Prayer, It’s a Mystery
They won! My team, the Kansas City Chiefs, won again last night. They are now 3 and 0. Someone grumbled, “The margins in their wins are small. They only won by five points last night.” True, but they are still 3 and 0.
As I have said before, I do not pray for my team to win. That would put God in the middle. I am sure many on the other side are praying for their team to win. God could not grant both prayers. However, when my team wins, I think it appropriate to say, “Thank you, God.”
In our coffee group this morning, there was a discussion about prayer. This group is composed of armchair theologians. We “solve” many great spiritual problems. The big question on this occasion was, “Will my prayers change God’s mind?” Our conclusion was, “We don’t know.” See how wise this group is!
Since ancient days, great minds and hearts have wrestled with the mystery of prayer. It is common for our prayers to be filled with requests. Often those requests are self-serving. There are always questions about why we should pray since God knows everything and has promised to meet our needs. To answer that problem, I refer back to the conclusion of the armchair theologians mentioned above, “We don’t know.”
It helps me pray when I remember I am talking with the Father, my heavenly Father. When I was younger, I asked my father for a quarter. I was to meet a girl at the local drug store. In those days, you could get an ice cream cone for a dime. With a quarter I could meet the girl, and the two of us each enjoy an ice cream cone together. With pain on his face, my father said, “Son, I can’t; I don’t have a quarter.” We were poor.
When I pray, I talk to my heavenly Father. He may say, “No;” but He will never say, “I can’t.”
