Daily reflection _ we petition in faith

WE PETITION IN FAITH
"My Lord, our King, You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but You" (Est C:14).  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
No matter how young or old we may be in relation to God, we are like little children, and our heavenly Father is more loving and interested than even the best of human parents! God wants us to look to Him in all the circumstances of our lives, not merely when we are in serious trouble. It is true that the prayer of Esther, in today's first reading, was a plea made when her life was in danger. Her prayers in the moment of supreme danger were prompted by her habitual practice of turning to God for help. Her words show that she understood not only God's concern and power, but also her complete dependence on Him, "My Lord, our King, You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but You" (Est C:14). It was the prayer of a little child before God, her Father. Esther's prayer on behalf of her people is a model for us. She prayed for help according to God's promise to be faithful to His people.
In our Responsorial Psalm, we petition in faith and trust that we will be heard, like Esther, "Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me" (Ps 138:3a). God does not leave the work of His hands unfinished - that is us, His children! We know that God has a purpose for us. We know that He began a good work in our lives as His followers. We can rest in this thought. We are in good hands and the work we must do goes on. We are God's handiwork, and His grace has brought us where we are, and will continue to guide us as to where we are to go in the future.
In today's Gospel, Jesus wanted to raise the expectations on how to pray. Jesus' parable of the father feeding his son illustrates the unthinkable! How could a loving father refuse to give his son what is good, or worse, to give him what is harmful? In conclusion, Jesus makes a startling claim, "How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him" (Mt 7:11)! God, our Father, graciously gives beyond our expectations. As Jesus taught His disciples, and continues to teach us, we are to pray with confidence, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Mt 6:11).
Our reflection prayer for today is entitled "The Promise," by Marian Olson:
Pain issues from a fractured soul,
the broken root of the tree.
Tomorrow new leaves and buds
will bubble out of the
appearance of the dead branches,
not because we stop grieving,
not because we know how,
not because we are worthy,
but because that is the way of life,
the grace of pulse for every living being.