Reflections

August Reflection

Let us pray

I wonder what you think about prayer? Is it something that you do often, sometimes or never? Are you aware who you are praying to? Does it make any difference? Some people have very odd ideas about prayer. Take the young boy at school who prayed desperately hard that his answer to a geography question was right. He wrote that Brussels was the capital of France and was most upset that God hadn’t transported it there personally.

Or take the man who was caught up in a flood and prayed for God to rescue him. He sat on the roof of his house and was offered escape by boat and helicopter. Cheerfully he refused each offer saying that God was going to rescue him. When instead he actually drowned and came before God, he was most indignant. “Why didn’t you rescue me”, he demanded?  “Well”, replied God , “I sent you a boat and a helicopter, what more did you want”?

Jesus had a lot to say about prayer, but one of the most revolutionary things he taught was how to address God. The first two words of his now famous “Lords Prayer” simply say “Our Father”. In the original language of the New Testament the word for “Father” literally means “Daddy”. It was a shockingly intimate term and his fellow Jews would never have dared address God in such a way. By calling God “our Father” he was saying that God wants to love us as a father.  Now some people have a problem with the word “Father” because for them it has negative connotations. Yet Jesus is telling us that God is everything a perfect Father should be, tender compassionate and loving, caring about every aspect of our lives

You may not have prayed for a long time and perhaps never. Despite that you may be surprised to hear that God still wants to hear from you. He wants to meet you where you are and shoulder all those fears that still plague you. Why not give him a try? No matter how long it’s been. No fancy or holy words. Just come as you are and call out “Father”.