By the Way: The power of prayer

By Kristy Reimers-Loader on October 26, 2019.

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

In this brief sentence, the author of Luke’s Gospel says so much about Jesus and what was important to him. We need to pray. We need to pray always; that is, we need to make prayer a thing we do on a consistent basis. Finally, we need to understand how a consistent practice of prayer works in our lives.

Prayer is an expression of our relationship with God. It’s how our relationship with God is built and deepened. Prayer brings about a change in us by virtue of the thought and intent we put into our relationship with God. When people first take up prayer, it’s often to satisfy immediate needs; for a miraculous healing, or a windfall to pay the bills.

There’s nothing wrong with these simple prayers; they’re a response to our sense that we’re not alone in the world, that somewhere, there’s someone listening to us. Over time, though, our prayers change. We still want the same things, but we learn to see our prayers and petitions – our will for change in our lives – in light of God’s will being worked out in the world. We place our hope in God, and our trust as well, that God will hear and answer our prayers as may be best for us and for the world. When we only pray out of desperation, however, our faith remains shallow because it’s based on a quid pro quo understanding of relationship with God. Things go horribly wrong, we pray, God fixes it (or not), and we go our separate ways.

But that’s not how relationship with God works. It’s not even how human relationships work. If the only reason for making friends is because of what others can do for us, how long can we expect those relationships to last? We yearn for depth in our human relationships; why should it be different with God? A superficial relationship makes us feel undervalued and unheard. A truly great relationship feeds something deep within us and makes us better people. Jesus knew that we’re liable to lose heart in our relationship with God, and with our brothers and sisters, if we approach them in a superficial way.

God is not shallow. God never ceases to be a steadfast and true lover of creation. God continually invites us into deep, trusting relationship, the kind of relationship that will change and sustain us. Praying people grow in wisdom, compassion, and understanding. We need to pray always, and not to lose heart.

Kristy Reimers-Loader is chaplain, Medicine Hat Ecumenical Campus Ministry, Medicine Hat College and president, Medicine Hat Ministerial Association.