Power of Prayer

[Guest guest]

The Situation in Gujarat is fast returning to normal, at least as far

as the violence is concerned. There are different views trying to

explain this. One that it is the result of 'riot-fatigue', two that

it is through the iron hand of K.P.S. Gill and three, the relentless

campaign by human right activists and journalists all over India.

No one yet seems to be seriously talking about a fourth possible

reason and surprisingly in a country where people rely so much on

faith, religiosity, spirituality and indeed prayer.

 

Prayers have great power. Faith in the power of prayer is firmly held

by most Indians. Prayers offered with faith can achieve the

impossible. Jesus said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you

will say to this mountain to move and it will move" (Mt, 17:20). His

disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke, 11: 1). Once when

his disciples failed in removing an evil spirit from a man, Jesus

told them, "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting"

(Mk. 9:29). It simply means that even the most difficult things can

be achieved through prayer.

 

But if someone's prayer is not heard it is because, as the Bible

says, "You desire and do not get it, because you do not pray. You

pray and you do not receive, because you pray wrongly, that is, you

pray to satisfy your own passions" (James 4:2-3).

 

Often our prayers are, unfortunately, confined to asking God for our

own welfare or of our dearest ones. The usual depiction in Hindi

movies, where a woman is seen praying before a devi for a miracle,

while on the one hand shows the power of prayer, on the other hand,

it also shows that our prayers are often limited to our immediate

needs.

 

While we must undoubtedly pray for our own needs, we must also try to

go beyond our own desires to the needs of the larger society,

particularly to help prevent such tragic events as we have witnessed

in Gujarat or indeed to prevent even a war between two nations,

particularly between India and Pakistan. Prayers can, thus, also help

us sustain our faith in humanity.

 

(BY Dominic em.)