1 Kings 18:20-39 / Matthew 5:17-19
We know how important and essential prayer is for our lives.
We pray to give thanks, we pray when we have needs and we pray for others in their needs.
We also know that God hears our prayers and when our prayers are answered, our faith in God is also deepened and strengthened.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest of proving who is the God of Israel.
When it came to his turn to offer the sacrifice, Elijah prayed and ended his prayer with this: Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that the people may know that you, Lord, are God and are winning back their hearts.
That prayer also reiterates that when God answers our prayers, He is drawing us back to Him, to let us know that He loves us and cares for us.
With prayers of praise and thanksgiving, with prayers of contrition and supplication, we turn back to God and we pray for others to turn back to God.
So, let us pray and let us also encourage and remind others to pray in their time of need.
Prayer is our expression of our need for God.
It is also an expression that we are keeping the Commandments of God and let us also teach others to do the same.