(Unfinished Ramble 2) How Do You Pray?

Written August 29, 2015

Do you bow your head and close your eyes? Do you speak to your Creator as if He is always watching? Do you ask for forgiveness? Do you bless your food so that it doesn’t kill you while simultaneously taking a moment to reflect on the gratitude you may feel? And what happens when you bless food anyway? Or is that just a comforting move based on habit?

How do you pray? Do you pray when you’re in need? Do you call on God to get you through a time that seems hopeless? When someone close to you passes away, are you asking for strength from The Almighty? How about news of your own sickness? Is that the time when you call on a higher power in desperation? Can you imagine what it’s like when someone undeserving of pain or illness gets dealt a horrific hand? You’ve been there and wondered why. Why are there children with a terminal disease or afflicted with incurable conditions?

Are fatal accidents really accidents? And if they are, does a verbal safety request prior to those tragic occurrences get ignored? Do all prayers get answered in some form? They say we attract what we desire or even what we fear. So maybe when we’re praying for financial relief or some possibly life-altering opportunity, the path we yearn for may have some detours based on an ultimate goal. If that sounds confusing, I mean that a “No” today could be leading you to a greater “Yes” that you already requested.

Are you one of those people that remembers The Lord when you’re about to ascend on a flight you have no control over? Do you ask for a spiritual favor before a performance, an athletic competition, or a long car trip? Maybe you’re one of those humans that claims a religion, and on the day you enter the house of worship, you embody the essence of the savior. But somehow after a few days go by, those powerful lessons that stirred your soul are somewhat forgotten and difficult to implement. If this sounds familiar, it’s not a negative thing. It’s not easy to walk in The Light at all times.

Most of us pray when we need something, we ask for protection, guidance, foresight, assistance, and sometimes we are simply grateful. But if you’re like me, your method of prayer altered from your childhood days because your perception of who you’re praying to changed as well. I used to think of God like the character Morgan Freeman played in the film Bruce Almighty. I envisioned an omnipotent figure in the human likeness making decisions and overseeing every single scenario on all planets at once. But then my ideas matured a bit to know that the concept of The Creator may be too vast for my mind to wrap around. I view God as Love, but does that mean that the entity is not a single soul that lies within us all? I’m not sure if I know the answer but when it comes to praying, I totally admire different rituals practiced by certain religions.

Even if, worst-case scenario, our prayers were just going out into the universe with no one listening, the Muslim faith encourages five prayers a day I believe. I can only imagine how much peace that can bring to an average, possibly chaotic day. To block out the world for moments at a time, no matter what is on your agenda, and drop to your knees to give thanks for everything is a very helpful action. That silence is golden, that purposeful space creation is designed to let God in, whoever She may be. I truly believe prayer is similar to therapy or a vocal journal. Expressing your thoughts out loud can…

And that’s all I had. I don’t even think I have anything else to add to this. I guess I was just looking for commentary or letting some thoughts out as opposed to waiting for answers. I really do feel like we attract what we desire and most times we don’t know what that is because we barely know ourselves. I’m still learning…leave some words if you have any to add.