Prayer is such an interesting thing. You sit, stand, walk, kneel somewhere and say words. Where do they go? What might they actually accomplish?
The very act of prayer is an act of faith. But faith in what?
Well, first you have to believe there is someOne, or someThing out there to communicate with – else why bother?
Second, that Entity must be different than you and I or we would not pray to “it.”
Third, that Entity must be able to hear in some manner, to perceive in some way – else why bother? The ability to hear indicates something more than some kind of inanimate, ephemeral object. To hear one must have ears or perceptive senses. This implies a Being.
Fourth, this Being must have some measure of power in order to respond or do something after hearing your prayers. Or, again, why do you bother? This power must be greater than yours if ‘it’ can do something you cannot – for you don’t generally ask for something you can do for yourself.
Fifth, this Entity must have some level of interest in you if ‘it’ bothers to listen to you. And even greater interest in you if ‘it’ answers your request. This implies some kind of personality, a Being with emotions and will.
Sixth, this Entity can be influenced by you. If your prayers have no chance of effecting change, again, there is no point to them
Seventh, this Being must have a reason for listening or paying some kind of attention. ‘It’ must care in some way about the one praying. At the very least ‘It’ must be curious – which is also interest.
Eighth, it follows that ‘it’ has purpose or a reason for its actions – to either do what you ask or not. This purpose implies a plan of some sort or a goal. This necessitates some measure of intelligence, or personality – for inanimate things, objects, do not have or express interest nor do they have purpose nor do they make choices. Thus this Being is, in some sense, a Person.
Ninth, the fact that you pray means you have some level of trust in the Being to whom you pray: the Being is reliable or trustworthy to some degree. If you could not trust the Being, you would not ask for help or express your heart or needs to Him/Her. You might possibly ask a favour without believing it could or would be granted. But, in that case, why bother?
Thus the very act of prayer, of saying words toward someOne means that you believe in the existence of a responsive, interested, powerful, trustworthy Person, outside of yourself, who allows Himself – or, one could suppose, Herself – to be moved by your desires and needs, by His interest in you.
It follows that every prayer – no matter its length, eloquence, passion or intensity – is an act of faith in what sounds an awful lot like the God of the Bible.
Shall we pray?
