"Prayer is an ineffable act. It does not claim to be anything, but it can do everything."
Paul Sedir
Martinist Order and Synarchy
Why do I pray? Having come from a non-sectarian high school where most of my classmates are atheists, I was often confronted by this question. I would always answer nonchalantly that the reason is because it helps me a lot. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother to pray.
Many people get this impression that a person prays only when in dire need of divine assistance. If a man is beset with a series of unfortunate events, the one thing he's sure to do is to pray to God for a miracle that would straighten out his life. For me, however, praying is more than asking God to lift you up when you're in deep water. For me, praying makes me learn things I don't get to learn within the four corners of a classroom.
So, why do I pray?
I pray because it's the only thing I can do aside from watching the sceneries while onboard the jeepney. Gazing out at the healthy leaves of trees glistening in the sunlight on sunny days, the slowly floating puffy fluffy clouds on cloudy days, the soft downpour from the heavens on rainy days and other seemingly common scenes make me admire nature more. I can't help but be awed at God's wonderful creations, and I just have to send a prayer of gratitude. I learn to appreciate the small things in life.
I pray because I care for others, most especially, the streetchildren who have to struggle for survival when they should be in school, mapping out their future. More often than not, they are ignored and at times, considered as non-existent in the eyes of passersby. When I have spare change, I give some to them so they can buy food. The least I can do is pray to God and ask Him to somehow alleviate their poor condition. i learn to be more compassionate especially with the poor.
I pray because it drives away the loneliness in me. When I pray, I not only get to talk to God, i also get to know myself more as i contemplate on the things I have prayed for.
I pray because praying gives me a sense of comfort and assurance that I should not fear. The phrase " Do not be afraid" appears 365 times in the Bible, giving enough assurance to anyone who seeks God that everyday in our life, we can be alright because he is always there for us. I learn to trust and believe.
I pray because it offers me a new kind of strength that would make me steadfast in my beliefs even though people may criticize me for believing in the "unprovable". I learn to be strong in the midst of temptations to deny my faith.
I pray because I want God to shepherd me to the right path, so that I may be able to acquire "a pair of hind's feet" to climb up the steep "high places" like in the Book of Habakkuk. Free will can, at times, cause one to take pride in himself and sin against God. I learn to be humble and to submit to God's will.
I pray because it motivates me to do good things for others. As I praise and glorify God in my prayers, I realize I must do something for God's glory. I learn to live an upright life for God.
Like any other humans, I also pray for divine assistance, especially after doing everything I could, and yet things don't turn out the way I expect it to be. Humans are desperate, thus, they turn to god for a surefire way to make things better. It's not always that we can do everything on our own. Hardwork, coupled with faith in God, can spell a big difference. I learn to accept my limitations as a mere human being who is incapable of doing everything without the help of the Divine. I also learn to acknowledge God as the only perfect being in the universe.
I have left out, however, the most important reason why I pray. To bring about change in this materialistic, corrupted, and perverse world of ours.
Everyone prays for a "perfect world" -one devoid of sin and vice, a world where war, famine, poverty, strife and discrimination are non-existent. But not everyone does his share to make this a dream come true. In order to bring about change on a large scale, change must first occur within an individual. I believe that if everyone changes for the better, surely, the world will also change for the better.
Comparing myself from the past to the present me, I have certainly changed a lot. From being a self-centered, insolent fool that I was who used to dwell in dark cocoons, I have broken free of my prison and emerged as a butterfly which bathes in the beauty of sunlight.
I have undergone changes within myself. Still, I do not consider myself perfect, because nobody really is perfect. It is a cliché to state that, but it is the truth. I still commit sins, consciously or not. But I find it in my heart the will to change and I stick to the belief that prayers would really help me gradually change into a better person. And I hope it would be the same for everyone, too.
Feb 20, '08 5:28 AM
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