“I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that God will guide me to do whatever I’m supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I’m praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.”
These words of Mother Teresa reflect how her approach to prayer evolved as she grew older and had more life experiences. When she says she prays that God will guide her to do whatever she is supposed to do and what she is able to do, she is affirming her faith. Asking for and receiving direction from our Creator are essential to living a purposeful life. And acknowledging that we are only able to do whatever direction we are given because our Creator makes it possible for us to do that is a truth we need to embrace.
When I was a young adult I would sometimes question whether I should pray, mostly because I wondered whether praying would have any effect. As a child I was taught and I still do believe that our Creator determines what does or doesn’t happen, and therefore it seemed to me that praying wouldn’t make a difference. I’ve continued to pray, however, both because Jesus prayed and taught people to pray and because praying is one of the ways that I feel a connection to the Divine. I also believe that heartfelt praying adds positive and healing energy to our world. I pray each day–praying for family members and friends, praying for all the people and creatures in our world who are suffering, saying prayers of thanksgiving, praying for causes that I believe matter, and praying for guidance.
Mother Teresa’s words that “prayer changes us” and that by being changed we are able to “change things” are insightful. The positive and healing energy of prayer and our sense of connection to the Divine when we pray, combined with our hope and desire to do our part to make this a better world, all help to bring about changes within ourselves. It’s important to acknowledge such changes with humility, for they are gifts. And it is through being changed that we are more able to hear inner guidance, to access our creativity, including to do creative problem solving, to take action, and to persevere as we do our best to act on the guidance we’ve been given. And thus to do our part to “change things,” to use Mother Teresa’s words, for the better.