Do Prayers Matter?

 

I’ve seen and written about personal prayers which I have seen answered, and have a strong confidence that some others were answered also --- or will be, even if I am not sure when, or how.  But I am sure of why: God doesn’t ignore us, or our sincere prayers.

The feast day of the first martyr for his Christian faith, Saint Stephen, was celebrated on December 26th.  I don’t know the history of why that date was picked for the celebration, but to me it does make perfect sense.  In two consecutive dates we celebrate being born to and dying for the Christian faith.  Saint Stephen’s dying words, as written at the end of Chapter 7 in the Acts of the Apostles, were to ask God to forgive those who were stoning him to death.  And those final words were read at the mass on his feast day, the day after Christmas. Except, ---

There was one more sentence in Chapter 7 of Acts, which was not read at mass and I think is most important.  That final sentence in Acts mentions that Saul was there at the stoning of Stephen.  So, the final TWO sentences of Chapter 7 tell us that St. Stephen was praying to God for forgiveness of Saul, among others.  And then it is only a short time later in Acts when we read in Chapter 9 how Saul was struck down off his horse by God, --- and his whole life was going to change.  Saul was about to become St. Paul.

St. Stephen’s final prayer was dramatically answered by God --- in ways Stephen never could have imagined.

There are many things to consider in those two sentences.  Saint Stephen, in great agony, did not pray for evil to be done to his slayers, as he might instinctively have done.  He did obey the call to “love your enemies.” And, while we now know that his final prayer was answered, Saint Stephen never lived to see that answer.  But Saint Stephen trusted in God, even to his death.

Jesus said that if we prayed with trust, we could move mountains.  I have seen some of my prayers answered in ways that I treasure more than any moved mountains.  I know God hears me when I pray, and I try to listen to Him.  And sometimes I go to His house, and we just silently sit together, and that’s the best prayer.    

Prayers matter.  God always hears.