Thoughts on Prayer

Last Friday was my work’s low-key Christmas/Employee Appreciation luncheon in our new facility’s ginormous “party room” (I don’t know what else to call it; as of yet, that room hasn’t much of a purpose).

To begin the luncheon, our business’s owner uttered his “Welcome!” and said, “Before we eat (Jimmy John’s—yum!), let’s begin with a blessing upon the food.”

A prayer? At work? was my first thought. I was thrown off a bit. It’s seriously not every day you witness someone praying publicly, let alone you actually being involved in the supplication.

My 70+ coworkers and I were sitting together in the party room. In one accord, we bowed our heads and closed our eyes, while the chief production manager (we’re a manufacturing corporation) offered the prayer.

I can’t begin to tell you just how dear to my heart that moment was. Amid the prayer, my mind paused briefly and realized the sheer awesomeness of the moment. There I sat, surrounded by a multitude of folks who I presume aren’t particularly religious. This prayer very likely broke many a person’s norm in that party room. Nonetheless, I perceive that the upper management’s decision to start the luncheon with a prayer was respected by everyone there, and everyone’s complete reverence during the prayer impressed me profoundly.

When the luncheon was over, I returned to my office and briefly checked up on the outside world’s news. Little did I know that all the while I was helping with the luncheon, heartbreaking news stories of one of the most devastating school shootings were circulating like a cyclone across all media forms.

I wept as I read about what happened, but I kept in my heart the sweet feeling I had when my coworkers and I prayed together. I like to consider that feeling as a tender mercy from God, because it comforted me when I wanted comfort as I pondered the events that had just occurred that morning in Newtown, Connecticut.

The memory of my company’s prayer also reminded me of the way America unites in prayer and love during tragedy aftermaths, especially the ones that develop on American soil. The aftermath of September 11, 2001, is a prime example.

There are those who are most deeply and directly affected by the tragedies. Isn’t it interesting how we naturally automatically sympathize with them even though we don’t personally know them? Much more often than not, we’re so distant from these people, according to proximity and social degrees of separation. But we still yearn to help them in any way possible. The number one way to help that we think of is prayer.

Prayer.

Our social network newsfeeds (that is probably supposed to be two words—“news feeds”—but I don’t care; one word looks better to me) were flooded with “My prayers go out to those who lost their loved ones” and other similarly worded posts on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and still today (Monday).

Prayer.

Just as I presumed that many of my coworkers aren’t too religious and might not often pray, I think that, possibly, many of the dear people who are sending their prayers toward those who need the prayers likewise might not often pray.

It’s in times like these that our hearts are broken, that we sincerely seek comfort and a better world, and that we have a glimmer of hope that there is Deity who can help us.

My bottom line is this:

How wonderful it is that we unify in prayer and love in these seasons of sorrow; however, we mustn’t cease holding prayers and love in our hearts once ample time passes beyond the seasons of sorrow. With all of my heart, I believe we are all children of a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally and eternally. With all of His heart, He wants us to talk to Him, in bad times and in good. Let us always pray. When we’re not on our knees, when we’re not praying out loud, may we pray to Him via heart in the name of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who also loves us much, much more than we can imagine. With all of my heart, I believe our honest, earnest prayers get answered.

Thank you for reading.