Some Thoughts on Prayer

I've been reading a book called "the Energy of Prayer" by Thich Nhat Hanh. As I've been giving more attention to prayer lately, today I read the following passage.

"Sometimes when we pray, we see that the words of a prayer are effective. Sometimes we get a result so strongly, it is as if God is saying "yes." Sometimes we get the reply "not yet," sometimes "maybe," and sometimes "no." That "no" is hard to hear, but know that this is not the refusal of God, of the Buddha, of the bodhisattva, but the energy sent is not yet strong enough to change the situation. We need a few more conditions. Prayer always has a result, but the level of the result varies."

In the book I AM THAT, it was written:

"M: How do you go about finding anything? By keeping your mind and heart in it. Interest there must be and steady remembrance. To remember what needs to be remembered is the secret of success. You come to it through earnestness.
Q: Do you mean to say that mere wanting to find out is enough? Surely, both qualifications and opportunities are needed.
M: These will come with earnestness. What is supremely important is to be free from contradictions: the goal and the way must not be on different levels; life and light must not quarrel; behaviour must not betray belief. Call it honesty, integrity, wholeness; you must not go back, undo, uproot, abandon the conquered ground. Tenacity of purpose and honesty in pursuit will bring you to your goal.
Q: Tenacity and honesty are endowments, surely! Not a trace of them I have.
M: All will come as you go on. Take the first step first. All blessings come from within. Turn within. 'l am' you know. Be with it all the time you can spare, until you revert to it spontaneously. There is no simpler and easier way."

It looks as though where we put our attention is where we go, and that somethings take some adjusting and some time. To me this uncovers possibilities, and also shows the process. When we cannot accept immediately what we want, there are those things which need adjusted and identified. Once all is in line, then it happens naturally. Practice and time and understanding are key.