Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer (David Stendal-Rast)

We must distinguish prayer from prayers. Saying prayers is one activity among others. But prayer is an attitude of the heart that can transform every activity. We cannot say prayers at all times, but we ought to "pray without ceasing" (I Thess 5:17). That means we ought to keep our heart open to the meaning of life. Gratefulness is, therefore, prayerfulness. Moments in which we drink deeply from the source of meaning are moments of prayer, whether we call them so or not. There is no human heart that does not pray, at least in deep dreams that nourish life with meaning. What matters is prayer, not prayers. But prayers are the poetry of prayerful living. Just as poetry gives expression to one's aliveness and makes one more alive, so prayers give expression to one's prayerfulness and make one more prayerful.