Like many people, I love listening to the radio when driving. I don’t subscribe to satellite radio with their clear signals, so sometimes, the music or news programs I am listening to get interrupted by static. But I know that when I tweak the dial just a bit, or drive on further, that particular station will once again come in loud and clear.
Life requires of us a fair amount of “tuning in.” Kids, jobs, spouses and details of our days demand our attention – and rightly so. But with the onslaught of instant information we receive via the internet and social media, coupled with our daily duties, it can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Still, I’m grateful when I’m made aware of things that are of utmost importance. For example, like most of the rest of the world, I found out about the attacks in Paris through social media and immediately turned on the TV to see what was happening.
My first thought was, “not again!” But on the heels of that came a deep desire to help, and I began to pray for all of those affected – the dear ones who were lost and their families and the injured. When I got on Facebook and Twitter, I saw dozens of posts saying, “Prayers for Paris.” This quote and similar ones seemed to be everywhere -sounding the call to the world to turn to our Divine Source for comfort and help.
Prayer is an ancient practice. There is evidence that man has been praying since as early as the middle Paleolithic Period (around 200,000-45,000 B.Ch.E). Webster defines prayer as – “an address (as a petition) to God in word or thought; an earnest request or wish.” And, certainly The Bible is full of accounts of how certain individuals, such as Abraham, David and Daniel, turned to God in prayer and were delivered from life-threatening situations.