I am convinced there is nothing more important to our relationship with God than our prayers…that is after our salvation, of course...and I have been convicted by insincere prayer. Michael Casey writes these words in Toward God, “To pray well I must first find out where I am. Self-knowledge is never obtained easily. To pray well I need to face up to realities about myself that I would rather ignore: my anxieties, fears, private griefs, failures, lovelessness, and my utter lack of resources. To accept the truth about who I am, what I am, as well as the truth about others, demands courage. If I do not pray well, it is usually because I lack that kind of courage.” Seems to me what Casey is saying is that we must be honest with ourselves. We might fool others; we cannot fool God; we are very good at fooling ourselves. If we are to have a relationship with God, an honest relationship, then we must start by being honest with ourselves…examining thoroughly our own thoughts, actions, shortcomings, and desires. This is hard work, it is at times painful work, but it is required work. Our prayers are much more than words or thoughts…they are how we willfully present ourselves before the Divine Presence…wanting, yearning, exposed, expecting.
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