A Little Prayer

In a recent issue of the Southern Reflector, GSU's campus magazine, a student named Alex Schafer offered a thought-provoking glimpse into his own life of prayer. He writes:

"As my day comes to a close, I prepare to let my mind slip to the paranormal realm of dreams and fantasy. As I lay myself down, attempting to succumb to unconsciousness, I say a prayer, the same prayer I’ve said since I was 12 years old, always believing it to be very important. But one particular night (I’m not quite sure when) I began to wonder, when does it become less of a prayer for what I’m praying for, and more a prayer for prayer’s sake?"

Alex continues, wondering aloud about why we pray at all, laying out both his beliefs and his doubts with clarity and honesty as fodder for our own spiritual thought. You can read all of Alex's article here.

Lots of people pray. Unlike Alex, however, few people stop to think about why they pray and what their prayers really mean. This is especially true of Episcopalians. We are blessed with a treasury of prayers that have been handed down to us through the ages via The Book of Common Prayer, but how often do we stop and ask ourselves, "Why do I do this? What do these words mean? How does this act connect me with the Living God, the One who made me, loves me, and calls me his own?"

Like Alex, many of us find from time to time that asking these questions can be important. Otherwise, we run the risk of praying our prayers for prayer's sake rather than praying them for the sake of drawing closer to God and becoming the people God dreams we will be. So next time you pray, ask yourself, "Why do I do this? What do these words mean? How am I connecting with the Living God?"

Alex ends by writing:

"I’m not entirely certain about a lot of things in this world, but with each day I begin to understand more. That, I believe, is what makes my prayer more than one for prayer’s sake. Now before I fall asleep and say the prayer that for so long I never thought about, I understand why it’s important.

"Regardless of what your own beliefs may be, one undisputable truth remains. No one has all of the answers, because no one possibly can. But perhaps through blind faith we can all find out more about our own unknowns, and I believe that is what my prayer is truly all about. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Amen.