Place of Prayer - SOLD

Every morning I walk Max, my assistant Bolognese, and while he spends his time sniffing around, I listen to tapes on my phone.  This week I have been listening to Peter Yancy's book on Prayer.  I have often had questions about prayer....for instance why pray if God already knows our needs and requests?  Yet, prayer seemed to be very important to Christ, who was God's Son ...sometimes his prayers even being in anguish.  For instance, in the Garden of Gethsemane found in Matthew 26:36-56.  One point brought out in Mr. Yancy's book was that we pray very fervently when our needs are great and we persevere in prayer during those times.  We also develop a relationship with the One we are praying to.  When I call my closest friends on the telephone and they answer and I say, "Hi"....they know it is me.  We talk so often we do not have to spend time trying to establish a relationship as our relationship is so close that I can say one small word, "Hi" and they know my voice.  Maybe when I spend time talking to God, His voice becomes more familiar to me.  

Another story struck me from the book and that was of a pastor building some stone steps at his home.  The stones were very heavy and the work was hard.  His little 3 year old girl wanted to help him and even though he knew the stones were too heavy for her, she kept insisting.  He gave in and let her "help" him with tasks that were safe for her to help with.  He said the building took a lot longer with her "help" but after the steps were completed, she happily told everyone "Me and Daddy built steps". Her part in the project was so special to her.  Maybe the act of prayer is more for us to be a part of a collaboration than to change God's original plan or mind, for when prayers are answered so specifically we feel that we had a part in the outcome.

When Mother Theresa was asked, "How do we learn to pray?" she answered, "By Praying".  Even though there are times when I wonder why I pray and my mind wonders during prayers I know that perseverance in trying to become better as an artist pays off.  The more I paint, the better I get at it.  I learn something with each painting.  Maybe with perseverance I learn more about praying as well.