Power of Prayer

I grew up in a strong Catholic family where faith and church on Sunday was an integral part of our family life. Grace at dinner and nightly prayers were always said. Prayer became a powerful part of our daily life.

As I got older, I relied on those beliefs to help me on struggling days. I think about specific times when I prayed incessantly. 

When I gave birth to my daughter and almost lost my life. 

When my marriage fell apart. 

When my dad became ill with Covid and passed away shortly after. 

Those were turning points in my life. I learned the power of prayer and also the long suffering that comes with those difficult times in my life when I felt like I was climbing a steep hill. 

 

Prayer builds Faith

When we pray, we are trusting that God is listening. We are trusting that He will not forsake us. We are trusting that He will answer. Sometimes, our prayers are not answered right away or they are not answered in the way that we would like. But trusting that God has a plan builds our faith. 

These were times in my life when I have physically hurt so much and prayer became the only way for me to cope and keep moving forward. My faith was tested, and even though my prayers were not all answered the way I wanted them to be, I knew He was there. Prayer built the faith that developed the trust. 

 

Even in times of doubt, keep praying. 

There has been moments I have questioned where God was. Was He listening to me? Did He forget about me? Why does it seem so quiet?

But I have learned that I cannot cease my prayer life because I think He is not listening. He is. I just need to trust that He is doing the work. He may or may not answer my prayer in the way I would like, but He knows best. 

 

Never cease to pray

He is there. He is listening. Keep praying. Keep trusting and keep believing. 

Prayer brings Hope.

Prayer brings clarity. 

Prayer brings calm to the day. 

Pray without ceasing ( Thessalonians 5:16)