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What Is Prayer

By Katy

So many people are hurting in the world.  In fact the majority of the world's population is suffering, either from illness, poverty, troubled  relationships or any number of other maladies that plague humanity in these critical times.

But here is the good news!  It doesn't have to be that way!  We have  enormous, unused  power  within us that is just waiting to be unleashed...  This power is commonly known as prayer.

There are many different kinds of prayer and many different ways to pray. Does anyone ever ask you to pray for them?  Or as some say: "send positive vibes".  Actually this might be more accurate and a more powerful "prayer" than a more formal prayer.   Did you know that your thoughts can be prayers?  The thoughts that you think all day long, whether you are aware of it or not?  Thoughts and words carry ENERGY and POWER.   They can be compared to electricity. 

The Bible says, "pray without ceasing". Now how can anyone do that!!  But yes we can do that or Jesus would  not have told us to.  When I was a child I asked  a wise Christian lady  how she prayed. She was always telling me that she did a lot of praying.   Seems like she prayed for everybody and everything!   She said, "Honey, I pray all day long... my thoughts are my prayers."   Her answer left an impression on me.   Since then I have read many books on prayer, "mind" power, and positive thinking, and I realize that she was right.

It can be a life long "project" getting into the habit of "praying" without ceasing.  What are some steps you can take ?  Be aware of your thoughts.  The real you inside (the "inner witness") can observe the "thinking" part of you... the activity of your brain,  including the imagination, interpretations, reasonings,  reactions, ponderings, wonderings and  so on.  When you catch yourself  THINKING or saying anything unkind, destructive or negative, immediately STOP and substitute a kind and positive thought.   

Then there are prayers of thanksgiving and praise. Someone was once asked how they prayed. Their answer was that they never asked for anything,  but gave thanks for what they already had.  And we all do already have everything we need. We just need to REALIZE it and  "claim" it. The Bible says that faith is the substance of things unseen.... the SUBSTANCE.   Faith is substance.... think on that.

Prayer is also and mainly communion with God. It is awareness of God's presence... sustaining a higher consciousness as we go about our everyday lives. And prayer is  RECEIVING what we already have....what is already existent in the unseen realm.

Prayer is too great a subject to cover in one short article. I wish I could give you a "magic" formula. I hope I have given you a few things to think about.  Above all I urge you to pray.  To pray any way you can; in whatever way feels right and effective for you.  Pray and keep on praying and thinking "positive". Prayer is the mightiest force in the world.

Please educate yourself on this most important  subject.  Below are some books that I highly recommend.


"Prayer, the Mightiest Force in the World", by Frank Laubach

"Pray and Grow Rich", by Catherine Ponder

"God's Transmitters", by Hannah Hurnard

"Praise Releases Faith", by Terry Law

"The Healing Path of Prayer", by Ron Roth

"All Things Are Possible With Prayer", by Charles Allen



And don't forget to be still and listen  for your answers!

 

 

 

The prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

 

 

Prayer Chain for Peaceful Stability

by Patricia Monroe

You are a person with unique talents and spiritual gifts who can indeed make positive, calming changes through peaceful means in the world today. All it will require of you is affirmative prayers and thoughts.

With so much volatility imploding worldwide today concerning fearful economic forecasts through news related reports, it has become imperative to counteract this negative spiral. Because fear self-perpetuates, each time a pessimistic report is presented in any form to the public, volatility increases as people and businesses alike make reactive fear based choices to what seems to be an all encompassing resonance of fear laden shock waves.

However, it is absolutely not necessary to despair because there is indeed something we can do in these times of negative chaos. Each of us has within his or her own uniquely created divinity to individually hold fast prayerful intentions of stability. When we positively control our thoughts in order to facilitate transforming, healing directives in the world, even at an individual level it will make a difference. At a level of mass collectivity, the positive difference will be even more profound. It will make a difference!

“When two or three are gathered….” Matt. 18:20

Advanced science today through the study of quantum theory is examining resonance fields, meaning forms of energy that radiate outwardly from individual thoughts and actions, made stronger and more far-reaching by the collective effort. When a resonance field reaches a certain point in quality and quantity, it becomes a morphic resonance field, thereby facilitating changes within the universal population. Therefore, thoughts of stability, courage, and love through peaceful efforts intended with world wide effectiveness done by many individuals are not only possible, but probable when done with the intentions of calming fears in the current world wide economic situation. When resonating from a large group of people, they will indeed serve as a counter balance to the current fear-laden instability.

