May 2026

Thank you. Please. Why? Help. How beautiful. How horrible. Guide me. Show me. Forgive me. Help me forgive. What do I do? How do I continue?

Or — silence.
Or — joy.

Many of us have been taught that prayer requires a certain posture and language, that there is a right way to pray, to speak to and seek the presence of God.

But is that true?

Prayer is as unique as the person offering it, and it comes from all corners and spaces, from all emotions and needs. At times, it is a sigh. Other times, a groan. Still other times, silence.

Prayer is the active seeking of God’s heart and presence, inviting God’s nearness.

God hears all.

In this issue of the Outlook, we explore prayer that is right just the way it is, prayer that is poetry, prayer that is witness. The prayers of one, the prayers of generations. The prayers of the individual, the prayers that are corporate. What we ask of God shapes our steps in this world.

You already know how to pray and that you do it daily, perhaps constantly, through your longing, you do it daily, perhaps constantly, through your longing, your wondering, and your reaching out to seek God’s nearness.

God has been listening the whole time.