4 reasons why prayer can change your life!
The Church invites us to pray in community, but also to pray alone. The practice of prayer is fundamental to Christian life. Saint John Paul II said: "Prayer is like the breath of the Christian life". But why? What happens in prayer? What are the benefits of prayer? The Bible, like the lives of the saints, shows us just how powerful prayer is. Jesus himself, in the Gospels, is often at prayer. But are we convinced that prayer can have a real impact on our daily lives?
Here are 4 (very) good reasons to make room for prayer in our lives!
1- Because prayer works!
God listens to our every need, no matter how small. No, God isn't too busy elsewhere to pay attention to us. No, our problems, even everyday ones, are not insignificant in His eyes.
The Lord cares about everything that happens to us. We can entrust everything to him: every little question, every fear, the smallest of our worries... Let's not be afraid to ask him. The first miracle Jesus performed was at the wedding feast, when there was a shortage of wine. God reaches out to us in our daily lives, our small and great joys, our small and great sorrows. And he is ready to perform miracles for us every day!
By creating us free, he made himself dependent on our consent to act in our lives. In prayer, we allow God to act. That's why prayer is strong and powerful. Through it, we show our faith, and it is our faith that makes the impossible possible. Jesus himself tells us: "Whatever you ask in prayer with faith, you will receive" (Matthew 21:22).
Here are some prayers we can pray to him, entrusting him with our difficulties and asking for his help and support:
- in the face of illness
- in our moments of anxiety and stress
- in our difficulties at work, or in a job search
- in our family worries
- in our relationship problems or our desire to meet our soul mate
2- Because prayer allows us to disconnect... and reconnect with what's essential: God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that prayer is "a living and personal relationship with the living and true God" (no. 2558).
In prayer, we also learn to be silent and to listen to God. The thoughts and images we may have in prayer are messages that God gives us to guide us. Prayer enables us to discern, to better apprehend a situation, to make the right decision. There are so many demands on us these days. In prayer, God asks nothing of us and offers us everything. We can tap into the wellspring of his love and quench all our thirsts. Replenish our energy.
Like any relationship, the more time we spend together, the more we get to know each other. Isn't it wonderful to be intimate with God?
3- Because prayer is the best way to get to know ourselves better.
Prayer develops our interiority. It's a space of freedom in which we place ourselves under the benevolent gaze of the One who created us and loves us infinitely. To pray is to let ourselves be looked at by God, as Saint Teresa of Avila used to say. By letting go of our masks, the roles we play in the world, we discover that we are lovable and loved just as we are.
Saint Augustine said "Become what you are". Yet it is under God's gaze that we can reveal ourselves to ourselves, and it is in prayer that God reveals to us who we are.
"You created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I acknowledge before you the wonder, the astonishing being that I am: * Amazing are your works, my whole soul knows" (Psalm 138:13,14).
Silent prayer and Christian meditation are two types of silent prayer whose practice helps to develop this interiority.
4- Because prayer makes you beautiful
Yes, this reason may not be the first one we expect from prayer, but it's true. Prayer soothes us, relaxes us, energizes us and enlightens us... Every prayer we pray, every moment we spend with God, increases our beauty. The transfigured Christ is proof of this!
Turning our gaze to God changes our face. " He who looks to him will shine, without shadow or trouble on his face" (Psalm 33:5).
We've all been touched by a radiant face. This is what happens when we develop our prayer life.
With Hozana, discover the many other benefits of prayer!
Hozana does its utmost to support you in your prayer life. With hundreds of online prayer communities, there's sure to be one just for you!
Among all the novenas and online retreats on offer, there are specific ones to accompany you every day in your prayer: choose to receive each morning .
