Do You Believe In the Power of Prayer?

Do you believe in the power of  prayer?  I know I do.  I often hear people say they don’t pray because praying doesn’t work.  Hearing things like that makes me wonder how they are praying.  Are they simply saying the words they learned in church years ago by rote…with no real intention behind them?  Are they always begging, asking, imploring God (insert name of your divinity here) to give them something or to do something?  If I repeat a prayer without intention or only ask for stuff, prayer doesn’t work, at least not for me.

Prayer frequently gets a bad rap.  It used to be an action we had to do in order to get to heaven. Praying is not always asking God for something.  Sometimes prayer is simply saying “hi” to God.  Sometimes it’s saying Thank You to the Universe for all the things in your life, even the things you’re not so fond of.    When we recite the prayers we learned as kids with intention, we are connecting with Spirit.  When we take a moment to say “thank you” with full intention, we are connecting with Spirit.   We connect with Spirit in many different ways. For example, we meditate, repeat mantras, sing, dance, or appreciate the beauty of the sunset.  There are times when I connect and say nothing…and others where the only thing I say is, “I love you.”   When we engage in activities that get us out of our head, we are connecting with Spirit.  Praying is nothing more than connecting with Spirit.  If you want to have a conversation, go ahead, if not… don’t.   It’s as simple as that.

Having said that, there are times when we do pray because we’d like to receive something.  Some people may call this form of prayer manifestation.  For me, wish, manifestation, intention…it’s all the same.  I’m connecting with the Divine and stating what I’d like to receive.  It could be guidance, peace, or even something tangible.  When we pray this way, we need to have enough faith to know that our prayers will be answered.  We also need to have enough courage to let go of the outcome.

I’ve had several prayers answered in the past two weeks alone.  I simply put them out there and let them go.  As a matter of fact, I almost forgot about them until they were answered.  About two weeks ago, I quickly connected with God and said, “Ya know, it’s been a while since I’ve been to a concert.  I’d like to go to one I’d enjoy.”  Now, I didn’t say who I wanted to see or when…I didn’t say who I wanted to go with or where.  Last week a girlfriend called and invited me to a Pat Benatar concert.  She’s got two seats, front row center…and if I’m available, the ticket will be an early birthday present.  Guess what?  I’m available and I’ve never seen Pat Benatar live.  I completely forgot I “asked” for this until well after I accepted.

The other day I happened to mention that I’d like to have a thetahealing session with someone I’ve never worked with before.  The following day, a fellow practitioner asked if I’d like to trade sessions.  Now, I have to admit, I did hesitate before answering because with the exception of one person, I don’t trade anymore.  But, I put it out there and left the “how” up to Spirit.  I did end up saying “yes”…after all, I did ask…and if I’m serious about receiving the Universe’s gifts, it’s helpful to actually accept them when they are presented.

I also asked for guidance regarding a minor health issue I’m experiencing.  Well, today I was handed the information while talking to a friend of mine. Now, this doesn’t only happen for me.

All of our prayers can be answered, even when we’re just stopping in to say “hi” to God, God will say “hi” back to us.  Keep in mind that we may not like the answer to our prayers and when we are praying for someone else, their free will comes into play.  Our subconscious belief systems may create situations that block us from receiving what we are requesting.  If on an unconscious level, you don’t believe the Divine is going to help with things like helping to co-create an opportunity to go a concert, it won’t….at least not until you are ready to believe it’s possible.  Another thing is we may not recognize the answer when it comes, but it does come when we are ready to receive it.

Go ahead and try it.  Take a walk in the woods, on the beach, or sit in your living room and pray.  Say “hi” to the Universe with the full expectation that you’ll receive some kind of response…then keep an open mind and open heart.  Watch, listen, or feel the response….it may take a little time, but you’ll get one.  The more often you connect with Spirit, the more you’ll believe and accept that Spirit speaks to us and answers our prayers.  You also become more adept  at recognizing the response no matter how subtle it may be.