The very first thing essential to prayer is to select a silent corner, no one must disturb you.
Time, need not be a constraint. We must just pray, whenever we can, as and when we can.
Let your mind and heart become tranquil. Sometimes, relaxation coupled with breathing exercises helps us in concentration.
Sit quietly, in this relaxed posture and practise awareness, for a minute or two. Feel His presence within you. Stay in this awareness for a minute or two. Now you can begin to proceed with your prayer.
Begin your prayer by thanking God for loving you. Thank God with deep devotion and profound gratitude: “Thank You, God Thank You, God for loving me in spite of my faults and failings, my limitations and lapses, my doubts and disbelief, my envy, jealousy, resentment, hatred and ill-will. Despite these negative qualities, I still love You Lord! I surrender myself to You.”
Think of all the acts which you should not have done and ask God to give you the strength and wisdom not to repeat them again.
But when you ask for forgiveness, remember that you have to forgive all others who have wronged you. Forgive them, so that you may be able to receive the forgiveness of God.
Remember, the wrongs of yesterday belong to yesterday. Today, you are a new person. You are forgiven by God, and you must forgive yourself. Once you have forgiven yourself, you have opened a direct channel for God. Now you can ask him for whatever you need.
But in true prayer, you must proceed in the right order. Ask for spiritual strength; then pray for mental and emotional well-being. Then pray for your physical health. Finally, pray for your material needs.
My friends, pray, pray! But remember that your prayer must be backed by your life, by your daily actions. If you pray in the morning, as you take up your position on the battlefield of life and your actions do not bear witness to the prayer that you have offered, you are no better than a hypocrite. Therefore, let your actions bear witness! It is actions that God asks of us. It is life that he wants, not words. Therefore, let me close with the words of the great English poet: “He prayeth best who loveth best all bird, man and beast.”
Dada JP Vaswani is a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader
