by Fr Michael Adefemi Adegbola

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

Prayer is a good test of our commitment to Christ as Christians. Jesus exhorts his disciples to pray continually and never to grow discouraged or lose heart, because it serves the purpose of keeping up our courage and above all, our hope in God. Mother Teresa of blessed memory sees it thus: “prayer as the oil that keeps the lamp of faith burning brightly.” So, we must be convinced of the necessity and value of prayer and make room for it in our daily lives as Christians.

Prayer is not waste of time as the faithless cynics would logically argue, even when it becomes apparently and totally unproductive. (Luke 18: 1-8). It seems because we are in a hurry in the modern life, everything else tends to come before prayer; and even when we do pray our hearts are empty and minds distracted by other things. Jesus urges us not to allow our hearts to be poisoned by cynicism, doubts and uncertainties; not to blame God over our predicaments by spreading gloom and despair, but to get down on our knees and pray to God for deliverance and healing.

Pope Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est defines “Prayer, as a means of drawing ever new strength from Christ, is concretely and urgently needed. People who pray are not wasting their time even though the situation appears desperate and seems to call for action alone… In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbour but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service.” (Deus Caritas Est. no.36)

How wonderful and consoling it is for us as Christians to know that night, noon and day, we have a direct line and connection to God through prayer. It is impossible to exaggerate the power and absolute necessity of prayer in the Christian life. Indeed, it is said that a ‘prayerless’ Christian is a ‘powerless’ Christian. The moment of deep prayer with faith and trust in God, is certainly a ‘point of power’ that is very uplifting, empowering and helpful. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said, “We need this deep connection with God in our daily life. How can we obtain it? By unceasing prayer.”

The major questions to ask are: How often do we pray? What kind of things do we pray for? Do we pray only for material things or when we are in trouble? The truth is that no one can live a proper Christian life without prayer. It really means something to have an intense hunger that gives one a desire to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in prayer. God offers us joy, peace, healing, reconciliation, consolation, deliverance and victory.

God answers our prayers in three ways: yes, no, and wait. We like it when He says yes. We not only hope He will always say yes, but we want Him to do it right away! However, God’s answer is wait, when He knows that waiting is best for us. Sometimes, as in the case of St. Paul, the answer is no. Let us remember what St. James says: ‘When you pray and don’t get what you ask for, it is because you haven’t prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.’ (James 4:3). Perhaps, then, we should learn to trust God and yield to His will by praying not for what we want, but for what we need. Our prayer then will sustain our faith and help us to persevere in our struggles.

Indeed, prayer gives us insight as well as strength. Henri Nouwen says: ‘Nobody has to prove to me that prayer makes a difference. I become irritable, tired, and heavy of heart, without prayer. Besides, prayer puts me in touch with the Holy Spirit who directs my attention to the needs of others instead of my own.’ We must pray unceasing and find time to nourish our souls with quality prayer.

As a Pastor, I’ve learned to do nothing but to spend time with God in prayer; and that I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help in some other way; that we should be glad even when God doesn’t give us everything we ask in prayer. I’ve learned that there is always time to do what God wants us to do, and so encourage all to put ourselves completely into each moment that God offers, and I’ve learned that in the midst of the tales of sorrow and horror, and physical pain and tragic lost as we are witnessing around the world, to simply trust God and carry on with perseverance asking for positive healing and deliverance (PHD) upon humankind.

The good news is that Jesus will make things better for us again if we trust him enough, because He said, “Never loose heart for I have overcome the world.” He loves us even through these bad times as well as good, and will give us the courage to put things right if we always lean on him.

Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola who writes from Nigeria is a Diocesan Catholic Priest of Kano & the Director of Social Communications