Daily Archives: October 16, 2016

In today’s Old Testament reading (Exodus 17:8-13) we hear how Moses stood steadfast in prayer for the Israelite’s safe passage as they journeyed through hostile desert terrain on their way to the Promised Land.  In the Gospel (Luke 18:1-8) we hear the parable of the dishonest judge and the widow whose persistent plea for justice is finally answered.   The message seems to be that persistence in prayer can lead to good outcomes – a deepening of our relationship with God, a strengthening of our faith, and the fulfillment of our destiny – eternal life with God.

And maybe the best prayer is one that simply aligns our will and our desires with God’s.  Jesus himself taught us this.   For me this way of prayer makes sense.  It’s actually all very logical. If we truly believe that God in his infinite love desires only what is best for us (he does!), and if we truly believe that God in his infinite wisdom knows what is best for us (he does!) then it follows that our best prayer is precisely what Jesus prayed – “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” – a prayer of abandonment and trust, a prayer that not only illuminates our trust and faith but strengthens it.  And this is the prayer God desires from us.  He so much wants us to abandon ourselves to him no matter what life throws at us.  He so much wants us to place our lives in his hands – hands that will guide and support us no matter what hardships we face.  God’s will for us is better than anything we can imagine.  He wants us to know that.  He wants us to trust that.    There are a lot of things that we desire in this life but when you boil it down there is only one thing that really matters – our coming to know and love God more and more, our drawing more and more into communion with him, our living in accord with his will.  This is what our loving God desires.  This is his loving will for us.  “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done”. This is our prayer.