Prayer Changes MeSampel

Prayer changes us in many ways, and it’s not always instantaneous. I would like to think that it’s more like forming a natural pearl. The oyster uses nacre as a defense mechanism to coat the “irritant” that made its way into the shell, not knowing that doing so would result in a gorgeous, lustrous pearl. I would like to believe so are the prayers we utter, whether it’s shouting, whispering inaudible, or the ones written on our hearts afraid to make their way to our lips. Our nacre is prayer. I remember the layers and layers of prayer offered for one of my brothers who was sick for a long time. I would go to sleep praying for him; wake up praying for him, my heart full of expectancy for a miracle. Psalm 5:3 says, “In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” I ordered my prayer to the Father, and was eagerly watching; but all I saw was my brother deteriorating, and after a while, I too began to change. I was no longer watching eagerly for that answer I so desperately wanted. Prayer was changing me, and this time, it wasn’t a good change. There are many formulas for prayer floating around, outlines and tips on how to pray; many opinions on why certain prayers remain unanswered, and so on. Yet, those all seem insignificant when you are on your face before the Lord or lying on a tear-stained pillow. Prayer strips away all pretense; it humbles us. It confronts us with the very thing we try to shy away from, and it also teaches us to persevere. We know that our prayers are not just carried away by the wind; they reach the ears of God. We exchange our wishes with faith as believers and allow the transformation process to happen in our lives and those on our prayer list. Just as a pearl farmer waits with great patience, knowing that the outcome is worth it, so must we learn to wait, trusting that God’s plan always exceeds ours. We repeat the words of Jesus as we pray, “yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Amen