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While attempting to learn more about prayer, I have made a concerted effort to draw from others their perceptions of prayer. I am receiving three types of comments: 1) those claiming prayer to be a challenging, yet rewarding experience; 2) those stating prayer to be too intimate a subject for discussing with others; and 3) those indicating frustrations accompany prayer.

The last two categories seem most prevalent. Two women whom I know well, felt free to tell exactly how they felt about prayer. “I’m afraid to give more of myself to God in prayer,” the first friend said. “He might ask me to do something I’m not ready to do.”

The second friend said, “God doesn’t answer my prayers. So why should I pray?”

Apparently a significant number of people are frustrated with prayer. According to a Barna Research report “over 73% of people say when their prayers seem to be unanswered, the most important reason is because they did not fit God’s plan.

Stop for a moment and let this simple word “prayer” roll over the ridges of your mind. Does it trigger any feelings? Perhaps only positive, peaceful thoughts surface. If so, I admire you. Personally, there were years when prayer presented a dichotomy. On the one hand it brought hope, strength, peace and an awareness of being loved. But on the other hand the mere thought of the word could bring uncertainty, guilt, anger and even fear.

Frustration came with feeling like a simpleton when trying to express myself to a holy, awesome God. It was also frustrating to attempt stilling an active mind—one so undisciplined that in a split second it could be off playing “hop-scotch” with future plans or memories.

Guilt came when I didn’t take time for prayer. Back when the children were still at home, days started like a shot out of a cannon and moved swiftly forward before landing with a thud on my pillow 16-20 hours later. I made good resolutions then felt guilt when I couldn’t keep them.

Inner angst came at the thought of communicating with God at times when I was derailed by mistakes or needled with imperfections.

There was anger in thinking God had failed to hear my prayers. I slammed shut my window to heaven. I recall asking once, “Can’t You do something about the state of things as they are?” Upon truly listening, I heard, “There is something you can do.”

Perhaps that is another reason why prayer can feel frustrating. God often offers challenges, and He has been known to require sacrifice. My first inclination is to escape sacrificing. Yet, on those occasions when obedience rules, indescribable joy follows. A joy that can only come in knowing that a sin-prone human heart has linked for a moment with a holy, limitless, loving God.

Prayer is the pathway to peace. We grow in our ability to savor prayer, knowing the greatest amount of truth about God always lies ahead in our experience of Him. Books written by the “church fathers,” the pioneers of prayer, underscore this. The treasures of truth open up through reading Holy Writ and fellowshipping with other believers, who care and encourage us.

In time, I learned God is the Lover of my soul—mighty and caring. The trust factor escalated, putting “why questions” to rest.

As with the finding of any treasure, there is a price to be paid. A healthy, ongoing relationship with God takes talking with Him day-by-day, drawing on His strength. It is prayer that encourages our souls to make sacrifices and to resist temptations. Through prayer the Holy Spirit nourishes, enriches and transforms us. Wisdom is imparted to our souls as we develop a prayer life that is significant and rich.

The mind will always fight the discipline of being quiet, waiting and giving up control. But on those occasions when the will yields, the soul takes flight like a homing  pigeon and finds itself at home in the heart of Father God.

Prayer takes many forms. It entails communicating our needs and desires; it is praise and thanksgiving; it is intercessions for others; it is often seen in actions; it is that wondrous mystery of contemplation and meditation as we read Scripture. The best of prayer is when we speak spontaneously to God from the heart.

For sure, prayer is restorative and restful. Prayer resolves much pain as we release our fears. Philippians 4:6, shows prayer to be the cure for worry and anxiety. Prayer resolves much pain as we persist in releasing our fears.

Practicing prayer finds us knowing this truth, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes,” (Romans 8:28).

By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA

The power to focus is something with which the aging process surely does a dance. In the past, while listening to a televised sermon, a strange thing happened. An overlay of sound came across nearly drowning out the pastor’s voice. By some technical blooper, two events were coming across at once.

It was not easy going, but as long as I concentrated, purposely blocking out the intruding somewhat louder sound, I could clearly understand the more desirable message. After several minutes of this I became rather surprised and pleased that by tightly focusing I could block out one message in order to hear the other.

How similar this is to the “spiritual hearing” within our daily experience of following Christ. The sounds of the world come through loud and clear: alarms, distress, expectations, demands, and the many, ever-present yearnings of our varied appetites. Yet when we are prayerfully listening the message of God is alive and strong, heard deep within our hearts. This involves continually choosing what we want to hear. It takes keen development of our empowerment to focus while overriding the “never­ resting” voices of our times.

It seems there are five voices we hear predominantly: 1) our own with our delights, disdains and desires, 2) the world’s, as already mentioned, 3) Satan’s (the deceiver) with his temptations, 4) the voices of those closest to us, and 5) the voice of God. Christians who seek maturity learn to recognize which is which. We can become keenly adept, as well, in examining the motives that lie beneath our choices and actions.

This is no easy task, but possible as we depend on the empowerment and grace of God along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. With Our minds focusing on Him and our ears in tune with His voice we can live in the world with peace, no matter what goes on around us, even though the world lives literally in our laps, given modern media with all its perplexities!