This is not a new concept at all. In troubled times over two thousand years ago, Apostle Paul described it well in Phil 4: 6-8, 12-13. “…whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.”


I invite you to participate any way you feel called, as often as you feel necessary during the day for the weeks and months ahead through positive visualization, prayer, and affirmation. Be the calming, loving stability you wish to see in the world today. That is all that is necessary.

Together, we will indeed make a positive difference. 

A large collective of people with similar intention will indeed bring balance to these volatile times. It starts at the individual level, one person at a time. It is most important that you participate.  Thank you!

 


 

 Anyway 

 by Mother Teresa

 People are often unreasonable and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

People may accuse you of ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have.

And it may never be enough.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It never was between you and them anyway." 

 

 

Prayer for the Gifted

Lord, I am grateful for all You've given me, for all the gifts that I have.

 Help me not to be critical or scornful of those with different gifts.

 Help me not to despair when it seems I've been given more than I can

 deal with.  And guide me, so that I may use my gifts for the increase

 of Your glory. Amen.

 

 

The Lord's Prayer
 In the Language of the Indian Sages 

Our Father in Heaven.............The Source of our Being

Holy be your name.................Lead us from un-holiness to holiness

Your Kingdom come.................... From fragmentation to wholeness

Your will be done on earth as in heaven..............From conflict to harmony

Give us today our daily bread....................From time to eternity

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us................. From sin to grace.

Do not bring us to the test....................................From duality to unity

But deliver us from evil...................................... From darkness to Light.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Now you will feel no rain,

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold, 

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness, 

for each of you will be companion to the other..."

~traditional Apache prayer

 

 

 A Prayer for Protection

"The Light of God surrounds me,
The Love of God enfolds me,
The power of God protects me,
The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is
And all is well."

  

 

American Catholic Minute Meditations

 

 

Favorite Quotes On Prayer 

"The fundamental purpose of prayer, including the prayer of petition, is not to get something from God, or to change God, but to change ourselves. We pray in order to give ourselves to God." Fr. Thomas Keating,

 

"One of the most imporant things that any of us can do to help the world are to pray and meditate consistently."

 ~ Marianne Williamson


"Prayer is something deeper than words. It is present in the soul before it has been formulated into words. And it abides in the soul after the last words of prayer have passed over our lips.  Prayer is an attitude of our hearts, an attitude of mind. Prayer is a definite attitude of our hearts toward God, an attitude which He in heaven immediately recognizes as prayer, as an appeal to His heart. Whether it takes the form of words or not, does not mean anything to God, only to ourselves." 

  O. Hallesby,

 

 


"But why is it that some people, even some who are good Christians and who pray fervently, can't seem to make Romans 8:28 work in their lives, while for a few others it seems to be easy and natural?  The answer is in the fact that the vehicle by which the Way is made know to man - the line that connects the individual soul with the Great Pattern - is the *unconscious mind.*  You may 'say prayers' all day, but if it's all done on a purely cerebral level - in other words, if the door to the unconscious is closed, it's going to be nearly impossible for the perfect spiritual answer to get through to you.  It's like talking into a phone that's been disconnected.  If you're going to receive guidance, if you're going to learn to flow with the River, you're going to have to learn to *open up the connection between your conscious and unconscious mind.*  That's the great secret.  It's the door you have to open.  "Knock and it shall be opened unto you."  (Luke 11:9).MarilynHelleberg, 

 

 


""I like the expression 'resting in God.'  When you pray with all your heart, the Holy Spirit is in you, and as you continue to pray, the Holy Spirit continues in you.  You do not need to do anything else.  As long as the Holy Spirit is there, everything is fine. You are resting in God, and God will work in you.  For transformation to take place, you only need to allow the Holy Spirit to stay in you.  The Holy Spirit is the energy of God that shines forth and shows you the way.  You can see things deeply, understand deeply and love deeply."  
BlankThich Nhat Hanh.  

 

 

"If we are sensitive to the Spirit of Christ within us He (She) will suggest what is to be done at each moment in our relationship to God, ourselves, other people, and the cosmos. When we listen to the movements of the Spirit rather than to our own bright ideas and self-centered programs for happiness, the internal commentary that normally sustains our emotional upsets comes to an end, enabling us to accept difficult situations and people. The neutral zone that we provide allows the Spirit to act."  
(author unknown)