INTERCESSORY PRAYER

 

INTERCESSORY PRAYER:  

    not my will, but THINE BE DONE!

 

Letter of James  4:3:   "You ask, but do not receive, because you ask wrongly."

 

The first reading from the Letter of James for February 25, 2014 led to two different daily reflections on prayers of intercession in this respective missalette and devotional.   We share them with you for your own reflection:

 

This first one is by Heather Wilson and appeared in the February  LIVING WITH CHRIST  missalette.

 

I can remember many times in my life when I prayed for sunny skies, good health, someone special.  If this didn't happen,  I thought my prayers had not been heard.

 

What great humility it takes to say,  'THY WILL, NOT MINE."    Most of us have spiritual cataracts when it comes to seeing what we need to live as God desires, as opposed to what we want for our earthly lives.   I recently heard a song that went,  "How can I further the work of your kingdom when I'm so wrapped up in my own?"   Sadly, we may miss the fact that we are always given exactly what we need.

 

Spend some quiet moments today thinking about a time when you wanted something so badly that you begged God to hear your pleas, but you didn't receive what you wanted.   Think about the way your life unfolded instead.     "Gracious God, help us to ask rightly and humbly and not to miss your untold gifts to us by focusing on what we did not receive." 

 

This second reflection is by Fr. James McKarns and comes from the daily Catholic devotional,  LIVING FAITH, for February 25th:

 

Asking is one type of prayer but others are prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, and contrition.  Our asking prayers,  petitions, are the only ones from which we expect some answer.   We assume God is pleased when we offer adoration and praise, give thanks for blessings and say we are sorry for having sinned.  But prayers of petition can disappoint us when we don't receive our proposed answers.  Humorously,  I heard a speaker say if we would ask God in the morning for some crosses to carry that day, our prayers would be answered before breakfast.

 

When we offer our prayers of petition as Jesus did, we are praying well.  He prayed he would not have to drink the cup,  i.e., suffer crucifixion, but quickly added:  "THY WILL BE DONE."    That should be our attitude in all our prayers of petition.  We then could feel our prayers were being answered: perhaps not as we wanted, but always according to God's will.