prayers that get answered

Today in the One Year Bible, we read from 1 John 5:1-21. John tells us that God hears our prayers when we ask for things that please Him.

That emphasizes what we've talked about before in this blog. That a big part of learning to pray is learning to agree with God. To see things as they really are: which is the way God, the ultimate unbiased perceiver, experiences them. When we ask for things that don't please Him, we're asking for the wrong things. Many times, what we ask for is health for those we love, which is a natural thing to ask for. But we have to realize that eventually, we're all going to grow old and die. So praying for health all of the time is a good way to get frustrated, since eventually those prayers won't be answered with a "yes" response.

If we learn from St Therese of Liseux, we find out that suffering brings us closer to God. As the Bible teaches us, those who have suffered in the body are through with sin. When we suffer, we are far less likely to be tempted to sin.

So let's ask Him to teach us what pleases Him. Let's pray, and in our prayer, seek to agree with Him, and see reality the way it really is. And then we'll find our prayers being answered affirmatively far more often.

God, thanks for teaching us to agree with You, and see the world as it really is.