Trust this One Thing for a Recharged Prayer Life
In our family’s distribution of household responsibilities, I keep track of the budget and my wife cooks.
Understand there is a reason behind this. My cooking resembles manna. Not because it is heavenly but because Karen and the kids look at what I prepare and say “what is it?” . . . which is what “manna” means.
In contrast to my cooking, my calculating resembles a well-ordered desk (not that I have ever had one personally). I relish the sense of accomplishment when all the figures line up just as they should. And, I am good at not spending money when we need to tighten our belts a bit.
Except when it comes to my kids. When they were smaller and so was our salary, Christmas would summon the annual pronouncement: “Let’s watch our spending this year.” Karen would merely smile and nod her head. She knew what was about to happen.
As Christmas advanced my resolve retreated. The boys would ask for the latest toys and I would buy them with the greatest joy. They asked confidently because they knew their father would listen.
The scene at St. Peter’s is quite different. Once every twenty-five years on Christmas Eve the Pope approaches the Porta Santa, or Holy Door. The door is sealed. He knocks on it three times with a silver hammer. The door collapses, most likely making any spectator nervous that the rest of St. Peter’s is as fragile as this door. The door leads not to a wealth of riches but only into other parts of the church.
Although our prayers should resemble that of our children’s requests at Christmastime, they are often more like the Christmas Eve scene at St. Peter’s. Seldom. Difficult to get through. Little promise on the other side.
Want to change your prayer life? Then trust what 1 John 5:14 declares: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” You can pray with confidence when you know what to ask and that God hears you.
Kids have that confidence. My boys know what I want to give. They know what I can give. So they ask. And because they are my children I hear them.
And because you are God’s child, he hears you. You don’t have to wait every twenty-five years. You don’t have to break down any doors. On the other side of asking is all you really need.
So start asking. God listens.
