The Power Of Prayers : Spiritual Perspectives On Healing And Health Promotion
Therefore, it is important for us to understand the true meaning of prayers. Prayer is a two-way communication with God. It is beyond talking to God. It is also listening to the Divine voice in silence, by shutting out the world’s noise. So, how is prayer powerful? When we realize God within; when we realize that I am nothing; when we realize that I am a manifestation of the Divine and then we pray, it is Yoga, it is being in Union with the Divine. Therefore, prayer becomes very powerful when it is done by an awakened being, by somebody who has realized the truth about God. Prayer after God-realization is the most powerful because then, we can control health, well-being, diseases because we realize that we are not the body-mind-ego, we are the Divine Soul. We are God, a manifestation of God. Then, we no longer suffer.
However, prayer is powerful even without realization or Enlightenment. It can help us solve problems. It can give us hope, courage, it can strengthen faith, it can help us become stronger, more action-oriented knowing that God is with us. It can give us the willpower to be a part of our healing. It can make a dream come true. In itself, prayer is good Karma. But remember that prayer in these instances may not be answered immediately. When the idea is not right, God says, ‘No.’ When the time is not right, God says, ‘Slow.’ When we are not ready, God says, ‘Grow.’ But when everything is ready, then God says, ‘Go.’ With prayer comes faith and trust in God and acceptance of Divine ways. We understand that any suffering or tribulations that come our way are all due to Karma. But this kind of prayer is based on duality, when we believe that God and I are separate.
When we realize that we are not the body-mind-ego, when we realize we are the Divine Soul, when we realize that we are manifestations of the Divine, Net Neti, Tat Twam Asi, then it makes us realize that we are God, we are manifestations of God. We realize that prayer is not really just talking to God but also listening to God. By humbly submitting to God and listening to God, we become Divine instruments. When we become nothing, we achieve everything because we are none other than God. Therefore, prayer is a very positive practice, but prayer must grow and evolve from a personal prayer addressed to a personal God, to a prayer that is universal, a prayer that is non-dual, a prayer that is the route to the God that lives within, in the temple of our heart. Therefore, we must work hard to realize God. ‘O Lord help me realize Thee within,’ this should be our first prayer. Then we must evolve from the state of God-realization, which comes from self-realization to the state of liberation and unification. This is possible but it is not easy and one has to work hard to love God, seek God and seek the truth. It is not meant for everybody. Very few people go on a quest for self-realization and God-realization. Those who do, have already started the journey of practising powerful prayer. They've started the inner voyage to discover the Divine within. One must also be in the state of Yoga, united with God and free from Bhoga, sinking in the material world. To live as a Yogi, we must be a Jigyasu, a seeker, a Mumukshu, one who has deep love and longing for God. Then we must awaken to the truth as a Gyani who realizes that everything is God, everybody is God. Such an awakened Soul, a Buddh, such a person, lives as a Sthitpragya, with a steady intellect, as a Jivanmukta, free from desires, cravings and misery, as a Satchitananda Atman, in a state of bliss in truth consciousness, step by step, liberated from all suffering and liberated from the cycle of rebirth. Yes, prayer has magic because even if we have realized the truth about God, we still need to be connected to the Divine till we are united in the moment of death. Let us realize this truth!
