Prayerful Punctuation, How...

   For some years I have used a punctuation tool without really knowing that it was one. As an example think about this usage:

   "God always answers prayer, but…"

   The way I used those three dots at the end of that short blurb that introduces a blog post has been for me more of a hook to draw a reader into the post rather than the use of a real form of punctuation.

   Let me illustrate by quoting from a a passage in The Circle Maker, a book I have referenced before here in this space:

"That’s where most of us live most of the time — in the triple-dot punctuation known as an ellipsis. The ellipsis indicates a pause in speech or an unfinished thought. When we’re waiting for God to answer a prayer, it’s a period of ellipsis."

(Batterson, Mark (2011-12-20). The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears (p. 89). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. )

   I think about how I pray, and what I pray for. My requests directed toward God may be noble or they may be selfish, but I usually end any thoughts with the simple phrase from the Lord's Prayer in Matthew, "Thy Will Be Done".

   I note that I put a period at the end of the previous sentence, but maybe that punctuation should be change to an ellipsis. When I put the period there, it seems to me that I can be saying that I know that God's will is best and will be the outcome, but am I also saying that, since any request to God is ultimately out of my hands, I am praying this and then leaving it there, not to be visited again?

   Is that the way to pray? Just throwing out a prayer with a finality that may show my concern about the matter, but with no anticipation of the outcome?

   Or…

   Should I use the ellipsis instead of the period?

   Hmmm...