A better life
Prayer time brings Christ into your life
Why are so many people unhappy? Are you one of them? Do you long for a better life?
Do you regret what might have been? Is something troubling you? Are you concerned about your future? Is there a lack of purpose in your life? Do you feel alone and unloved?
Do you have family problems? Are you uncertain about your job? Do you fear dying? Is your life a mess due to drugs, alcohol, sex or gambling? Do you have financial troubles?
If you have any of these problems, prayer time is the secret to a better life. Set aside time each day to be with Jesus. His wisdom and His strength will bring peace and joy to your heart. Continue to seek Jesus and your life will be transformed forever.
If Jesus Christ is a stranger, ask Him to come into your life. Each day reflect on a reading from the New Testament. Show God that you are looking for Him and He will find you. Soon you will no longer doubt; you will believe.
Talk to God
Talk to God as if there were no-one else present but you and your loving Father. He will come to you. You will know that He has come by the changes in your life. Something wonderful happens in the human soul--Christ banishes the darkness.
Prayer time allows the Light of Christ to come into your life. You develop a close personal relationship with Jesus. This relationship is built on love--God’s love for you and your love for Him. It is never too late to begin this relationship or to rebuild a damaged one.
The apostle Paul speaks of passing from death to life, darkness to light and prison to liberty. Even in his great hardships and sufferings, Paul’s heart is filled with joy. What Christ has done for others, He can do for you. So ask him.
Christ Himself found it necessary to withdraw from the crowds in order to pray. To manage the difficult business of living you need to take time to offer your life to God, to seek His guidance and to listen to His voice.
Jesus does not say, If you pray, instead He says, When you pray. He takes it for granted that prayer will be part of your life. Set aside time each day to talk to God as though you had an appointment with an important human person.
It is necessary that one should have a silent corner in which to converse with God, as if nothing else existed--every day. (Edith Stein)
Obstacles to prayer
In a survey of 400 young people, there were two main reasons why some did not pray:
- When they started to pray, their minds wandered.
- They gave up prayer because they felt nobody was listening.
If God fails to grant their request some people think that He is not listening. If the answer is no, and it often is, then they stop praying and stop going to church. God is no longer important in their lives. Actually, God has not failed them. They have God’s promise that He hears every one of their cries but they don’t believe Him.
Jesus makes the amazing promise that “If a man loves me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). One of the earliest changes is a new kindness and patience with yourself and others. And that kindness makes you a happier person.
The healing and strengthening power of being in God’s presence is beyond human understanding. Gradually, you will be transformed physically, mentally and spiritually. All through the New Testament you will read: “He is able”. The writers say that this is what He did for me; this is what He will do for you. The real healing of mind, body and spirit comes from within, from a close loving contact of your spirit with the Spirit of God.
Many are afraid of letting God into their life. They think there will be no more fun and life will be boring. But the real excitement and adventure begin when we let God guide us.
Some think that the teachings of Jesus don’t matter as long as they are doing good deeds, being kind to others and living a moral life. But Saint Paul says that this is what any person should do.
Jesus offers you a better life
What God offers is an inner healing, a changed and radiant life and a peace and joy that the world cannot give. He offers you a friendship and love that is beyond all understanding. And a life after death “such that eye has not seen nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those that love Him.”
Jesus passionately wants you to have this new life. In His parable of the Good Shepherd, the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep that are safe in order to rescue the one that is lost. And when he finds it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy.
In Christ’s parable of the Prodigal Son, a young man takes his inheritance, travels to another country and wastes his money on sinful pleasures. Penniless and starving, he returns to his father’s farm, hoping to get a job as a hired worker.
Without waiting for explanations or apologies, his loving father embraces his son. All is forgiven and the son is given a new life.
