The Power of Prayer

Mind & Spirit : NST Life & Times 22/6/2010

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/MIND_SPIRIT_Thepowerofprayer/Article

By CHIM LI YEN

If you put your soul against this oar with me,
the power that made the universe will enter your sinew from a source not outside your limbs,
but from a holy realm that lives in us.
— Rumi, Sufi poet

DO you know how to pray? When was the last time you prayed as part of your everyday activity? Sufi poet Rumi reminds us of the power that unites us with the cosmos, the power we know as prayer.

We discover our greatest strengths as we undergo life’s most arduous tests. The key to our survival is to immerse ourselves in these challenges without becoming lost in them.

It is crucial to find an anchor within ourselves a belief that gives us the strength to take risks, change our lives and make sense of the world. For some, prayer is the anchor, a respite from their complicated lives. Ancient traditions remind us that the world is a mirror of what we hold inside us, what we think and feel about our relationships with ourselves, others and ultimately, our Creator.

Most of us have felt a communion with the Creator at least once in our lives. It is an experience we can never forget. It can happen during moments of inspiration when we feel the greatness, beauty and perfection of everything that exists. Some may feel a sense of inner peace mixed with intense joy which we call bliss or a deep sense of grace and gratitude. Statistics from a worldwide census conducted in 2000 reveals that more than 95% of the world’s population believe in the existence of a higher power. More than half of these call that power ‘God’.

The power that moves the universe is the unlimited reservoir of creative power within each individual. When we pray, we tap into these forces by decreeing the objectives for which we pray. However, we must not limit the effectiveness of the prayer by placing our expectations in how the end result will look like.

In an emergency, in times of trouble, in illness and when death lurks, prayers pour forth. If you’ve been reading the daily newspapers you would have seen reports of prayers being offered all over the nation for a child stricken with an incurable ailment, for earthquake victims as well as for those Malaysians trapped onboard the Mavi Marmara in the Gaza Strip early this month. We have all heard stories of miracles that happen due to the power of prayer.

Prayer is an ever-present help in times of trouble, but you do not have to wait for trouble to make prayer an integral part of your life. Every prayer is heard and always answered whether we are conscious of it or not. The forces that make prayer effective are universal. It is not the technique or process of prayer that causes God to respond, rather, it is according to our faith that it is done onto us. Prayer is the practice of the presence of God in your life. It is knowing that God is where you are and speaking to you always. Having the experience that God is working through you, brings about an attitude which changes obstacles into harmony.

Through prayer, you discover a power within you that can lift you out of a state of frustration, illness, loneliness or poverty and set you on the way to freedom, happiness and radiant health.

Prayer is a great refuge in times of grief and sorrow. In prayer, we quiet all the voices in our heads that tell us why something isn’t possible and it opens a direct channel to our faith. When we pray, we use our voices to align with the voice of our hearts and spirit which makes the prayer powerful.

Prayers are personal and the words we use are a catalyst to evoke feelings of gratitude and appreciation, unleashing the force lying dormant inside us. The secret to a successful prayer is to feel the fullness of your prayer fulfilled in every way. When we feel as though our lives are healed and enveloped by peace, that feeling is the language that opens the door to all possibilities.

Dr William R. Parker, a Redlands University professor in California, initiated a unique experiment in group-prayer therapy. Patients who practiced prayer therapy in addition to their regular psychological therapy showed greater progress than other patients. Each patient was required to pray at night before sleeping because the last thing on a person’s mind is most likely to penetrate to the subconscious.

Dr Parker contributes the benefit of prayer therapy to the subconscious mind as it is a psychosomatic (mind-body) attempt to heal the root of the disorders at the subconscious. “Prayers are not a begging for good health but are affirmations of healing in a positive, repetitive pattern that eventually sinks into the subconscious and becomes part of that person,” he says.

The procedures of prayer therapy are a simple three-step process. First, identify the core issue. Then, find the solution by affirming a positive outcome and visualising or feeling the positive outcome. Lastly, rest in a sense of deep conviction that it is done and your prayer is fulfilled.

Do not weaken your attempt by saying “I hope so” or “I will heal”. The cellular set-up of your body faithfully follows the blueprint in the form of your thoughts. Positive outcomes follow positive thoughts and vice versa.

The power of prayer can lead us to love, truth and personal freedom, enabling us to experience a sacred bond with the Creator. May you find love, truth and freedom in your own personal way.

The writer is co-founder of The Violet Flame Holistic Shop and Therapy Centre, Bangsar. Check out her website at www.thevioletflame.com.my