Prayer is a powerful path of spirituality to God. Prayer helps one to know God. It will lead to attain the goal of divinity.
As a five year old child I grew a rose plant. When the first bud was born, I was thrilled. When it blossomed into a beautiful rose, my joy knew no bounds. I called my mother, "Mummy come, see my rose flower". She appreciated my efforts. She asked me a question, "How can you say it is your flower?" In all innocence I answered, "I only grew the plant and made it bloom". She smiled and replied, "You only took care of it. Only God gave birth to the first plant and by His grace only this rose plant has bloomed today. He is the source for all". That was the first spark of knowledge, which made me understand the presence of a Supreme Creator behind the universe.
The intricacies of human body, atoms, galaxies, the force of gravity - their existence and functioning, some of which are beyond the limitations of scientific knowledge prove the Creator's supremacy. He is the Master, Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer.
Fear Initiates Prayer
Most of the parents made us follow their footsteps blindly in performing the religious practices. So we began to pray out of fear for our parents' punishment. Parents drilled the idea into us that if we don't pray, God will send us to hell. So we continued to pray out of fear for God. As we grew and began to face challenges, fear of failure and future made us rely on prayer to seek His blessings.
Prayer Is A Communion
Initially one takes God as a personal benefactor. Gradually as the conviction deepens that He is all-powerful and ever watching us one begins to look upon Him as the mentor. As a result prayer becomes an intense intimate communication with God. One begins to share his thoughts and emotions with Him.
Prayer Deepens Faith
When one starts to ascend towards the Lord through prayer, the Lord starts to descend towards one. The feeling, "Why fear when He is there?" develops in the mind. The belief born out of an amalgam of fear and wonder changes into faith.
Faith in the Lord's supremacy creates an interest to dwell deeper into religious scriptures. Their meaning penetrates deep into our hearts and effects a change in our thoughts, words and deeds. Prayer is prescribed in all scriptures as the strongest weapon to seek His bliss. In Bible the Lord says, "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out". In Koran Allah says, "I surely shall be with you, if you perform the prayer". In Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna says, "For them whose minds are set on Me, verily, I become, O Partha, the savior, out of the ocean of finite experiences, the samsara".
Prayer Produces Peacefulness
Prayer sunken in faith becomes a reckoning force. A day started with prayer produces serenity, which makes one neither be elated nor depressed by the happenings of the day. When the seed of faith is sown, the tender sapling of peacefulness starts to grow in our mind nurtured by prayer. "No God no peace; Know God know peace."
Prayer Perfects Conscience
Peacefulness born out of prayer gives clarity of thought. Remembrance of God keeps our affairs in proper order. "Surely the prayer restrains one from all that is shameful and wrong" - Koran. Whenever we forget Him we are liable to become an early prey to temptations of evil and go astray. At such times the conscience, which is slowly becoming triumphant makes one analyze the happenings and points out where one had gone wrong. Sometimes introspection leads to guilt feeling. Man overcomes that by asking God's pardon in prayer and seeking guidance to set it right. One repents for the past actions and becomes firm enough to commit to truth only. Prayer builds a safety wall around and prevents outer influences from diluting the mind.
Prayer Provides Power
Man is elevated from the animal kingdom by his discriminating ability. When we are beset with breakdown and doubts start creaking, those are signs that our battery has run down. At such times one must get connected to the source of power through prayer. Prayer will recharge our battery. God's wisdom and strength is an ever-present reservoir that we can always tap into. Prayer acts as a switch, which releases our forces and energies. Prayer lubricates the machinery of life. It makes one understand that "God's delays are not denials". It gives the necessary courage to tackle the tasks in hand, withstand trials and persevere in our endeavors.
When one prays a spiritual force has been set in motion that never stops vibrating in the universal atmosphere. A great chain reaction takes place, which may not bring exactly what one asked for, perhaps but something infinitely better for one's eternal advantage. Here I wish to share a happening in my life.
I wished and prayed to have a boy as my first child, but God granted me a girl. I continued my prayers to attain my wish in the second delivery. But unfortunately I developed ovarian tumor and had to undergo hysterectomy. My dreams were shattered. I cried to the Lord - "Why this happened to me?" But God had different plans. My brother-in-law who had three sons came to our country to attend a wedding ceremony. In the transit they lost the passport of their youngest son who was only eight months old at that time. We couldn't trace the passport and so they couldn't take the child back immediately with them. I requested them to leave him with me and conveyed my wish to bring him up. Everybody concerned willingly. Yes, that was God's way. I wonder whether I could have delivered such a lovable son as my adopted son. It proves that "All things work together for good to them that love God."
Prayer Leads To Awareness
Clear conscience endowed with power makes one realize that the whole existence is surrounded by a divine energy that protects us and is always available. One begins to comprehend the truth of omniscient God's omnipresence and omnipotence. One treads on the spiritual path seeing good, doing good and being good. This results in shedding of the veils and He who is behind everything begins to stare at you. One begins to experience Him.
Prayer Emanates Love
Awareness of His grace reveals His magnanimity. Then one's prayer becomes a prayer of gratitude, a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. "Just as physical sight conveys the beauty of God's creation to human experience, the spiritual sight relays the reality of God's essence, power and love to the human soul" - Richard A Bennet.
That Supreme power's generosity in treating everything and everyone with same equanimity reflects His universal love. He is love and He can be won only through the cultivation and exercise of love. When this truth dawns prayer becomes nothing but lovemaking.
Out of love for Him one begins to love His creations. One begins to wear the invisible badge of a volunteer of God at all hours and in all places. Then all days of living becomes a continuous offering of love, as a candle exhausts itself in illumining the surroundings. When one surrenders to the Lord in all humility and simplicity by love, he becomes saturated with love and emits only love energy.
Prayer Culminates in Union
Once we are touched by His love, then slowly, steadily but surely our way of life gets transformed. We begin to renounce the idea of being separate. One sees in all beings one's self and one's self in all beings. This makes one renounce the sense of ego, which makes one cling to his temporary habitation, this bundle of bone and flesh, this shell with a name and form.
Love is the means and the end. Love is the path to reach God and God is nothing but love. By love, for love and of love one begins to march from the status of self towards the all-inclusive self. One's entire life becomes a life of prayer. As a result whether one works or rests, one is asleep or awake - all acts become acts of prayer and worship. One remains no longer an ice cube but will melt and merge into the ocean. Microcosm will melt and merge to become one with the macrocosm.
Prayer makes one attain the ultimate goal of life. Today most of our time and labor is spent on things, which sustain our physical existence in this life. We don't spend even tenth part of our time and energy on prayers which is necessary to protect our soul, which can only sustain our being in the present and in the future. One should declare that his living and dying are for God alone, the Lord of the worlds and must live to prove it. Only such a life lead by a human being can fulfill the purpose of life. Then only we can make our lives worthy. Our live will become a sacrifice to the cause of God. "Let their hearts beat in the name of God".
