Prayer is central to our lives of faith. There are many types of established prayers, such as the Hail Mary and Glory Be. Then there are prayers we make up on the spot when in more casual conversation with God, like this one: Jesus, help me keep my cool with this irritating person.
Some of us pray for a few minutes each day, while others devote hours to it.
This might make you wonder if certain prayers are better — more meritorious — than others. After all, you probably would shy away from claiming that your conversations with God are on the level of, say, St. Teresa of Avila.
Here are some things to keep in mind.
We are all precious to God.
God loves each of us with the self-same act of love. In other words, God is supremely simple. He is not composed of parts, as material beings are. He is identical to His love, and so when He loves us, He gives Himself to us.
He loves us as a Father. As children, we turn to Him with hope, love, and the expectation that He wants to give us good things. Our prayers are precious to Him not because He needs them but because He delights in receiving them.