Staying tuned into God can best see us hearing His voice, doing His will. Sometimes that will find us sharing of our means. Other times, we will be humble while allowing others to help us. Most of us are exceedingly blessed. Any feelings of guilt for having been blessed can be dismissed, as surely God is greatly pleased when his children prosper. For the more we prosper, the more we are able to give-not only of our substance, but from the “fruit of our lips,” meaning the praise and “thanksgiving” offered up as we rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.

There are at least 150 references to “rejoicing” according to Cruden’s Concordance. Scriptural references to “praise” are even more numerous, not to mention all that is recorded about offering “thanksgiving.” We are even told to praise when things seem to be going wrong! With this in mind, let us ask ourselves how much of our mental energies are given to such efforts?

Dr. Eugene Wiesner, a Catholic psychologist from Billings, Montana, claims the key to good mental health depends on rejoicing, being thankful and full of praise. He makes an outstanding statement. Holding up his Bible, Dr. Wiesner plants  a  thumb on top  and says, “There is more psychology  under my thumb than in all the books that  line  the  shelves  of  my  library.”  Within his teachings, this psychologist claims rejoicing in the Lord can supersede depression, especially when praises to God are sung. There is power in song!

Every tool needed for coping is generously supplied in Scripture. We have only to search them out and put them into practice.

All of us, at times, are guilty of bonding a bit with the world…even to entertain evil thoughts. (Hurtful treatment of others is undoubtedly one of the worst of all evils.) When this happens, we have fallen short and there is a tendency to slip into guilt or self-condemnation. Yet, in order to maintain a healthy mental climate, we best allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to sweep our minds continually. “Godward” glances in moments of stress, pleas for

the Spirit’s guidance, and prayers of submission-along with continued dependence on the cleansing power of Christ are what keep us in tune with the will of Father God.

We are not going to be able to control what the days, weeks and months bring as life rolls on, but we can control our thoughts. II Corinthians 10: 5, admonishes to” … demolish sophistries and every proud pretension that rises itself against the knowledge of God…bring every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ.”

For me, one of the greatest challenges in life is to become more discerning and more God-empowered within my thought processes. For as the saying goes, we aren’t what we think we are, but we are what we think.”

Author info. Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith is a Board certified clinical chaplain. She is reaching readers with her books and websites in up to 32 countries.

By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA

One sweet, sunny day while on a walk with Gary, I recalled a spot where I fell some 20 years ago, having slipped on loose gravel at the corner of South Palo Verdi and Fiesta Drive. Suddenly we hear the squeal of wheels—then the driver jumps out to help. He quickly tells us he is an ER doctor, here, visiting friends.

“I saw you fall!” After seeing where I was hurting, he said, “You may have a fractured rib; which can hurt a lot. You could go to the ER, yet this kind of fracture can heal by itself. It takes waiting it out.”

Fortunately, we are close to home so it is not far to walk. Still, I can barely move for the pain. This is when Dr. “Good heart” pulls a bottle of pills from his pocket, places a round, white pill in my hand and says, “This will help you until you can see your doctor.” What he gave me was Tylenol #3-Codeine.

Even today, it is still hard to believe what happened. Not only the fact I stumbled over my own feet—but an emergency doctor stopped his car—“Johnny on the Spot”—to assess my status and provide a pain pill! Wow! Here is a good place to use of the word “awesome!” He was right, I only had a broken rib, but I think the experience of such amazing, sudden help was as good for me as the pill! This is an example of the kinds of things that don’t reach the news.

Rarely do I have a low moment, but today I met with a wish for the world to stop so I could catch up. Gary said, “How about taking a nap. I think that will help.” All I needed was that nudge. Upon awakening he suggested we take a walk and that is when he reminded me at the corner of “walk and don’t walk” of what happened “way back when.” I hope through the years this Good Samaritan has been blessed. Certainly, that is my prayer as for sure his name is still sacrosanct at our house!

Ours is a helping community and there seems to be good reason for that. I have heard stories of people who settled here at the community’s earliest beginnings. Before there was a Kmart, or even a full-scale grocery store, people had to drive to Kingman for diapers and baby food. Those trips were shared as this made for less time and gas spent on the road for the many shopping events.

I try to imagine those early days when this small resort town had no hospital. The early people, the true pioneers here, were linked in spirit and cared very much about one another’s needs. They put their “shoulder to the wheel” for the sake of others in ways that we can only imagine at this time. Love and gratitude surely flowed from house to house in many instances. This is a heritage, passed on to us.

Thanksgiving will soon be here. Many of us will be sitting at table with loved ones, most likely thinking about that for which we are thankful. This is healthy—and it enriches our spirits. Those of us who read Scripture regularly know there are benefits in positive thinking, having a thankful heart—and looking for the good in all situations.

This wisdom is verified within many Scripture passages. For instance, Proverb 17:22, indicates gratitude even benefits our physical health: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” And, Proverbs 23:7, say, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he . . .” Amazing as it may sound, our thoughts make us who we are.

Although sorrows do occur in life, we can alleviate the pain by choosing to perpetually revisit what is positive, and with faith perceive the good that lies ahead.

Remember the song . . .”Counting your many blessings, name them one by one . . . count your many blessings, see what God has done.”

About the author: Joy Le Page Smith is a Board-certified clinical chaplain. Her articles and blogs are read in up to 32 countries. Joy’s four books are available on her home page at Healing-with-Joy.com where readers can view her children’s book titled The Little Mountain Goat Who Was Afraid of High Places. For another opportunity to read this author’s writings go to Healingwithjoy.blogspot.com