We all experience times when it seems our prayers go unanswered. We ask, but apparently do not receive. We seek, seemingly in vain. We knock, and the door remains firmly shut (Matthew 7:7). Some even question the value of petitionary prayer, arguing that God already knows what we need before a word escapes our lips (Matthew 6:8). Moreover, God wills our good without needing to be convinced.

Are prayers of petition really answered? Are they even proper?

Jesus affirms the importance of prayer, inviting his disciples to pray with unshakable confidence in the Father’s provident care. Yet we must pray with the right intent. We do not pray to inform God of our needs nor to persuade him to do good. Prayer is for our benefit, not God’s.

By knocking on the door of heaven, we train ourselves to desire and work for the realisation of what is truly good. In this sense, we pray, ‘Your kingdom come’ (Matthew 6:10). In asking for good, we align our hearts with God’s will, echoing, ‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10).

If our prayer seems unanswered, we ought to reflect: Was what I asked for truly good? Sometimes we ask for something good in itself but not good for us, or for another. Here, we must trust that God, in his goodness, will not give a stone instead of bread or a snake instead of a fish (Matthew 7:9-10).

Finally, God only ever denies us some good when he intends to bestow something better. In this Lenten season, may we learn to pray with trust, seeking God’s will above all else.

by Fr Michael Grace