om namo narayanaya
for a while now, i've been thinking about the power of prayer. c posted on this today and it got me thinking. i've discovered myself that the positive vibrations generated by prayer are incredible. in recognition of our oneness, i would go so far as to say that the prayers we say for each other just as well find their way to their destinations. god listens to us all (for indeed we are one), accepting these vibrations from whence we transfer them. ultimately, it is incumbent upon us to be sincere in our pursuits, to ask deeply, ask well. to ask for direction, not outcomes. to ask for greater strength, not fewer trials. to ask that we be worthy of that which is given to us, not that we are given more than our worth. when the good lord has time at hand, he will weigh our deeds against our gifts. may our deeds win in the end, or we will have our share of suffering to partake of when the undeserved gifts are taken away. so when we pray, may we keep all these thoughts in mind and pray justly. i believe it is then that our prayers will be answered.
3 comments:
Baha'u'llah writes, on prayer and its effect:
"Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber,
the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty
shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth,
and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise
its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom."
There is a lot to be gotten out of the above quote. Have to rush to class, so will leave you to figure it out :)
Questions:
Why should we ask for the things you suggest as opposed to the things you don't? Do you believe it's because we have control over the things you suggested (strength etc.) and that prayer helps us achieve them, whether or not they actually go through "God"? If they don't actually go through "God", then isn't the power of prayer simply the placebo effect? Also, why do you say that the gifts are "undeserved" and why would "God" take them away?
PS: I too believe in the power of prayer, but I've never actually analyzed why, or what I should be praying for. Hence the questions.
dear adu,
this is not a logical thing, by any means (though nikhil might be adept at arguing so). i claim merely what i have introspected on and decided in favor of.
i feel that every being should own what he/she deserves - no more, no less. but i am not one to decide what he/she should deserve, so i leave that to god :). i feel that the world would only be a safe place if we all indeed got what we deserved :). or if we all got more, but we could normalize it all again :).
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