Other times, I might think the thing I ask for is superfluous, or a situation might arise that confuses me. In starting a new job, I did not know what questions to ask in getting started.
In particularly dry times of prayer or difficult seasons of life, when the Cross feels too heavy to carry or the Cup too strenuous to drink, I do not know what to ask for. It seems generic or too vague to pray for strength or patience.
Thankfully, the Lord Our God already knows. He is not a genie waiting to grant our wishes, nor does He operate like a vending machine waiting for us to put in our very specific number of prayers to magically receive one specifically requested item. Instead, He wants us to turn to him; to rend our hearts, not our garments. He wants us to recognize that our asking does not “make it happen.” It does not depend on us; He makes all things happen. We ask Him in prayer, we seek Him in the sacraments, and through our waiting or our actions, we knock.
When we knock on a door, we then must wait for a response. We wait for the door to be opened; we wait for the Host to invite us in. Sometimes we wait longer than expected and typically longer than we would like, but in this season, we wait in preparation and penance knowing that Jesus Christ has already opened the door to Salvation for all who seek Him.
