PRAYER IN HARD TIMES

Solomon felt inadequate. He said: "I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act" (1 Kgs 3:7). Jesus and His apostles felt overwhelmed. "People were coming and going in great numbers, making it impossible for them to so much as eat" (Mk 6:31). In both of these situations, the response to feeling inadequate and/or overwhelmed was to pray. Solomon prayed for a wise and understanding heart (1 Kgs 3:9). Jesus said to His apostles: "Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little" (Mk 6:31). Presumably, resting included coming to the Lord in prayer (see Mt 11:28-29). Jesus responded similarly at the agony in the garden of Gethsemani. When overwhelmed, he went to an out-of-the-way place and prayed (Mt 26:36).

If we want to be wise as Solomon was, if we want to be like Jesus, Who is our Wisdom (1 Cor 1:30), we must intensify our prayer at our most difficult times. When in agony, we should spend an hour with the Lord (see Mt 26:40). When struggling, we should do what Jesus and St. Paul did: ask others to join us in the struggle by their prayers (Mt 26:37ff; Rm 15:30). If sick, we should ask for the elders of the church to pray over and anoint us with oil in the name of the Lord (Jas 5:14).

Hard times are prayer times. Good times are prayer times. Pray always (Lk 18:1).