Prayer Is More Than Saying Please

PRAYER IS MORE THAN SAYING PLEASE 1 DVD. Any skilled woodsman with a dull, unsharpened axe is frustrated by the inefficiency of his tree-cutting efforts. Likewise, without a clear and sharpened grasp of the nature of prayer, we’ll soon find ourselves frustrated in our efforts to pray with confidence and with competence. To be truly prayerful people we must first “sharpen” our understanding of prayer itself. Initial “sharpening” is recognizing that prayer is not a matter of talking to God but talking with him. Simply stated, prayer is a dialog, not a monolog. God has far more to say to us than we have to say to him, but since most folks are “problem-focused” they’re always asking God for something; few “tune in” to the Lord’s “heart-to-heart” whisperings, heard only by Spirit-animated souls. The remainder of the “sharpening” process is the developing of the less used but more sublime forms of prayer. Petition Prayer — with its altruistic form, Intercessory Prayer — is good in itself (“Ask and you shall receive”); yet it is the weakest form of prayer. Unfortunately, countless souls engage in petition as their only form of God-encounter. These immature souls almost totally neglect the Prayer of Worship — (“blessing” God and reverently adoring him), Thanksgiving Prayer — (passionate gratitude for his gifts), and Praise Prayer — (exalting, complimenting and “glorifying” him for his goodness). Even Contrition Prayer — is often a “dull” axe, rather than incisive and poignant repentance (see Father Hampsch’s booklet and DVD, Seven Misunderstandings of Repentance).