Does Prayer Really work? - What should We Pray for?

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Does Prayer Really work? - What should We Pray for?

In prayer we need not request anything at all. Prayer may be best used simply to draw us closer to God - to bring God into our lives and attract his grace. Prayer can then enable us to experience the joy and bliss which God confers. Its is best to pray for results which reduce desires and promote peace, love, and understanding. These are the proper objects of prayer, they are the special gifts of God which are not available in any shop. Perhaps the wisest object of prayer is for the removal of the obstacles which block our spiritual progress. Persistence may be required for us to obtain our goal, but tenacious effort builds spiritual strength. The difficulty of our journey sometimes grants us added fortitude, as the strongest steel is forged in fire. If we listen to our living hearts, not to the rationalizations of our minds, we will concentrate on proper goals. The heart is a wiser guide and is the source of true prayer and communion with God. It is important to pray for benefits which further spiritual progress. When we experience difficulty in fulfilling our wishes, it may be that we need to examine and possibly change our attitude rather than present circumstances. Many times the things for which we pray are obstacles to our spiritual progress. In fact, it may be best for us that most of our prayers are not granted. It is not always possible for us to determine the consequences of our desires. The following story illustrates this point. A young man once had a simple wish - he prayed for a job so that he could leave his parents' home. Next, he prayed for a wife to cook for him and provide a home for him. With wife came children, so he prayed for a big house to put them in and a car to carry his family around town. Then he needed a better job to support all his obligations. Finally the poor fellow was so burdened by his many responsibilities that he only wished to retire into the forest alone to meditate. Unfortunately his spiritual prayer could not be granted, because all of his previous prayers for material benefits had been granted. It is best to let the Lord decide what we should receive. He sees the past, the present and the future of us all. The material objects that we pray for often increase our desires and make our lives more difficult. However, some material wishes may be granted so that we will appreciate God's benevolence. Baba said: "I give you what you want, so that you will learn to want what I have to give" Still, the wise course is to trust in the Lord to provide what is necessary for us. The Answer Will Come When The Time Right It is beyond us to know how or why prayers are granted. So many factors are involved that we cannot hope to understand the process. Timing, karma, grace, the degree of personal effort-all have a bearing on the situation. There may be other reasons why our prayers are not answered. We may have karma to work out or lessons to learn. When we pray for a miraculous cure, we may not see the factors which caused the illness. Some people receive cures, while others do not. If the lessons of that illness have not learned, it would be cruel to relieve the illness, for it would only have to be repeated. But if the lessons have been learned and the debt paid, then a cure could endow the aspirant with new faith and determination. It is always wisest for us to put our trust in the Lord. He takes care of our needs without being asked when we try to live a good life and dedicate our actions to him. God is our eternal parent; He takes care of His children and tries to direct them in beneficial directions. Let us pray Shri Sai to give us the intellect and wisdom to make tomorrow's world a happier place to stay always with unity by following his principle of "Shraddha" and "Saburi" Let us pray to Sri Sai to grant us steady faith and love on him.