Most of us have prayed from time to time, but do we realize the emotional benefits and power of practicing prayer on a regular basis.
Most of us have said one at least once or twice. Whether out of quiet desperation or abounding thanks, a prayer, in one form or another has undoubtedly passed our lips. But perhaps if we knew the benefits of prayer, whether answered in our favor or not, we would make a regular practice of it.
Prayer is communication with someone much greater than ourselves. It is touching our creator, the God of love. As we come before Him regularly we develop a relationship, and it is in this particular relationship that we realize we are loved, no matter what state we are in in life. We begin to see that as we look forward to speaking with God, He looks forward to hearing from us. It is this unconditional love that is very liberating to the human spirit. It allows us to give love back to God and others.
When we pray we release the stress and tangles of our lives into the arms of someone else. If we make prayer a habit we can take notice of what it is we continually ask for help with. We form the habit of being honest with another, and when we allow ourselves to be honest we can not help but see our reflections. When we are humbled in prayer our negative qualities (usually the ones we dislike in everyone else), come to light. We can see our weaknesses. We can learn to recognize our fears as we talk them over with God. Not only do we recognize them but we can learn to deal with them from the quiet understanding of someone who already knows all about us and our baggage.
We bring these things to light, not only our fears but anything about ourselves we wish to change, by talking with Him. Recognizing and admitting them is the first step in being free from them, as well as remembering we are loved unconditionally in spite of them.
When we see we have a need, whether emotional, physical or spiritual, and we are seeking help with it from God we are exercising our faith. Many studies have been done and reports released on how faith makes us whole. It is a very real and powerful force that has been credited with everything from dissolving cancerous tumors to relieving the need for psychiatric medication. Faith is set in motion everytime we pray and hand our struggles over to God, and it is the releasing of this force that changes our destiny.
This type of prayer makes us honest with ourselves, and when we are more in touch with ourselves we become more in touch with those around us. We have more to offer them and we can better relate to our friends and loved ones.
Prayer is communication with God. In fact, one of the dictionary definitions is "an act of communion with God, such as in devotion, confession, praise or thanksgiving". The practice of prayer can change our emotional makeup. We come before a God of love and it is His unconditional love for us that brings healing. We learn that in spite of all of our weaknesses and faults He loves us anyway, and it is with this realization that we see our value. Once we understand that to the Creator of the universe we are valuable, there is no limit to what we can attain to here on earth.
