Secrets to Prayer

by Michael Corthell

We ALL pray. That is a certainty. How do I know this? Simply, because all of us ask, 'WHY?''

There are many ways to ask 'why'. And we, as we go through the courses of our lives will ask each other many things, but when the answers don't come from without, we all will then turn inward. We ask, ''Why, does_____? ''When will__________? How come___________? and so on, and so on. We seek answers and somehow the answers often come through prayer.

Yes, we expect God to answer and tell us. I won't debate the atheist/agnostic thing. For me and most human beings it is a non-issue a moot subject now that we are transitioning from the industrial/information age to the information/spiritual age.

Just below are four prayer examples, from four different belief systems. They are all share an obvious common thread: peace, but there is something else.  

Prayers for Peace

From whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed,
kindle in the hearts of all men the true love of peace,
and guide with Your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who make decisions for the nations of the earth;
that in tranquility Your kingdom may go forward,
till the earth be filled with the knowledge of Your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 - Christian Prayer

__________

You Have eternal life and Everlasting peace by your essence and attributes.
The everlasting peace is from you And it returns to you, O our Sustainer!
Grant us the life of True peace and usher us into The abode of peace.
O Glorious and Bounteous One!
You are blessed and sublime.
 - Muslim Prayer

_________

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.

Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May the Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself bestow peace on all and may that peace come to me also.

 - Hindu Prayer

_________

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.

May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses - the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

 - Buddhist Prayer

_________

Besides asking and telling God to bring us all peace to us all, what else do these four 'telegrams' share? I will not say, because I know that you know, even if you will not admit it. It maybe on the tip of your tongue or it my be deep down in the core of your spirit. But it is there.

Before I close today, I will leave you with the top three purposes of prayer:

1. Prayer helps put a problem in to words. This provides focus and leads to clarity.
2. Prayer then becomes an act of sharing the burden of a problem. We then become freed-up to think about solutions to the issue at hand.
3. Prayer then becomes a vehicle in developing a plan of action to find the right solutions to the problems we present to the God.

So, why pray? To find solutions,  to have a relationship with our Creator that brings us healing, and salvation, thereby finding peace.

 I invite you to watch this important message below.

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Can a 'positive prayer campaign' in one classroom save a student's life?

by Charbel Tadros

In his talk on the 7 secrets to prayer, Charbel goes back to an incident he experienced with his students, one that showed him and them the importance of receiving and giving positive energy.