What do I pray about and what does that say about me?
If you do a quick search of Bible commentaries, the consensus is that Jesus’ message for us in today’s parable is to be persistent in prayer. “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.” We are to ask and keep on asking. We are to seek and keep on seeking. We are to knock and keep on knocking.
When our child or a loved one is sick, we find it easy to pray without ceasing. When we are in financial trouble or want a new job, we beg God for guidance and support. There is nothing wrong with praying in this way. God wants to be intimately acquainted with us, with the ups and downs, and ins and outs of our daily lives. But we are not simply physical beings who happen to have a soul. What does it say about us if most of our prayers are concerned with our physical well-being and often leave out our spiritual life?
Do we repeatedly and persistently ask God to bring us closer to Him? Do we seek determinedly to follow the whispering of the Holy Spirit? Do we pray without ceasing for the spiritual growth of others?
Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock. Is he simply being redundant? In asking, we humbly present ourselves to God and request his action. In seeking, we ask, but we also act. In knocking, we act, but we also persevere. We are told to do all three! Are we? Taking time to reflect on our prayer life can be good for us, body and soul. Are we including all aspects of our life in prayer? Are we following up our prayer with action such as study and service? Are we persevering in our actions?
We ask God for wisdom and then we study the Bible and the Saints to plant the seeds of wisdom in our minds and hearts. We ask God to be close to us and then we spend time in prayer and quiet to give Him space to act within us. We ask God to help those we know to grow in faith and then we act in faith to grow alongside them.
Dear Jesus, please guide us this day and all our days. May we entrust all aspects of our lives to You and then have the courage to take our prayers and put them into action, modeled after you. May we never tire of asking, seeking and knocking so that we may serve you by serving those around us. Amen.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr Reading 1 EPH 1:1-10 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy…
Saint of the Day
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a beacon of early Christianity, defended Apostolic teachings and penned profound letters before his martyrdom in Rome’s coliseum.
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