Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.” (Mark 11:22-25 NABRE)
As bad as I know this seems, it is easy to toss aside this statement of Jesus'.
How often have I prayed for something--without doubting God or having a grievance against anyone--only to find my prayer ending up unanswered? It makes me wonder why I should even pray for anything? It makes me question why I believe God is even there, or if he is, if he's listening?
But I have seen too much to ever consider God isn't real! And when I lean hard into that truth, I start to get my balance back. And when I do, I can reflect on my prayers--something we all should do from time to time--to consider if they reflect God's will for my life.
In some cases, what I ask for fell far short of the plans God had for me in that area of my life! I'd say that has been consistently true...always. And sometimes I pray to avoid life's realities of suffering and death. These happen. They will always be here, and so I pray better when I accept them, asking God instead to keep me strong through the trials I face, to show me what I might learn from them, and to hold me safely in spirit as I endure them.
I don't always understand God's answers or the times it seems he ignores me, but I know with complete certainty he is always on time to meet my greatest needs to grow in faith and to share it with others.
Today, I will pray. I will trust. I will ask God to forgive me. I will forgive. And I will ask for God's will to be done in all things.
Saint Augustine of Canterbury, patron of England, pray for us.
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