Thought on How to Pray

In my last Dal-sabzi note I wrote.... my mother is in the hospital. I shall miss her at the kirtan tomorrow, but she will be with me and Krishna will be with her, and I shall pray that my Blue Lord protect her from pain of any kind.

How do I pray? Is  there a correct way to pray? People often ask me 'Doesn't God know what I need? So then, where is the need for prayer?

Sometimes, please note, I said 'sometimes' that is the voice of the ego, because we depend too much on ourselves and exhaust ourselves in the process.

 Prayer will make us grow wings and fly because our heavily laden ego falls away.  If one can truly surrender then, not to ask,  is the best form of prayer, but can we? Truly surrender, I mean. So if one has to ask, then why not ask the Almighty?

I have heard  'knock and you shall receive'

I tell the Lord if it requires only a knock for you to answer my prayers then hear me knocking. However you are my Chief Accountant . You know my past and present karmas. You know what, and how much I need to learn from these experiences. So if it be best for me, grant me what I desire.

I have heard that ones prayers are always answered.  Sometimes God says: 'Yes' Sometimes 'No' Sometimes 'Wait!'.  So I cling on to the fact that no matter what the outcome, God is with me, Why shouldn't He be? He is Love and I cannot believe that He would want me to suffer.  He does His best according to my karmas, and I am convinced that  karmas are there to teach not to punish.

Prayer is transformation. Transformation does not follow the prayer, it happens in the prayer itself. Prayer does not mean shifting our responsibility onto another. If one is not totally absorbed in prayer, then it remains a superficial act. Tremendous energy is hidden in the small atoms of prayer.

Let us not be too clever. Look at some of  the people coming out of a temple. They are so full of ego! God is not a person. He does not require your flattery to grant your wishes. However by singing His praise, one is annihilating ones ego. By proclaiming He is great, one is saying 'I am nothing'.

If our prayers are answered, let us remember that it was due to the Lord's grace. Because His Grace is perpetually raining. Let us learn to keep our pitcher upright to receive It.