Those of us who wear collars and vestments are blessed to receive in so many instances requests from people to call us to prayer. "Father, please pray for my son, who broke his leg," or "Pray for my mother, who fell," or "Pray for our safe travel on vacation." We're even bombarded with the rather improper, "Pray that our sports team will win today," which in every case I use as an opportunity to teach about the real purpose of prayer (which is NOT for such frivolous issues).
Unfortunately, many develop the sense that their prayers are unanswered, that God doesn't care about them because He has not answered their prayers in the way they wanted them answered or in the time frame in which they demanded His answer.
These are dangerous sensations, for they are not from God, but rather from the enemy, Satan. It is he who plants the seed within us to cause us to think that if God has not granted that for which we've prayed, He doesn't care about us, or there is a problem with the form of our prayer, and so we may as well just quit trying to speak with God in prayer, for it has no effect.
Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain reminds us of Isaiah 58:9, where the Prophet reminds us, "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'" God is always present and watchful. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us a picture of the Father, Who remains so vigilant over awaiting the return of His sinful and wandering son that He sees him well before he arrives, and in fact runs to meet him as he returns to the Father's house.
Saint Nicodemus continues - "Therefore, when you beg God to grant you something, and He is slow in hearing you, continue to pray, keeping firm trust in His help alive in your heart. For diligent prayer is never left by Him unrewarded and He is always ready to pour out rich blessings in return." God is never "slow in hearing," but in our perception He is often slow or missing in our expectations of an answer to our prayer. This is especially true when we encounter people and loved ones who are ill and truly need our prayerful support. When we pray for them, and they remain ill, or worse, if their condition degrades, we think that God has not heard our prayer, that He has abandoned us, that we are not important enough to Him to have Him care to answer our prayer. This leads to a shaken faith, shattered belief in God, and a falling away from God and the truth.
Saint Nicodemus does not end his teaching at the above. He then tells us, "The blessings God pours out upon those who pray much exceed their expectations if they have no inner obstacles and are not in a state when it is better for them that their petition should remain unfulfilled." We seem to think that we have all the answers, that we know in advance what is best for our salvation OR for the salvation of those towards whom our prayers are directed. And yet in our finite view, we cannot know what is best for the ones for whom we pray (especially if we pray for ourselves!), nor what is best to lead the soul toward salvation.
God knows these things implicitly. We think we know them, but a short stint of prayerful thought will reveal to us that our understanding of "best" is greatly flawed, imperfect at best, and limited to hindsight.
Continuing his teaching, Saint Nicodemus says, "Instead of what they ask (in prayer), God sends them some other good, more profitable to them, whether they are aware of it or not. In this sense the conviction that prayer never remains unheard is quite justified.... So always be patient in prayer, and convinced that prayer never remains without fruit. If you do not receive what you ask, believe that you are receiving or will receive another good in its place."
The fact that we pray carries the greatest importance. Our openness to receiving that which the Lord will provide in response to our prayer is next in importance, receiving joyfully anything and everything He grants to us, for we know that He will never give us that which is harmful to our salvation.
Saint John Chrysostom teaches, "Prayer is a great blessing if practiced in a right inner state and if we teach ourselves to give thanks to God, both when we receive what we ask and when we do not receive it. For when He gives, and when He does not give, He does it for your good. Thus when you receive what you ask, it is quite clear that you have received it; but when you do not receive it, you also receive, because you thus do not receive what is undoubtedly harmful to you; and not to receive what is harmful means to be granted what is useful. So, whether you receive what you ask or not, give thanks to God in the belief that God would have always given us what we ask were it not often better for us not to receive it."
Pray without ceasing. Pray for that which benefits your salvation, the salvation of those you love, and the salvation of those who hate you. Then, wait - for God will answer your prayer, and know that when He does, it will without doubt be that which is best for the salvation of all involved!
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