two millennia earlier, the Apostle Paul encouraged a young church not to fear, but to pray:

Philippians 4:6

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Because He did

Most obviously, we should pray because Jesus Christ, God made flesh, Himself prayed!

He prayed:

• early in the morning,
• when choosing the twelve apostles,
• performing miracles, 
• on the cross,
• And after His resurrection 

He even taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13:

“Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one."

I want to note the importance of humility in all of these examples given to us in scripture. 

How Should We Pray?

When I was young, one of my CCD teachers told me to pray “however it felt right.” He told me that prayer is just a way to talk with God, so anything I wanted to say I should. So long as I initiated conversation with the sign of the cross, I was praying!

I took that advice to heart, but I’ve also wrestled with the idea of speaking to my Creator. How does a creation approach its Creator? Should I? Is it presumptuous to do so? Will He be mad if I do or if I don’t? What specific steps should I take?

Pray as God Himself teaches

Jesus Christ again shows us the way: 

Matthew 6:5-8:

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 

But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

This is so good! “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” What powerful words! Again, note the importance of humility in Jesus’ message. 

Words aren't always needed

There have been innumerable times in my life where, desperately praying, I did not know how to form the words on my tongue or in my mind. Romans 8:26 brings me comfort knowing that God understands my needs and desires even when I can’t express them:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

I don’t think it’s possible to pray “incorrectly,” unless one’s prayer is for harm to another. Scripture alludes to prayer as a tool of supplication and thanksgiving, and I’ll evoke my CCD teacher’s guidance of “however it feels right.” 

So how do you pray? Simple, just start a conversation with God!

Father in Heaven, …

So What?

But why do we pray, really? What is the point of this species that offers verbal and non-verbal communication to God, the Universe, or whatever else a person believes in?

I think we pray because although humanity is awesome, we are broken, incomplete, and insufficient. We are in need of God's help. And I think that our souls are aware of this even if our minds are not. 

We may not realize it while we are praying, but the very act acknowledges the shortcomings of ourselves. Whether the prayer is offered by a prisoner on death row, a soldier in the trenches, a parent in a children’s hospital, or any other situation, it proves the need for a merciful God. A healing God. A powerful God. 

There are powerful people in the world, to be sure. I believe that an individual who sets their mind to it can accomplish magnificent feats. Mankind’s relentless pursuit of mastery over the environment and the scientific method has yielded incredible technologies. But we need God! 

We need God whether we want to admit it or not. And I believe our souls yield to this need by desiring prayer.

And this is the most important reason to pray: because God wants us to. He showed us how and tells us why. Scripture reveals this to us, and tradition reinforces it. 

We are created beings that do not necessarily need to exist. Therefore, we should, if nothing else, pray in thanksgiving to our Creator for this experience.

I will continue to push myself to pray more often and with more intent throughout the day and I invite you to do the same. I would love to hear about your prayer experiences in the comments below!

God bless.

P.S., The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides an excellent analysis of prayer. I encourage you to read it!