Prayer's Magic Carpet

As a child, I used to dream of flying on a magic carpet. Little did I understand back then, that prayer can actually become somewhat like a magic carpet, first elevating us and then somehow carrying us to God. And just as amazing as flight to God, as subtle motion of prayer, is the equally amazing sense that we have not really moved at all, that we have strangely arrived at where we already were, but did not know it. This time, however, we are nor alone, as we sense God’s approving presence.

Prayer will slowly reveal to us our unique, private yet shared space with God, already in place from the moment of our birth. It is as if God planned out our entire future, our coming time to be alone with God, at the very instant of our creation. How God can wrap our farthest tomorrow right into our initial beginning of todays, is an unfathomable mystery. But then, so is God, and likely will remain so forever.

Individual prayer will ever remain a private mystical mystery. Such prayer has been called. “The flight of the alone to the Alone.” It is as deeply personal as anything our lives. Thus does Jesus instruct: “Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).