There’s a story by Vikas Malkani in his book, “Enlightenment Made Simple”: In olden times, where farms and people lived in the countryside, a father came to his farm one day and saw his son out in the field trying to move a large boulder. He was pushing it very hard, but without success. He was young and strong, yet, unable to move it. The father asked, “What are you doing?” The boy looked at him and said, “Father, I’m trying to move the boulder.” The father asked, “Have you tried all the possibilities? Are you giving in your hundred percent?” The boy replied, “Of course, Father, I am giving it my hundred per cent. I have tried all the ways.” Then the father said, “No, you haven’t. I am here, but you haven’t asked me to help you. The two of us would have been able to move the boulder.”
What is the message of the story? “When we close the possibility that there is a Higher Power that can help us, we are limiting ourselves and our potential,” says Valkani. Whenever we have problems, whether we are going through a crisis, whenever we feel that our expectations have not been met, we rely on ourselves. But be reminded that everything becomes easier with prayer. It brings Divine Power behind it.”
Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, in his book, “Just A moment,” also shared that even children pray when crisis hit them. He said, “In my radio program, ‘Hello Father’, I get lot of calls from children. How touching to hear these little angels who are so innocent and so honest. Like, once, a six-year old boy asked for prayers for his father to come back to their family so that his mother would stop crying. Another time, a little girl asked for prayers for her father to stop beating up her mother.”
Communicating with God through prayer indeed can assuage our pain and give us a relief that everything will be taken care of by God. Our prayer gives us comfort and hope that no matter how enormous is our trial and challenges in life may be, there is always God who is in control of everything.
In my personal communication with the Lord, I feel that if I would start my day with prayer, any undertaking I would do the whole day would be easier. I can feel the grace of calmness and assurance that soothes my inner being. I realize that whatever petition we ask from the Lord, His answers can be, “Yes,” “No,” and “Wait.” We have to be persistent in our prayer and petition, trusting that whatever is God’s answer is always good for us. If we have to wait for unanswered prayers, we have to keep on trusting God. God’s answer is always for our own good.
The www.biblestudytolls.com website states, “God’s will for our lives has reason and purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 – “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”
Let us not forget that God knows what is best for us. He knows the perfect timing for our needs. Mark 11:24 – “What things ye so ever desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive, and ye shall have them.”