power of prayer

Thanks Corn for your sharing! I hope you gained some insights during the Day of Recollection! :) Anyway, the verse you mentioned is one of my favourite verses ever since Bro Sam explained its significance during one of the CGs last year. He also mentioned how even when Jesus did ministry work, he’ll still find time, no matter what, to pray, even if it meant waking up extra early, because prayer is like drinking water at the pit stops during a marathon: it gives us enough energy to complete the race.

It really struck out to me because I often find myself so overwhelmed with the hustle bustle of life I neglect prayer. I make excuses, telling myself God will understand that I’m too busy or too bogged down with work to carve out even that precious few minutes to spend it with him. After all, going to bed at ‘ungodly’ hours like 3 or 4am already implies that I won’t have enough time to rest, much less prayer. Furthermore when there’s a crazy backlog of work and readings, or a mad rush to meet essay deadlines, projects, preparation for presentation or midterms, it seems like there’s simply no time for prayer.

I remember watching this cartoon video which depicted us as miniature figurines and God was watching over us, patiently waiting for us to finally acknowledge his presence, while we were preoccupied with our busy lives, rushing about in our daily affair, not noticing him. It was a very powerful image because I realise we were really very much like red ants hurrying to and fro, with a sense of purpose and direction, allowing nothing to deviate from our intents or thwart our ways, that we are oblivious to the important things around us.

Recently I’ve recognised the importance, necessity and power of prayer. I feel that it’s only when I take time off to quieten myself down and pray can I put things into perspective and know where to move on from there. All the worries, troubles and burdens always seem trivial when I reflect in prayer, and I always feel empowered to face challenges after some quiet time. I also feel more anchored after prayer, especially when in my daily life I often receive a multitude of voices from various people pulling me in all sorts of direction. I realise when I don’t pray I often find myself losing my identity, forgetting who I am because of my need to conform to the world. It is also in quiet times that I get epiphanies.

Often, miracles happen when I make the effort to pray sincerely, whether it’s my own prayer to God, reading and reflecting on the bible or saying the rosary or divine mercy. For instance the readings that I reflect on the previous night will sometimes turns out to be handy in counselling a friend. A prayer intention offered up during rosary will always find itself fulfilled.

Another testimony of the power of prayer would be last Wednesday when I was having a panic attack over my presentation (which was Thursday morning). I was so stressed and overwhelmed because I was fatigued after a long day and my presentation was in shambles and I was not confident of my content. It got so bad I just wanted to break down and cry. I didn’t want to turn to anyone for comfort either because I knew I couldn’t afford to breakdown since I had to, by hook or by crook, finish the presentation that night. Just when I was despairing, I suddenly realise there was no one else I could turn to but God, and I was so helpless I simply surrendered all my fears and told God, “God, I give you 5 minutes maximum. I can’t do this on my own, you take over from here. Just calm me down enough to complete my presentation. That’s all I ask for. I can’t break down, I just need you to work your miracle this once”. So I buried my head on the table and just concentrated on breathing, and 5 minutes later, I calmly lifted my head and proceeded with my presentation preparation till 4am. The next day the presentation went fine (well, at least I know I didn't screw it up). I don’t think I would have survived this without divine intervention at my hour of need.

The power of prayer can sometimes be called mere coincidence. However, I strongly believe coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous. Often it’s about being so in tune with the Holy Spirit we recognize the times he’s moving in his mysterious and silent ways and working mini miracles. When we’re in touch with the Holy Spirit, we’ll realise how each day is truly a blessing. When we respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting we’ll also realise how everything happens for a reason in a greater scheme of things.

There have been times when I really need some words of encouragement or comfort, and out of the blue my friends will message me randomly. For instance, I was feeling really panicky and stressed over my presentation, and just a few minutes before my presentation I felt prompted to check my phone (usually I would be too stressed to bother), and when I did, lo and behold Amanda had messaged me a bible verse to cheer me on for my presentation, and to me it was much needed, like God assuring me He was in control. I view it as the Holy Spirit at work.

I end with a quote from Madelaine Sophie Barat, who said

“If I had to live my life over again I would seek only to listen to the Holy Spirit”

It is something I strive towards, because I think if everyone heeds the inner voice of their heart, perhaps, just perhaps, the world will be a better place... :)