God in prayer

From Fr. Donald Haggerty’s Contemplative Provocations via Contemplative Day Book:

The question whether God is experienced in prayer may seem unanswerable. How do we know? Is there some way to measure within the experience itself? Perhaps not, but there is the traditional test of fruitful prayer, observable in the urge to self-giving when prayer is concluded. Generosity toward others upon leaving prayer, a soul turned humbly and charitably toward others, a tendency to self-effacement, these are among the reliable signs of graces given during prayer. If a soul has loved God during a time of prayer, the same love requires becoming a servant to the needs of others outside of prayer.