S1 E3 – Does Prayer Make a Difference?

Beautifully Told Series 1 Episode 3

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About This Episode

Have you ever wondered… does prayer really work? In this episode, we talk about the ways in which we search for answers in prayer, how we can tell if God is listening to us, and how to pray when life gets tough. We also discuss how we can all transform our prayer lives from being transactional (where we pray only because we want something) to developing a relationship with God.

Quote:

“Sometimes we need to learn that God is beyond us. We can’t put him in a box. There is darkness and mystery and silence. God says in the Bible: My ways are not your ways; my thoughts are not your thoughts. His plans are bigger than we can understand. He is not an Amazon Prime delivery hub with a guarantee that our requests will be processed in twenty-four hours.”

SYCAMORE: The Catholic Faith Explained – Fr Stephen Wang

Final Thought:

“If you knew the gift of God!” (John 4:10) The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.” (CCC 1560)

Questions for Reflection:

We encourage you to ponder these questions in your heart, in order to dive deeper into the subject of the episode.

What form of prayer works best for you?
When you pray, do you pray more often for God to do something or to be closer to God?
If God is all-powerful, why do you think he sometimes seems to ignore our prayers?
How has prayer strengthened your own relationship with God?