Editorial November 30, 1987 Issue

Prayer worth acting on

William E. Moody

There are many forms of prayer. And many of our prayers certainly do help us feel closer to God and more receptive to His will. Prayer can comfort, uplift, heal.

Prayer can light up our hearts and minds with bright glimpses of divine reality, and this can actually change us. The Christ comes to human consciousness, and we're transformed, made new, never again seeing life in quite the old way. With such prayer there's always some redemption and spiritual progress going on. We're glorifying God, not indulging ourselves. And with such prayer we're actually communing with God in the best and highest and deepest meaning of communion.

Yet there's one kind of prayer that sometimes seems to represent little more than a "wishing well" approach. If we're offering up a prayer only for things—for material objects or circumstances—it can be much like merely tossing some coins in a well, closing our eyes, and sending out a chancy plea into the darkness.

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