Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “prayer must never be a citadel for selfish concerns but rather a place for deepening concern over other people’s plight. Looking at the world from God’s perspective means living in the prophetic tradition: to give voice to those who live in silent agony, to eradicate injustice, to emulate God’s compassion for human beings.”

As I work to deepen my prayer life, I see what Heschel meant by “prayer begins at the edge of emptiness.” It is a complete emptying of self in order to pray for others, especially when we seek to lift others up through a life of prayer. In recent months, I have heard people say that thoughts and prayers mean nothing, we need reform. To me, that simply means that these individuals perhaps don’t understand the purpose behind our prayers and petitions. Truly, if we approach prayer like Heschel proposes, then our prayers and petitions are not self-indulgent, but are full of compassion for others. Compassion. I believe that we can all agree that what the world needs more of is compassion.

Heschel is known for having a great ability to listen, and to help lift the burdens from other people’s hearts. He believed that a “deep religious commitment had to be constructive and transformative” as noted by his daughter Susannah Heschel. In these days of a post-pandemic liminal space, I wonder how the church can emerge to be a prophetic voice offering hope – offering a place of compassion – living into what it truly means to be followers of Jesus through love, peace, charity, and generosity. The world needs us to empty ourselves through prayer, and to live by example rather than preaching about how to change and what is wrong.