Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?

I just finished reading this book by Philip Yancey. It was a bit of an ardous read to go straight through but well worth the time nonetheless. Yancey writes , not from a claim of expertise on the subject, but as a fellow pilgrim seeking to answer such questions as why pray? Does prayer change God? What difference does it make?

I found it an excellent little trip of discovery as much about the nature of God as prayer. But is that the same thing? Maybe that's one of the best reasons to pray, to spend time getting to know Him.

I've often fallen asleep at night while praying. I wake up in the morning feeling guilty that I didn't stay awake to talk with God. And I wonder what God thinks about that. Reminds me of Jesus' experience with some disciples who couldn't stay awake to pray. Then I read an essay in this book by a woman named Susan. She noted: "I used to worry about falling asleep during prayer. Now, as a parent, I understand. What parent wouldn't wand her child to fall asleep in her arms?"

For now, and for reasons I really don't understand, prayer sets God loose on earth. When we meet Him face to face I think it will resume its rightful place as conversation.