God gives the gift of prayer to you.

The Gift of Prayer: A Sign of God’s Love

God bestows the gift of prayer upon all, regardless of their status as sinners or saints. This universal gift extends to the strong and weak, young and old, and even those who don’t consider themselves religious. 

God gives that gift to all, sinners as well as saints. Don’t think sinners can pray?

The thief crucified with Jesus prayed: “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And his prayer was heard. (Luke 23, 43-44)

In his parable about the Pharisee and the Publican who went to the temple to pray, Jesus taught that those who think they can’t pray may pray best.

The Publican wondered if he even belonged there, yet God heard his prayer rather than the boastful prayer of the Pharisee. The Publican prayed best: “Have mercy on me, a sinner” he said. (Luke 18, 9-14)

Why does God give the gift of prayer?

Because God loves us and wants to be part of our life. God, great, wise, and powerful, wishes to share our life.

Hard to believe, isn’t it? “God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth,” loves us because he made us.

Prayer is not only a gift from God but also an expression of our innate longing for Him. As the psalms describe, our souls thirst for God like a dry land thirst for water: “O God, you are my God, for you, I long. For you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you. Like a dry weary land without water… so my soul longs for you, my God” (Psalm 63:1-3). 

St. Augustine famously said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you. “Through prayer, we can satisfy this deep-seated yearning and find rest in God’s presence.”