Prayer can be a battle at times, and it can often appear as though nothing is happening when we pray. Yet, at the heart of prayer is a confidence that God desires to have a relationship with us, because we are his beloved children. Matthew’s Gospel today reminds us that the Father wants what is best for his children. He desires all of us to turn toward him in a trusting, loving relationship. This means that when we pray, we are invited to do so with confidence recognizing that God always listens and answers. When the answers to our prayers are no, then we are called in faith and humility to believe that God has something else in store for us, or that His will, as mysterious as it can be, is always superior to our own. It truly takes an act of faith, courage, and conviction to build a prayer relationship with God; but it is a relationship well worth cultivating. Prayer will sustain us in the darkest days of our lives, but it will also help us remember that God never abandons us!

Prayer:
Loving Father, help me to build a life of trusting, prayerful obedience so that I may always seek your will, and desire to serve you and you alone.

Action:
Spend 15 minutes in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament inviting God the Father into your life and your heart.