Father knows

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Isaiah 55:10-11 Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19 Matthew 6:7-15

Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him

This is key to understanding prayer. We are not informing God about our troubles or other's troubles. He already knows about them. We are not convincing or persuading God to come over to our side on any given issue. He has all the facts and he is God, how could we, being limited in mind and strength, persuade God?

No, God already knows what we need, even better than we do. Prayer then is an act of faith. It is not a device used to get God to do what we want. We pray for God's mercy and grace, but we do it knowing that he already is at work showering us in it. The best way to pray is to starts out with adoration and then thanks. Then when we have contemplated what God has already done for us we can more readily trust that he will lead us to an even better place.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always trust that you love me and to never lose hope. You already know what we need and you are providing us a way to find it.

Amen