“Say this powerful prayer and God will grant you a wish.”
I hate those pieces of paper that end up in church pews. When I find them I throw them away. God is not a machine. As though if you find the right nickel to stick in, the machine will do whatever it is that you task it. Like you parents, no matter how much you might beg for a horse and no matter how perfectly behaved you are, there is no guarantee that you will receive one. This mentality is one inch away from the prosperity Gospel.
That being said, I have had some prayers that have constantly surprised me. I’ve told you before about praying to my guardian angel and being astonished. Here is one more that I am shy about sharing (for some inexplicable reason) but that, more often than not, seems to be something near and dear to my Father’s heart and appears to bring about some blessings.
So say that there is some person with whom you are having difficulties. And assume that you want those difficulties healed in some fashion. (You don’t necessarily get to pick the “how” of it, just the “that”.) While praying for the other person and for yourself is always helpful, there is one more prayer that I use. It does not exactly entail praying for the other person or for yourself, but by engaging the imagination, picturing the relationship between you. For me, it changes from person to person, but a particularly, shall we say, “failing” relationship I might picture as a withering vine between us; fading leaves, withering branches, limp and lying on the ground. The point is, there is not much of a connection, not much love, not much life getting through. So I lift that image - that relationship up to God and ask Him to bring some healing - to do something (it’s always His call) and thank Him.
A great number of times I walk away from an encounter with the other person and find myself thinking, “Well that went strangely well.” And then I remember that I had prayed that odd little prayer and give credit to God for doing . . . something. And I’m never quite sure exactly what it was. But I am grateful.
1 comment:
Thank you ever so much for this, Father. I have had a very difficult, painful relationship with a person I very much value and admire, my pastor. We had been good friends. Suddenly, it all went like the withered vine you mentioned. This happened some years ago and has not improved at all, and has only grown worse. I suspect there may have been some envy, gossip, and backstabbing by others in the parish against me and my husband, which he may have been influenced by.
Whatever the reason, I plan to pray your simple prayer and hope for the best. If you can, please pray for me and this problem, which is heavy on my heart - thank you.
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