Spending time with others is key to developing a good relationship. If we want to be in a relationship with God, then, it makes sense to set aside a regular time to pray. However, we can’t expect God to conform to our prayer schedule. As Joyce Rupp learned from her spiritual director, “Meet God where God wants to be met, not where you plan for it.”
What if God wants to be met not in the silence of a church but in the midst of a challenging conversation? The 15th century Indian poet Kabir suggests as much in his poem, “I Had to Seek the Physician:”
“I
had to seek the Physician because
of
the pain this world caused me.
I
could not believe what happened
when
I got there — I found my Teacher.
Before
I left, he said, “Up for a little
homework,
yet?” “Okay,” I replied.
“Well,
then, try thanking all the people
who
have caused you pain.
They
helped you
come
to me.”*
Prayer has many benefits, but perhaps its greatest gift is to instill in us an alertness to God’s presence at all times — especially when we least expect it.
*From Love Poems from God by Daniel Ladinsky. New York: The Penguin Group; 2002.
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