By: Alex J. Nagem © March 24, 2025
Hear my cries Oh Lord! I cry out to you for direction, yet you have shown me the path. I cry out to you for help, yet your hand is within reach. I cry out to you Oh Lord, yet you are beside me.
We cry for help. We ask God to speak to us. We wait for His response. We ask we knock and seek. Have we opened the Bible to read what God has told us? We speak to God in prayer. God speaks to us in Scripture.
I came across an interesting book on prayer, “Methods of Praying with the Scriptures,” by Felix Just, SJ. Fr. Just speaks of prayer as a “Request, giving thanks, a blessing, and adoration. Prayer is a relationship and communication with God. We should not only speak to God but listen to Him. We not only talk to God but spend time with Him. We should not focus entirely on ourselves, our needs and desires, but on what God needs and desires of us.”
Do you ask God what he needs? We carry so much worry on our shoulders; do we need to take on more? We have read and listened to the words in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” When Matthew was speaking of this time, the Pharisees had burdened the people of Israel with dos and don’ts. They laid heavy burdens on the people of Israel. The Pharisees hid the true meaning of the Old Testament Law with religious rules and regulations. They codified the Mosaic Law into 365 prohibitions and 250 commandments. The people of Israel were burdened. I do not want to turn this writing into a short dissertation on Mosaic Law, but when we read Chapters in the Bible, we should understand the times in which they were written. Christ has freed us from laws that made us slaves, as the Pharisees enslaved Israel. He empowered us by the Holy Spirit to respond to promises of the Gospel. Do we understand that Jesus is asking us all, not just a preconceived chosen few, to come to him for companionship and dependence with these words in Matthew 11? It is a call to follow Jesus as a committed disciple where we turn our lives over to Him. I write most articles in the early morning hours of the day. I am unsure what thoughts were dormant, what guilt lay hidden, or the strength of coffee, but it all appeared this morning. Stress and anxiety affect us in many ways. When I woke up this morning, it was abrupt. I had a dream I was running through the airport to board a plane. I asked an airport employee for directions to my gate; the signs were not clear. The directions took me from the airport corridors to stairs and hallways in an old apartment building. The hallways were getting narrow and all the doors were locked. When I tried to turn around to go back, nothing looked familiar. The last thing I remember before I woke was crying out to Jesus for help. I hope I can remember what I ate or what was troubling me before I fell asleep because I don’t want to have that dream again. Even in our dreams, we cry out to God for help.
We are taught God knows all. So, why do we pray? When we pray, we are inviting God into our life. When prayers are not answered, we should look at ourselves to see what is hindering us from hearing God’s answer. Prayer allows us to grow in the manner God intends, as we search our innermost thoughts during a time of reflection. Prayer shows our dependency on God. When we pray, we should begin by becoming aware of being in God’s presence. We should turn our will and actions toward God when we ask for grace and blessings. When we are in love with someone, we give them our undivided attention when we talk together. God should be no different. He is the epitome of love and our desires, or at least He should be. We should read verses from the Bible and reflect on God’s words as they teach us truths. Our imagination should come alive as we focus on words and phrases. Be aware of the feelings that surface as you read the Bible. If you are distracted, return to the Bible verse and focus again. Enter into a conversation with our Triune God. Talk to Him as you would a loved one. After a conversation, pray a traditional prayer or one of self-creation. I find these steps helpful in talking with God. I ask God for grace and blessings, and what He wants of me. We should not have a one-sided love affair with God where we are always asking for something. There may be a time when God needs us to do something for him. I found these steps many years ago in my readings. This was during a time of confusion and searching in my life. Wait, I am still searching and feeling confused. It is all a part of the Cost of Grace. Let our imagination focus on the Gift from God, the Love bestowed on us, the walking Word of God, and the Hope and Salvation for all, Jesus Christ. Let us pray to invite Christ into our life.
“Prayer is a surge of the heart. It is a simple look turned toward heaven. It is a cry of recognition and love, embracing both trial and joy.” St. Therese of Lisieux
You and your family are in my daily prayers and I hope my family and I are in yours as we accept the Will of God in our life.
“Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus, Deus Aderit”
Alex J. Nagem
November 1, 2016 (rev)