What is prayer?

“What is PRAYER?”

"The most powerful weapon we have is prayer because prayer changes things!"

by Dr. Sharon R. Bonds, PhD.

Prayer is communication with God your deepest innermost feeling. Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity or object of worship through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious practice, may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymnincantation, formal creed, or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. There are different forms of prayer such as petitionary prayer, prayers of supplication, thanksgiving, and worship/praise. Prayer may be directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping, requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing sins or to express one's thoughts and emotions. Thus, people pray for many reasons such as personal benefit or for the sake of others. Prayer doesn’t have to be in a formal sense, but rather pray as you are, where ever you may be at the time. Daily prayer is another extremely powerful way in which we can achieve harmony in our life. Prayer is a plea to God for a special favor, request or a means of giving thanks. Prayers can be formal or an on going dialogue with our creator. To put it simply the phase, “Thank You” is considered a prayer because you are giving thanks and reverence. Prayer is an active vital force in your life when you use it, because all prayers are answered…..it may not be the answer you want, but you will get an answer and that answer will be on time. Prayer is speaking to God and when you ask the request is granted, when you knock the door is open and when you seek the answers are found. This is the law of the universe.

Prayer is speaking to God while meditation is listening to God.

Since we spend so much time talking it is a good practice to learn to focus our thoughts and words into constant prayers. Focusing our energy will always assist us to bring divine harmony into our lives. Some people do not know how to pray. They think that a formal verse has to be spoken or a structured thought emitted. Not so! Not true! A smile with a song of gratitude in the heart is the best prayer of all and simply talking to the creator from your heart, confessing, and acknowledging pain, hurt, fears, transgressions and weaknesses is the prayer key that frees and clears your conscience. Learn to be in this state at all times and you will become a living prayer.

“Living a life of truth, right speech, peace, harmony, love and non-violence fulfils the language of the heart. This is what we must learn to continue to grow and turn you into a living prayer.”

This article is copyrighted.

Copyright © The Library of Congress 2011

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