The highest form of prayer is praise. The most common form of prayer is intercession. The spirit is willing to praise God and give him glory; the flesh always has more immediate needs to address. The truth is, the easiest and most natural person to pray for is ourselves. The most common exception to this is perhaps parents who find it easier to pray for their children than for themselves.
This is what we encounter in today’s Gospel reading where we meet Jairus who has great faith. He is preoccupied with his sick daughter and like any parent in this situation he is desperate. It is his faith that ultimately brings about the healing miracle, restoring his daughter back to full health.
Belief in miracles is fundamental to the Christian faith. We could be as bold as to say that to be a Christian is to believe in miracles. Sadly today many do not believe in miracles, preferring to believe in the miracle of science. The question is, does God or can God intervene in human affairs in such a way as to bring about the miraculous? And this one question prompts another: if God does intervene — which we believe he does — then why does he not demonstrate his healing power more frequently?
Part of our problem with miracles is that we don’t expect them. Therefore we don’t pray for them and we don’t hope for them. This is the mindset we need to challenge in others and ourselves. Today, open up your heart to God’s miraculous work in your life and in the world.