Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2024

[bluidkiti]

November 11

Quote of the Week

"Praying is talking to God, and meditation is listening for the answer."

In Step Eleven, we “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him.” For a long time, I wondered what the difference between prayer and meditation was, and then I heard this quote. While it immediately made sense, there were important distinctions I soon had to learn.

In the beginning, my prayers were all about what I wanted to see happen for me and other people. I was busy telling God what to do: “Please let me get that job,” “Help my friend get better,” “Don’t let me lose [. . .].” It took me a long time to realize that God’s will for my life and others far exceeded my limited vision and best intentions.

After years of developing faith through experience, I finally see the wisdom in the second part of Step Eleven: “praying only for the knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.” That knowledge is the answer I listen for in meditation. My faith today comes from my experience in knowing that God’s will for myself or others is always better than what I could think up. Today, I sincerely pray for the knowledge of God’s will, and I listen for the best ways to carry that out.