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[I408]International Day Of Prayer

by Jan Engels Smith, Jan

What is Prayer and why do we pray? Prayer is focused energy. Developing a healthy prayer life is part of the dedication that is required for the journey on the spiritual path. Prayer can take many forms-formal, informal, casual, elegant, spoken, silent. All are acceptable, and all are heard. There is no right way to pray. However, some prayers can be extremely powerful. If it comes from the heart, and you understand the laws of energy, prayer can be truly miraculous.

Prayer is a powerful energy. It not only connects you to the Force greater than self, but it stimulates the power of creative energy within you and puts into action your ability to create. You literally merge energies with Creator. You step beyond limitations and into the realm of possibilities. It is a powerful means of adding energy to one's desires. Thought forms emerge and energy multiplies. The more faith and trust you have, the faster thought manifests into physical reality.

Prayer literally takes you out of your body and the linear mind controlling it, into the nonlinear space of Spirit. It allows you to open up and to expect that things can be created that do not yet exist, even things beyond your current grasp of understanding. Your soul knows this. Prayer serves as a passageway out of the concrete mind and into the realm of possibilities.

The act of prayer is an expression of your confidence in a larger divine order and in the significance of your own existence. It expresses a faith in life and life's experiences. As you walk the spiritual path, you develop a respect for a Force greater than self. You learn to love life in all of its forms and to treat life with respect and reverence. Prayer becomes an overt way to express this growing awareness to yourself and to the universe.

The longing of the soul for connection is answered in prayer. It is the foundation for spiritual connection. If you desire connection, prayer must be built into your life in a way that will withstand the daily pressures and interruptions of life. The quantity of time is not important; the priority is.

How to Maximize Your Experience of Prayer

1. Commit yourself to a daily communication with Spirit through prayer. Your relationship will be enhanced immeasurably.

2. Set realistic goals for yourself. Do not try to set up a monk-like routine if you have not previously incorporated prayer into your life. It takes twenty-one days to create a new habit. If you can pray ten minutes a day for twenty-one days, you can establish the habit of prayer.

3. Find a quiet time for prayer. Once you have established the time, stick to it.

4. Give thanks for all things, even for those things that have not yet been manifested. You will discover that prayers are often answered before they are even asked.

5. Remember that prayer is energy and follows universal laws.

Prayer is a tremendous weapon to the Christian believer if it is used correctly. Sometimes, though, we are forced to listen to someone ramble on and on repeating themselves a dozen times, or listen while someone recites their Christmas wishlist while never giving thanks for anything or even reciting a prayer from memory as if that is the only prayer they know. Prayer is so much more than these and I hope to show you how to make your prayers more meaningful by avoiding some of the pitfalls of prayer.

It does not matter how long you pray or how many times you repeat yourself. That is the first thing to understand. Jesus has said in Matthew 6:7 that we were not to use vain repetitions when we pray. Think about it like this, Heavenly Father is up there and He enjoys conversations with His children here on Earth, but who here enjoys hearing the same thing over and over again when we are having a conversation with our friends and family. We don't, so why would He like hearing it. The best prayer is the short prayer that is to the point, which brings me to the next issue, being thankful.

We all love to give gifts to others and watch them as their face beams from the excitement as they open it and then to see their happiness at getting something that they really needed. But if there is someone who you get gifts for or do things for who never says thanks for what you do or give them then don't you feel like they are using you in some respects? Don't you feel hurt by them because they are not showing you that they appreciate what you are doing for them? Well, God is the same way. He does so much for us every day and we tend to not say thanks to Him. It is important that we always give thanks for all of our blessings, even those that we are unaware of at the time. It shows God that we really do appreciate the things He gives us.

In Matthew 6 is what we call the Lord's Prayer and there are many Christians that believe that is how we are to pray, just recite that prayer, or they have other prayers that are scripted and are said verbatum. These prayers do not allow for the individual to speak to God from the heart. God made us to be different and have different desires and thoughts. We have different things to say to Him and canned prayers, as I call them, just do not allow us to be the individuals that He made us to be. God desires a conversation with His children, not a monologue. He desires us to tell him what is on our heart even if Matthew 6 tells us that he already knows what we desire. How else can He show His strength through us in our daily struggles.

One final thing about prayer. I know that sometimes we are in a hurry when we pray because we have to leave for work or there are a ton of things on our to do list and so we say a quick prayer and then we are off and running. That is ok, He understands those times, but there are others where we need to slow down a bit. When you finish praying, spend some extra time on your knees listening to see what Heavenly Father has to say to you. He loves us all as we are all His children and He wants to share things with you but if we constantly pray and run then He never gets that opportunity and we end up robbing ourselves of one of lifes simplest beauties, to hear and listen to that still small voice that is God. May God, the Father, be with your household and help you to see the great power that lies in prayer. May all your prayers be true conversations and may He bless you with that still small voice that guides and protects His own. Amen.

Article Source : And New Zealand Travel

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Both Jan Engels Smith & Dana Terrell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jan Engels Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, self improvement and motivation and self improvement and motivation. Jan Engels-Smith promotes self-healing, empowerment, better communities, a healthy world and conducts workshops in shamanism & journeying. Her book, Becoming Yourself is at