Prayer is Never Wasted
Prayer is never wasted. It always brings transformation. When you really want something and you do not receive it, you tend to believe that your prayer was not answered. Such prayer has a powerful intentionality; and it is true that at times your prayer is not answered in this direct way. You do not receive what you long for. Unknown to you, that prayer has secretly worked on another aspect of the situation and affected a transformation which may become visible only at a later stage. John O’Donahue Eternal Echoes Page 189
The kind of prayers we are talking about here are prayers of supplication—things and conditions for ourselves; and prayers of intercession—things and conditions for others.
We might ask for healing, a job, a better relationship with a friend or spouse, or a manuscript to be accepted by a publisher. Whether these prayers are for ourselves or others they are important to us; but God, who knows all our needs even before we ask, may not answer these prayers in the way we hope or expect. God, unknown to us, may work on another aspect of the situation that will give us so much more than we ever thought possible but maybe not yet.
We must never give up on our prayers. Once we have made our supplication or intercession known to God, it is in God’s heart and hands and will never be let go or forgotten. As it takes time to transform a caterpillar into a butterfly so it takes time to bring the necessary transformation into our beings in order that our prayers can be answered completely and effectively.
Judith Lawrence
Judith lives in Muskoka, Ontario, a land of lakes, forests, and wildlife. She began to write seriously when she was in her fifties and has written three non-fiction spiritual books. Judith has also written a book of mystical poetry and one of short stories; she writes a weekly blog about contemplation at http://judith-lawrence.blogspot.com and records a podcast meditation monthly.
