It’s easy to make a mistake when we’re upset or perturbed. Consequently, we shouldn’t make crucial decisions when we’re in a bad state of mind. In such cases, a brief prayer and a pause can save us.
Listen to the voice of God
Prayer is essential to the spiritual growth of every Christian. We find an explanation of the source of prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times).
According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain. (CCC 2562).
Our close relationship with the Holy Trinity through prayer springs from the heart. Therefore, whenever we pray to the Father through the Son and inspired by the Holy Spirit, we will surely receive an answer.
But for prayer to bear fruit, it’s also essential that we learn to listen to God's voice. That way, prayer will help us to know His will.
Make decisions in the light of prayer
Praying, then, is the way we talk to God. He will take care of answering us. Sometimes he will do so through an unpleasant event, other times through another person, or perhaps He will choose to send us a sign that only we can understand, or maybe — why not? — by granting our requests.
Therefore, when we’re going to decide something that will radically change our lives, prayer should be key to our decision. We should ask our Lord to guide us to a safe harbor, because who could truly know what’s best for us but God alone?
So, let's take a moment to talk to him and share our doubts with Him. Let’s trust that inspiration will come; we only need to allow ourselves to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit and pray without ceasing:
He "prays without ceasing" who unites prayer to works and good works to prayer. Only in this way can we consider as realizable the principle of praying without ceasing. (CCC 2745).”
The best decision in life
In the face of life's adversities, nothing is more comforting than being able to talk to God, because prayer strengthens our spirit. Our life will soon be a reflection of this excellent habit:
“We pray as we live, because we live as we pray” (CCC 2725).
And when we manage to live in constant prayer, we will see its effectiveness on a daily basis. We will learn to recognize that there’s no prayer that God doesn’t answer, and he will give us the grace we need to do whatever he asks of us:
Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy... (CCC 2744).
So let us exercise our soul and will for prayer:
“What good does it do to pray? To overcome these obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance.” (CCC 2728).
