Prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. When you feel the obstacle is too much to handle, deep prayer can work miracles. Whatever you do, know that the higher power has the final say and you can tap that power through your prayers because prayer is the cry of a soul. It happens when you feel utterly helpless or when you feel totally grateful. Both are authentic and always get fulfilled.
Praying doesn’t mean just sitting and chanting some words. It is about being in that serene, calm, meditative state. Whereas religion puts words to prayer, and adds symbols and rituals to it, prayer itself transcends them. It happens in the subtle level of feelings and the feelings transcend words and religion. This silence is one step beyond the barriers of language. It is that which the whole universe can understand. That is why, in the Vedic tradition, before and after prayers, there is meditation.
When the mind is focused, prayer becomes far more powerful. You have to connect to yourself because all powers are hidden within the Self. Then everything will manifest. It is like using the cell phone. If you keep on pressing numbers but there is no SIM card inside, will it work? Similarly, some of our prayers are not getting connected. You haven’t put in the SIM card. Now if you have the SIM card and no range, will it work? Or, if the range and SIM card are there, but battery is not charged, will it work? You need a SIM card, charge and range and only then you can call anyone, anywhere.
So, sadhana is the SIM card, satsang is the charge and your faith is the range, because true prayer can’t happen without devotion and faith. The act of praying itself has the power to bring transformation. Realise that God’s protection is there for you. And if at all you have to pray for something, pray for the happiness of all the people in the world.