What is prayer? Prayer is a positive affirmation – seeking positive energies from the universe around us. Sometimes, when we pray we ask for things, wishes to be fulfilled. What we may not realize, is most of the things that we pray for, are very much within our reach to make it happen. Every time we pray, do we ask ourselves, what can I do to make it happen?
For example: We can pray to God for good health. However, God can’t help us any more than we can help ourselves by staying physically active. If we neglect our health while it is good and pray to God to keep us healthy, it won’t work. We have to do our bit of eating healthy, sleeping healthy and thinking healthy in order to stay healthy. We sometimes wish for miracles to happen, without doing our bit.
There was a man who prayed everyday religiously, “God please grant me a hundred thousand rupees in a lottery ticket”. The god was so touched by his devotion. He said, “Your wish is granted”. The next day, the man was waiting for the good news. But nothing happened. Slightly disappointed, the man again asked God for the hundred thousand rupees. God assured him. Days passed. In spite of his prayers and God’s assurances, he did not get the money. He was so annoyed that he started quarrelling with God. God smiled and said, “For me to grant the wish, you have to buy the lottery ticket first’.
Likewise,
God can’t give you the job you haven’t applied for
God can’t bless you with the talent that you haven’t tried for
God can’t fulfil your dream that you haven’t worked for
God can’t give you a cure or an answer that you aren’t ready for
God can’t create a good-will for you that you haven’t earned
God can’t heal a relation that you don’t respect
God can’t make you happy unless you are grateful for all that you have already
You can visit all the holy places in the world and yet not find what you hoped for. Because what you have been looking for is right within you. Do all that you are ‘supposed to do’, and all that you ‘can do’ for yourself and those around you. And then turn to God. You’ll find God wherever you turn.
If we can’t be kind to a person in need, we are wasting an opportunity that He has given. If we can’t talk good about the people we meet, we are wasting time reciting His prayers. If we can’t see the goodness around us and appreciate it, we are wasting time decorating His idol that we created while not appreciating His creation.
It is incongruent to pray every day on one hand and talk bad and do bad on the other hand. Anything that we say or do is accounted for and prayer cannot take away the bad that we accumulate by thinking bad, talking bad or doing bad. The only hope of prayer is that it may motivate us to lead better lives at least moving forward. It may help divert some time and energy from gossip which creates negative energy to something more positive. It may help divert our mind from some unproductive thoughts, to something more soothing.
We don’t need to pray to God for something that is in our hands. Let’s do our bit and then pray. For all we know, our life itself may become a beautiful, inspiring prayer.