Magic or Miracles?

Sr. Patricia over at 101 Prayer has an excellent post - required reading! She begins:

It seems especially when it comes to life or death issues - we have a hard time relinquishing what we want as an outcome to God. Because we want a healing so bad - our prayers may take on the form of magic manipulation. God has to heal our loved one - because we really, really, really need for them to be healed.

Whenever our wants become desperate we move into the danger zone of manipulation. Okay God, if you do this - I will do this. Our prayers take on a pagan bargain mentality. If we hop up and down more, beat our breasts, cry, wail and lament God will come forth and do what we want.

Then if it doesn’t happen - we end our relationship with God. That’s it, Period. You had your chance. Forget it, I will have nothing more to do with you.

Magic or Miracles at 101 Prayer

Sometimes this is the hardest thing, when someone has cried out to God, done all the above stuff, and then asks us, "Why doesn't God answer me? Doesn't he love me?" Then everything we say, however true, however much we may ourselves have tested it in the fire of need, comes over like making excuses for God - and sometimes it's written off as just that. To leave someone to work it out with God, to hear the answers from him, in his own voice, in his own perfect time, that's the hardest thing. Really. The hardest thing.