After the horrific New Zealand mosque massacres, Tammy retweeted this exchange:
That's not how it works. Prayer isn't about uttering magic words in hopes of being kept "safe." It is a subversive and energetic practice/disclipline by which we make ourselves conduits for goodness and grace to move within a world we already KNOW is broken and "unsafe". https://t.co/0AAtJ6NlEB
— Elizabeth Scalia (@TheAnchoress) March 15, 2019
While Elizabeth Scalia (@TheAnchoress) is a devout Catholic, the Jewish perspective on the importance of prayer parallels that of Scalia’s sentiment:
Why do we pray? Doesn’t God already know what’s good for us? Doesn’t He already know what we need? Are we somehow trying to “convince” God of the justness of our cause?
What changes through prayer is not the “mind” of the Almighty. What changes through prayer is us. By recognizing the source of all of our blessings – our sustenance, our health, our success, our very existence – we bring ourselves to a higher spiritual level. We elevate ourselves by drawing closer to the Almighty. And through this act of elevation, we become more “fitting” to receive those things we’ve prayed so hard for. In having grown through prayer, we can now use our gifts more properly to perfect ourselves and the world around us….
And in this spirit, let us all pray, in the words of Isaiah 2:4 —
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Thank you, for posting this powerful piece on prayer and “Tammy’s Take” video on Facebook regarding the same. As an evangelical, I deeply appreciate these words of wisdom on the power of prayer in our lives. Prayer works!
Jesus said to “pray without ceasing.” It’s like prayer can be so intertwined
in our being, lifting up our heart, mind & soul that we can spiritually be
connected to the God that created us, benefiting all our brethren. There
is nothing comparable in this material world.