40% Off: The Perfect Gift for Older Children


Take 40% off Looking Ahead: A Catholic Handbook for School Students this weekend only! Use code YOUNG SAINTS to get the offer.


Shop now

(Offer ends Sunday 8th December at 11.59pm)

X

S1 E3 – Does Prayer Make a Difference?

Beautifully Told Series 1 Episode 3

Listen to this episode

Stream all episodes here or listen via your favourite podcast platform:

 

About This Episode

Have you ever wondered… does prayer really work? In this episode, we talk about the ways in which we search for answers in prayer, how we can tell if God is listening to us, and how to pray when life gets tough. We also discuss how we can all transform our prayer lives from being transactional (where we pray only because we want something) to developing a relationship with God.

Quote:

“Sometimes we need to learn that God is beyond us. We can’t put him in a box. There is darkness and mystery and silence. God says in the Bible: My ways are not your ways; my thoughts are not your thoughts. His plans are bigger than we can understand. He is not an Amazon Prime delivery hub with a guarantee that our requests will be processed in twenty-four hours.”

SYCAMORE: The Catholic Faith Explained – Fr Stephen Wang

Final Thought:

“If you knew the gift of God!” (John 4:10) The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.” (CCC 1560)

Questions for Reflection:

We encourage you to ponder these questions in your heart, in order to dive deeper into the subject of the episode.

  1. What form of prayer works best for you?
  2. When you pray, do you pray more often for God to do something or to be closer to God?
  3. If God is all-powerful, why do you think he sometimes seems to ignore our prayers?
  4. How has prayer strengthened your own relationship with God?

Books Mentioned in This Podcast

Resources on Prayer

Prayer in Action

Prayer in Action Fr Andrzej Muszala

£3.95Add to Basket

A Book of Novenas Dr Raymond Edwards, Glynn MacNiven-Johnston

£12.95Add to Basket

Handbook of Prayers

Handbook of Prayers Rev James D Socias

£14.95Add to Basket

Simple Prayer Book

A Simple Prayer Book Catholic Truth Society

£3.95Add to Basket

More on Prayer

How to Pray

How to Pray

Your guide to prayer in Catholicism, for every stage of the faith journey. Includes a vast range of books, prayers, & blogs.

Find out more

More From Beautifully Told

How to Pray the Rosary Everyday

How to Pray the Rosary Everyday

Praying the Rosary can seem like a daunting task and people often find it difficult. So how can we pray the Rosary more often and even pray it every day? In this episode, we offer inspiration and advice from our own experiences of praying the Rosary.

Find out more
What Happens When We Die?

What Happens When We Die?

If you're scared of death and try to avoid thinking about it, you're not alone! In this episode, we talk about our own feelings about death, how to "remember your death" (Memento Mori) and the benefits of living each day as if it's your last.

Find out more