Prayer Problems, or not?

It is very important to try your hardest to be open to the Holy Spirit. It is not always easy to do that. No matter how hard we might want to totally surrender, sometimes it is difficult to truly be as open as we should.

There are so many distractions around us - even, and sometimes especially, when we are in prayer. Thoughts come into our minds. Intrusive thoughts. Sounds are heard. A phone rings. The temperature isn't right. Our clothes don't feel comfortable. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, and even though we are praying the right words, somehow "it" just doesn't happen. We are left frustrated with our prayer time, almost as if we have accomplished nothing at all.

This happens to me. Lately, it has been happening quite often. However, one day, as I was talking to Jesus about this, it came to me, quite clearly as a matter of fact, that our prayer time is not a waste of time even in those circumstances. Why? Because when we are taking the time to try and quiet ourselves, God honors that. He sees that. He knows we are trying.

It came to my mind the other day, when I was kneeling in front of the tabernacle at my little church, that I had been there for quite some time and didn't feel that I was accomplishing any real prayer time, or any real connection with Jesus. But then, clearly once again, it dawned on me that God was pleased just that I was taking the time to be there. For a minute I felt all puffed up with pride - that here I was, the only one in the church while the "rest of the world" was whizing by in cars, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. For a split second I felt "holy" but then I felt like a horrible sinner becuase I was experiencing such pride. I was quickly humbled.

One thing that resonated with me was that even though we can't always pray as we desire to, and sometimes even when prayer is impossible, "just being there" matters to God. It is a testament of faith that He is there and we are in His presence. Whether we pray or not, we are still receiving His grace and we are being reverent, if only by being silent and aware that He is there.

Prayer, to me anyway, shouldn't be such hard work. We should talk to Jesus from our hearts and then we should try to listen. I think in my next blog entry I will talk to you about some of the many ways I've discovered to pray and perhaps some of them might help you in your prayer.

It is important to be open and to surrender, and to talk. But sometimes when we have trouble with all of those things, for whatever reasons, then we should just BE. Just be in God's presence...like a kitten curled up on a lap, doing nothing per se, but also being totally present at the same time.