By Jeremiah Trinidad
When I was just returning to the faith, I was constantly met with the phrase “I’ll keep you in prayer”. At that time, I recall being slightly annoyed by that statement, thinking that prayer was not going to solve anything. To me, prayer was a foolish coping mechanism, something people turned to when they could no longer solve their own problems or face the hardships that had come their way. It seemed to be like another form of meditation, a series of ritualistic mental gymnastics, that would help one achieve some level of peace. I struggled greatly to see what the point of prayer was, and this manifested in 3 ways:
Misconception 1: God would have willed it anyways so why do I need to ask for anything?
One common misconception I used to have about prayer was this: “If God’s will is ultimate, then human actions, including prayer, are not necessary to bring about His will. Everything that happens is already part of His divine plan, so why do I need to pray?” This line of thinking made prayer seem redundant and unnecessary.
Filial Trust
However, through learning and personal experience, I discovered what truly happens when we pray. Prayer is not a tool to change God’s will. Rather, it is a form of cooperation with God’s providence. It’s about aligning ourselves with His divine plan and participating in it. By praying, we become co-workers with God, contributing to the fulfilment of His purposes but this requires filial trust, as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2735-2741).
While understanding these abstract concepts was enlightening, experiencing the power of prayer firsthand transformed my perspective entirely. I remember praying for the conversion of some of my friends. To my amazement, God answered my prayers, and this humbled me deeply. While God surely could have converted my friends without my involvement, it felt as though He granted me the dignity of participating in this outcome through my prayers.
It was through this experience that the bible verse, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14), truly came alive, and I understood what it meant – that rather than it being a ‘one-man-show’, He desires for us to be co-labourers in this redemptive work. How beautiful it is that God desires our cooperation, especially through prayer, for the salvation of the world. Seeing my friends embrace the faith was a powerful testimony to how God allows even someone as unworthy as myself to play a role in the economy of grace; and how our prayers are efficacious when it is united with His will.
Misconception 2: God knows me through and through so why do I need to “repeat” what he already knows?
If God is omniscient and truly knows me, then He should know what I want. So, why do I need to pray? It felt like a waste of mental resources to dedicate time to raising intentions to Him when He already knows my heart. Another variation of this thought is that if God knows all, He should know what’s best for me. If He is an all-loving God who wishes to shower His goodness upon me, then there’s no need for me to pray since he’ll give whatever I need anyway. This begs the question: what is the point of praying? Since God already knows everything, informing Him of our needs in prayer seems redundant.
Humble vigilance of the heart
CCC 2729 explains that prayer is more than just conveying information to God; it is about entering into the depths of what our hearts are entangled by. It’s an exercise in humility, perseverance, and commitment to our relationship with Him. The true fruit of prayer is deeper self-knowledge. While God knows us through and through (Psalm 139:1-4), more than likely, we have not come to terms with who we are. When we pray, little by little, we attain real knowledge of God, and through this knowledge of God, we access true knowledge of ourselves. It is only through God that we come face to face with our own sinfulness- only when we see things truthfully in the light of God – and we recognise we need Him even more.
For me, there have been many instances where, by the grace of God, I came face to face with my own sinfulness. One vivid experience was during a season of my life when I was only praying for myself. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, God revealed how I had become self-centred, even in prayer.. While I may not be completely selfless now, I can say that I am relying more and more each day on His grace through prayer to make me more like Him.
Misconception 3: I don’t need to pray.
During a period when I was away from the faith, I believed I could maintain a fulfilling and balanced life without prayer. I was alive and well, handling daily tasks and responsibilities without feeling the absence of prayer in my routine. My emotional well-being did not seem to suffer during this time. I continued to experience positive emotions, finding joy and contentment in various aspects of life. My relationships with friends remained strong, nurtured through communication, shared experiences, and mutual support. This led me to question: was prayer really as vital as people say it is?
Persevering in Love
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2742-2745 argues quite the opposite of my previous worldview. It states that we need to pray constantly and that prayer is a vital necessity. Prayer is vital not because it guarantees a good and comfortable life, but because it gives us true life. Biologically, as human beings, we can function and perhaps even thrive without prayer. However, the reality is that it’s not just about our physical well-being that matters.
In the past, my views on prayer were quite utilitarian. I thought that if prayer did not benefit my life in a worldly sense, it was a waste of time. Even now, I sometimes view prayer through a lens of utility, expecting peace and comfort as outcomes, but that still misses the core of what prayer is about. Jesus Christ did not come to give us a good life according to worldly standards. He came to show us that a good life is one spent with Him. This is why we must persevere in love, to reach the core of what prayer is – Jesus Christ.
Personally, I know that my life, without prayer and God, was good in many ways. Yet, there was always something missing, something that was not fully satisfied. In coming to know Christ through prayer, I receive a glimpse of heaven – the inner desires of my heart feel fulfilled in a way that worldly achievements could never match. Of course, this fulfilment is not perceptible every day, but I believe that for those who remain faithful and persevere,, He offers a foretaste of the life that awaits us in the next.
Conclusion
I have come to realise that prayer is not just a theoretical concept but a lived reality. Witnessing the power of prayer in my life has led me to understand and accept its profound significance. Prayer allows us to participate in God’s life, transforms us, and brings us face to face with the divine. To engage in this spiritual journey, we need filial trust in God, humble hearts, and perseverance in love.
