Make Prayer Powerful: 3 Steps

Have you thought, while praying, that you were really not praying?
Have you ever had the thought that during prayer you didn’t think once about God?

Many people pray but leave prayer unchanged.
Unchanged people have no power to change the world around them.

St. Paul says that we don’t know how to pray (See Romans 8:26).
Isn’t that the truth.

There are many enemies to meaningful, authentic, heartfelt prayer.
Three chief enemies are fear, gain and self-justification.

Fear

Sometimes we approach prayer like it’s a part time job: we don’t relish it.
We punch the clock.
Put in our time.
Keep the peace with God to escape His wrath.

Gain

We might pray novenas, Rosaries, chaplets and attend the Holy Sacrifice to get something in return: a type of Divine Quid Quo Pro.
In a sense we are saying to God, “I put in my time, now You give me what I want.”

Self-justification

Sometimes we pray to feel good about ourselves.
We gave God His due.
At least we aren’t like everyone else who ignores or neglects the Almighty.

Or we simply don’t pray…and therefore we lack power.

St. Padre Pio said, “Today’s society does not pray. That is why it is falling apart.”

This can be applied to men.

But what if?

Have you ever considered that the inclination to pray is NOT from you.
Rather, it is God inviting you to be with Him.
God wants YOU.
He wants you to have and experience Him.

He says as much, “It is not you who chose Me, but I who chose you.” (John 15:16).

“Come to Me all you who labor and our burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Again, St. Padre Pio said, “Prayer is the best weapon we possess, the key that opens the heart of God.”

There are two primary reasons why God invites us to prayer:

To know Jesus intimately
To become like Him (to change the world around us)

To make prayer powerful, you and I must aim for those two things.
To do those two things we ought to do three things:

Before praying, ask the Blessed Mother of our Lord Jesus to take you by the hand and show you the True Jesus.
She knows her Son better than anyone else.
Pray a Rosary, a decade, or three Hail Mary’s (not zoning out), but attentively, with this intention.

Read the daily Gospel account and ask Our Lord, “Lord Jesus, I want to know You.
What does this passage say about you, Your character, Your sentiments, Your beliefs, Your desires, Your heart?”
After remaining with Jesus for thirty minutes, ask Him to give you the character, the qualities, the Spirit of sonship that He revealed to you in your prayer time.

Challenge:
Do this for 30 days. You will become more like Christ.