For the past few weeks I have been reading with a small group of men at the church A Man's Field Guide to Prayer: Discovering and Developing This Ancient Practice by Rev. Dr. Steven Bell.

Many imagine God more like a characterture than what Christianity has understood. God becomes like that of an unseen man in the clouds who interacts with creation in a like an abusive parent who says they love you one moment but then will wipe out creation with a flood or fire the next. When this is the image of God, then there are a couple of responses to prayer: refuse to pray or pray to change God's mind.

Many others imagine God less like a crazy parent and more like that of a song that hums throughout creation. When we see God in this way, prayer becomes something different. It is less about changing the song or ignoring the song, and more about learning the tune and how to harmonize with it.

As Kierkegaard said, "The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather change the nature of the one who prays." When you learn to harmonize our lives with the song of God then it will turn our voices from a cacophony to a symphony.