JOIN USMartin Luther made this observation on prayer: “Prayer is the most important thing in my life.
If I should neglect payer for a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.” Prayer is the spark from which the fire of faith is ignited bringing light into our lives.
Prayer which is nothing but a tête-à-tête with a higher power can take various forms. From songs of gratitude to monologues seeking favours, prayers connect man to God, resulting in a lingering peaceful experience.
This is because prayers help man to put his worries into a verbal form. Once worries are translated into concrete words and presented before a supernatural power, a process of unloading of burdens takes place. Besides, during prayer an invisible energy flows out, from the immortal to the mortal. Scientist Dr Alexis Carrel, said, “Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. It is like radium, a source of luminous, self-generating energy.” And like any other form of energy, it has the power to enlighten the darkness that engulfs man’s life from time to time. Prayer helps man to transcend above any problem. Mahatma Gandhi would often say, “Without prayer, I should have been a lunatic long ago.” It is like a soothing balm on a throbbing sore that can relieve pain, bring therapeutic results and eventually complete healing.
Yet, prayer is seldom used to solve life’s many troubles. This is because prayers are normally sought as a last resort and with lukewarm belief in its powers. It is often a one-sided conversation dominated by “requests.” In its best form, prayer however, ought to be a two-way communication allowing God to speak to us. In his book, ‘The Plain Man’s Book of Prayers,’ author William Barclay remarks, “Prayer is not a way of making use of God. It is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that He should be able to make use of us. It may be that one of our greatest faults in prayer is that we talk too much and listen too little. When prayer is at its highest, we wait in silence for God’s voice to us.”
Tapping the real power of prayer is thus not a highly guarded secret of a few. Rather it is as simple as taking some quiet time in a meaningful dialogue with God. As American Rabbi, Harold S Kushner explains, “People who pray for courage and strength to bear the unbearable very often find their prayers answered. Their prayers helped them tap hidden reserves of faith and courage that were not available to them before.”