5 things we simply don't get regarding prayer

Even though this is a local political blog, can we get theological for a moment?  

Now that the lefties are practically in lockstep mocking prayer (and Nancy Pelosi is even criticizing moments of silence, for crying out loud!) this writer feels the need to express a few non-sectarian thoughts on God and the nature of prayer. Below are five things we tend to forget (or fail to grasp entirely) in our discourse about God's will and when conveying out intentions to seek God's blessings for those enduring hardship.

1. PRAYER IS NOT TELEPATHY. "Thoughts and prayers" do not "go out to the victims and their families." Prayers are requests to God. They go up to him. (And we highly doubt you are telepathic and can send thoughts across the continent and into someone else's head.) Though many may equate prayer with well-wishes, positive thinking, inward meditation, or even "good vibes," prayer as our Founding Fathers understood it is communication with the God in whom We Trust. Technically speaking, anyway.

2. PRAYERS ARE NOT ALWAYS ANSWERED THE WAY WE WANT THEM TO BE. The New York Daily News, despite its attempts to insult faithful Americans, is correct that "God is not fixing this." Duh -- that's why these awful mass shootings happened in the first place. Now as to why these shootings happened, that's best left to a field of theology called "theodicy," or in layman's terms the study of why bad things happen to good people. However, none of this is to say God can't fix it. He definitely can. And many of us believe he will one day fix these things permanently at some point in the future. It never hurts to consult God first -- even if he doesn't immediately grant your request. Let's leave the results up to him and not us.

3. GOD CARES WHEN WE PRAY. God still cares, even when bad things happen. And even when he does not act according to our immediate wishes. Most of those who believe in Jesus believe that God in human form not only endured torture on the cross but "sweat great drops of blood" as he poured his heart and soul out for those whom he loved. "He could have called 10,000 angels" to his rescue and to deliver his disciples from coming persecution. Yet he refrained. Whether because of free will or a predestined purpose (or both), that does not negate the fact that God cared for humanity at that moment despite the horrendous circumstances.

4. GOD IS IN CONTROL WHEN WE PRAY. God is still on his throne, even when bad things happen and when our prayers don't seem to be answered. Here's a scenario: Let's say a small government-supporting candidate enters the White House in 2016. And let's say there's a riot in a certain U.S. city, but the new President refuses to commit National Guard troops to quell the violence. This does not mean the President has given up his sovereignty, but that he chose not to exercise it.

5. PRAYER IS VERY MUCH A PART OF WHO WE ARE. Prayer to an omnipotent God is not some invention of the religious right over the past half-century. Even though traditions and religious norms change form generation-to-generation, our Founding Fathers believed very strongly in seeking divine providence before major decisions -- even though they also believed in a large degree of personal responsibility, too. Though many were Enlightenment thinkers and skeptical, they kept an open mind and an open heart toward a higher power. They stopped and recognized that there's a power greater than themselves in laying down the foundations for this great nation. That's a tradition worth continuing on both sides of the political spectrum.

Hopefully this post will help as these topics inevitably surface as news coverage about the shootings and terrorist activities continue. These opinions are that of the author. If you have any additional thoughts of your own to add, please feel free to leave a comment in the comments section. God bless you.