Prayer--Something of a Mystery

From the time I was old enough to know about prayer, I felt urged by something within me to help others by praying for them. I remember praying for the recovery of a little girl who had fallen down an abandoned well, praying for a train of travelers through the Sierras when their train was stalled by snow, and as a pre-teen, pouring out my heart to God because my boyfriend was spending a lot of time with another girl. Prayer just seemed to come naturally. I simply expressed what I felt and what I wanted God to do.

But by the time I was a teen ager, I knew God seemed to answer some prayers and not others. Prayer didn't seem to be dependable, and I stopped praying, stopped attending church, and it would be a long time before that pattern was  reversed. Perhaps you have felt this way as well.

So can we learn to make contact with God in such a way that we know God hears our prayers, that our prayers make a difference, and that our prayers bring forth Good on the earth?

The next several blog posts will share what I have learned over the last forty-five years of walking with God, what makes prayer as much a part of my life as breathing. I hope you will also comment on your own experience or pose questions that we might explore together.