St. Teresa of Calcutta also known as Mother Teresa said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” These words are a great way to understand and realize the importance of having a spiritual life. To put yourself in the hands of God…is to surrender your will to His. We need to say, “not my will, Lord, but yours be done.” Often our prayer life is full of whining and complaining, and of a laundry list of needs. Instead of asking, which we need to do, Mother Teresa invites us to listen to His voice in the depth of our hearts.
This seems like an easy task when Mother Teresa says it…she is a consecrated woman, who spent her life in prayer and service to others. What about the person who has fallen away from the Lord, or struggles to know God? How do we connect with God amid all the chaos and confusion of the world? How do we listen to the Truth in our hearts and renounce the lies the world tells us?
Mother Teresa gives us more wisdom when she says, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” If God is a friend of silence, imagine his reaction to today’s noisy world. It is difficult to find a moment without technology buzzing, blinking, or pinging. How many conversations do we have each day that are interrupted by technology? God wants us to “grow in silence” or perhaps to be silent so we can grow!
It has been written about Mother Teresa that the first thing she did everyday was to say, “Good Morning, Jesus”. She would say this before she got out of bed, maybe even before she opened her eyes. It seems like a simple beginning to a new day and a simple beginning to a spiritual life. By saying “Good morning, Jesus”, you acknowledge the relationship that matters the most! Try saying, “Good morning, Jesus” out loud before you get out of bed. Try it for 10 days, after 10 days check and see if your prayer life has increased. Check and see if you have a closer relationship with God, and then keep saying it for another 10 days. Build new habits and good habits for the rest of your life by starting simple and doing things that are natural.
Here’s what Scripture has to say:
Matthew 6:6-8 – …when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8: 26-28 – In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
1 Kings 19:11-12 – Then the Lord said, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord – but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire – but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.