It has been a few weeks since I posted in the (im)Perfect Faith section of my blog. I simply could not think of anything to say that may be of value or enlightening. I wanted to make sure that what I chose to share would be of interest to you and might make an impact. I worry about what to say and share. The struggle sounds a lot like the challenges of prayer.

St. Padre Pio said, “Pray, Hope and don’t worry.” Easier said than done, I’d say. But that does not mean giving up on the value and importance of prayer.

We all hear people say about challenging times, “Pray about it.” For some, that is the end-all, be-all. Billy Graham said, “Have you ever said, ‘Well, all we can do now is pray’? … When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.” I’ve shared with others who believe that prayer is the action to be taken that Jesus spent time in prayer before taking significant action. Prayer preceded bold, significant action that required courage, sacrifice and total commitment. Prayer did not replace action, it empowered it.

Our faith is imperfect, as is our prayer. God sees the perfection in our imperfect efforts.

Perhaps one of the problems is that we believe prayer is for us, to help us. Saint Alphonsus de Liguori  said, “This, then, is your answer whenever you feel tempted to stop praying because it seems to be a waste of time: ‘I am here to please God.’” That changes everything; likewise, prayer changes everything.