IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

Feb 11, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

February 11, 2020 has been declared National Day of Prayer in Guyana.
In all ages and in all religions, the spiritual aspirants and devotees of God have expressed their innermost yearnings and noble sentiments and feelings through hymns, praises and prayers. Sometimes they would sing and pray out of the fullness of their hearts, dwelling in exalted moods, untouched by cares and wants. But in most cases, it is awareness of their limitations and imperfections, or the sense of misery and helplessness that makes us, the weary and struggling souls turn to the Omnipotent and ever-perfect Being for solace and comfort.
Buffeted by the troubles of life, or worried by the consciousness of sin, and realizing the uselessness of human help, we turn to God for safety and protection. The seeker of enjoyments, finding all human efforts fruitless, looks up in his helplessness to God for the fulfillment of his desires. The seeker of knowledge may not have any worldly trouble or material desires to disturb him, but he feels in his heart a soul-hunger, a sense of emptiness, or the misery of a limited existence that nothing in the world can remove. His soul yearns for the higher life, and in the course of his search, he comes to God, the source of peace and blessedness. It is out of dire necessity that all types of seekers seek the divine help and grace. Thus, to all of them God is a constitutional necessity. And so great is this need that that even skeptics, in their despair, have been heard to cry out to the Almighty for solace and support.
Prayer is intrinsic to man. It is natural, essential and part of our being, just as gravitational pull is to the earth. It is divine quest that leads the weak and the strong alike across life’s vicissitudes – the changes in circumstances and fortunes. There is no state of being that is more sublime and ecstatic as when the mind bathes and dips into the ecstasy of prayer – an experience of overwhelming feeling of joy. When we are at the crossroads of life – of indecision, as we often are – sincere prayers strengthen the decision-making faculty in us and the right road is pointed out to us.
Finding ourselves the cross-roads of life, realizing that all our learning and culture, wealth, family and friends are of no avail to allay our agonies, we then take the one great decision; we take our problems to the Lord in Prayer. As we press on with the practice, our lives undergo a wonderful transformation to a subtler realm that opens up new views and visions all around. At this stage, prayer happens naturally, not a mere practice, but as natural as breathing.
There is nothing wrong if a prayer starts off for one’s own betterment, as, in course of time it gets properly shaped and covers the entire family members. This divine spark will extend to fellow beings for their welfare, also. It does not matter if the prayer starts on a small scale, so long as it contains the fire of spiritual fervor. Just as water poured near to the root of the tree nourishes the entire tree, prayer always reaches its destination. The seed of prayer planted on the fertile area of the mind grows into a big tree which gives shelter as well as fruits.
It is heart-warming to know that the Merciful Lord, who created us, has not left us in the wilderness – alone and lonely; but He stands by our sides and lifts us up from the whirlpool of life. He has given us tools potent enough to match the ordeal on hand. PRAYER is a method that is so complete and effective. We soon realize that we are all charged by the Battery of God. The pendulum of action now starts to swing from a life without meaning to a life with purpose. Such is the Power of Prayer. We cannot afford to be without it.
Grant me, O Master, by Thy grace
To follow all the good and pure,
To be content with simple things;
To use my fellows not as means but ends
To serve them stalwartly, in thought, word, deed;
Never to utter word of hatred or of shame:
To cast away all selfishness and pride:
To speak no ill of others:
To have a mind at peace,
Set free from care, and led astray from Thee
Neither by happiness nor woe;
Set Thou my feet upon this path,
And keep me steadfast in it,
Thus only shall I please Thee, serve Thee right. (Tulsidas)
God Bless.

Yours truly,
Pt. R. Balbadar

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