Prayer: The Essential Tool of Evangelization

Evangelizing without prayer is like giving a book report without reading the book. 

As helpful as CliffsNotes or SparkNotes may be, they cannot replace experiencing the book for ourselves. Sure, after skimming through a summary of a book we may be able to talk about the characters, the plot and the setting, but what we cannot do is come away with that personal connection with the characters of the story. A connection we can only get from accompanying the characters on their journey.

I have a friend who is a huge Harry Potter fan. If she asked me, “Have you read Harry Potter?” and I responded “Yes…I read the CliffsNotes,” she would be outraged and maybe even a little offended. There is no way to get to know the rich and relatable characters of Harry Potter unless we read the books. 

Without encountering the book for ourselves, we might know about the characters but we will not know them. Without encountering God for ourselves by spending time with him in prayer, we might know about God but we will not know him personally.

This personal connection with God is vital to effective evangelization. If we don’t know God personally, how can we invite people into a relationship with him?

So, how do we get to know God personally? We spend time with God in prayer. When we spend time with God in scripture, in silence and in Sacrament, we get to know him, his character and his unconditional love for us. Prayer reminds us who God is and who we are in him. 

One of my favorite scriptures that reveal God’s character is Psalm 103. In my Bible, the title of this psalm is “Praise of Divine Goodness.” It is like a litany of God’s character traits.

The scripture tells us that God gives to us, pardons us, heals us, delivers us, surrounds us with love, fills us, renews us, knows us and remembers us.

He is merciful and gracious.

He is a compassionate father.

It is this God that I want to know and to share with the world.

Evangelization doesn’t require all the answers. It only requires that we are in relationship with God.

A missionary once told me, “I thought I needed all the answers to be an effective evangelist. But, now that I know who God is and who I am in Christ, there is no question I can’t answer. I realize that sharing my faith is not about questions and answers as much as relationships.”

Prayer keeps us close to God. In prayer, we remember who God is, who we are and who we are meant to be. Who we are meant to be is effective evangelists. Let’s pray. Let’s evangelize. Let’s set the world on fire!

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” ― Catherine of Siena