To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ...This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.
Ephesians 3:8, 11-12
What are you praying for this week? How do you pray for those things your heart desires? Perhaps you spend time each morning with holy scripture and savor each verse as an invitation to growing in faith. Perhaps you are loyal to the Church’s rhythm of the Daily Office, uniting your own prayers to those of Christians around the world and the saints. Perhaps you begin a gentle conversation with God on your walk or during your daily work. Or perhaps you sit in silence and wait for Him.
There are as many ways to pray as there are hearts who turn toward God, and each of our offerings, however humble, are beloved by the Lord. Think of little children learning to speak - how happy their family is to hear even a stumbling first word! It is not our eloquence or perfection that God loves, but our faithfulness.
To pray faithfully is to pray regularly, to be sure, but it is also to pray boldly. It is the Lord’s sweet pleasure to receive our prayers for family and friends each day, to hear us recite his own cherished “Our Father” from scripture, and to accompany us through our daily devotions. It is also his joy to give us nothing less than his own Kingdom.
How often do we let ourselves pray for miracles? How often do we pray for something that seems impossible? Do we trust that Jesus hears us, and that the promises of scripture belong not only to the apostles, but to us too? St. Paul writes to the Ephesians that through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have “boldness of speech and confidence in access” as we approach him and pray for his will to be done.
We are to draw near to him with humble confidence, laying before him both the gravest concerns of our world and the deepest desires of our hearts. We know that nothing is impossible for God, and there is not a longing within us that is not precious to him.
As you pray this week, pray boldly. Pray with ferocity and passion. Pray without fear. If there is something you ache for, something that seems so tragically out of reach, or even a little desire - uncertain or unclear - still taking shape somewhere within your heart, hand it graciously to God. It may not be time for our desires to be fulfilled. But perhaps in the love that unfolds by our asking, God’s miracles wait for us.
In Jesus,
Mtr. Brit
