Living The Prayer

[lakhvir]

WaheguruJi Ka Khalsa. WaheguruJi Ki Fateh.

When a trying moment touches our life, we tend to become more prayerful to find that comfort which we need to resassure our inner beings. There are certain prayers that we recite daily which we have not only memorised, but also understood their true meanings. The true test of a faithful prayer comes when we have to put those prayerful words into use. That is when our belief is tested. Fulfilling prayers are those that we recite in complete faith and when a time does come when it is needed the most, the soul does not waver or fear.

Much of our prayers ask for protection against fear, besides asking for other needs. Fear drives our being towards God as we realise just how powerless we are on our own. We seek God's intervention through prayer to deliver us through the insecurities we suffer from as a result of our weak faith. Through prayer, we not only find some consolation, but if we live each word we pray, our spirit becomes stronger and then our resolve is strenghtened against any negative power. Fear is a negative power which constantly stares us in the face but with the sword of powerful prayer that we believe in, any fear will turn around and take to its heels.

The question being asked here is whether we know what we are praying for, or do we really pray because we know the powers of those prayers which help us through our daily challenges of life? Each one of us prays a certain prayer daily, but do we know the meanings of the words in them? If we do, then do we place our full faith in them? When we place faith into prayer, then they bear fruit. Prayers said for the sake of saying them are empty prayers. This makes praying a very challenging thing to do. It is not the prayer of the priest who God may listen to, but He listens to those that are done in full faith and love. Even when a priest makes a prayer without faith in it, it's of little or no use. Just like it is important for electricity to be available to light an electrical appliance, so is faith needed to make a prayer work. There is not faith without love. Love for God comes first, then faith follows. So what is faith then?

Faith is believing that God hears our sincerest prayers and that He will answer them. It also means the prayerful one is free of fear and vice in order to allow his prayers to work. Prayer is only an ordinary thing to do, and everybody prays. What is extraordinary is that faith placed into prayer which only a few put into it. So when we pray, we need to pay heed to each word and then believe in the power behind them. Then these prayers turn into a powerful weapon for the faithful. Empty prayers are like broken arrows, they cannot even reach their target. In the well-known ways of Guru Nanak where he makes comparisons of everyday words to help us understand the deeper side of simple truths, here's a way to look at prayer and faith: "Make faith your bow and prayer your arrow. With the strength of love, the arrow will not miss its target."

WaheguruJi Ka Khalsa. WaheguruJi Ki Fateh.

[humble_kaur]

"Make faith your bow and prayer your arrow. With the strength of love, the arrow will not miss its target."

Beautiful Veer Ji!

Yes, I totally agree with you.

In Ardas, we are talking to God. So before we go to do Ardas, we should ask ourselves, do we even have faith in God, to Whom we are praying to. If someone is doing Ardas to God, and at the same time doubts God, then how can they have faith that their prayers will be answered? This day and age, many of our prayers go wasted as we have little or no faith in God, we doubt God. We forget to instill faith in our mind because our doubting mind sways back and forth from believing to not believing.

Because we have not taken the time to fully understand the importance of the Ardas, in some cases were not taught how to, this becomes the reason why so many of our prayers go unanswered. Because our prayers are not answered, day by day we are losing faith in doing Ardas. No matter how many people are in a Gurudwara and are praying, there are only a handful that have full trust in God, and their prayers are answered. A doubting person’s prayer will never reach God. If we want our prayers to be answered, then we have to completely eradicate any doubts our mind may have. When we pray to God, we should have the same faith as a child as with their mother.

I believe that Ardas does work. I have not always fully put my mind into it, but lately when I do pray, I can feel the power behind it. I went to the Gurudwara this evening, feeling very upset and hopeless. I knew in my heart that I believe in God, that I try my best to have 100% faith in him, but sometimes my faith is not as strong as I want it to be. We get tested over and over again on how strong our faith is. I didn’t have anyone I could turn to, but I knew One Person that I could, that was Waheguru Ji. When I do ardas and take a Hukamnama, sometimes I don’t know if God has answered my prayer or not. I believe that the Hukamnama is God communicating with us. I prayed to Him to give me strength, and what was in my heart. I was overcome by emotion. I was shaking while doing the Ardas, but as I put my mind at ease and let the Ardas make its way into my soul, a warm sensation came about me. I asked God to show me a direction, to give me His Hand. Tears were streaming down my face when this Hukamnama was read

soriT mhlw 5 ]

kir iesnwnu ismir pRBu Apnw mn qn Bey Arogw ]

After taking your cleansing bath, remember your God in meditation, and your mind and body shall be free of disease.

koit ibGn lwQy pRB srxw pRgty Bly sMjogw ]1]

Millions of obstacles are removed, in the Sanctuary of God, and good fortune dawns. ||1||

pRB bwxI sbdu suBwiKAw ]

The Word of God's Bani, and His Shabad, are the best utterances.

gwvhu suxhu pVhu inq BweI gur pUrY qU rwiKAw ] rhwau ]

So constantly sing them, listen to them, and read them, O Siblings of Destiny, and the Perfect Guru shall save you. ||Pause||

swcw swihbu Aimiq vfweI Bgiq vCl dieAwlw ]

The glorious greatness of the True Lord is immeasurable; the Merciful Lord is the Lover of His devotees.

sMqw kI pYj rKdw AwieAw Awid ibrdu pRiqpwlw ]2]

He has preserved the honor of His Saints; from the very beginning of time, His Nature is to cherish them. ||2||

hir AMimRq nwmu Bojnu inq BuMchu srb vylw muiK pwvhu ]

So eat the Ambrosial Name of the Lord as your food; put it into your mouth at all times.

jrw mrw qwpu sBu nwTw gux goibMd inq gwvhu ]3]

The pains of old age and death shall all depart, when you constantly sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe. ||3||

suxI Ardwis suAwmI myrY srb klw bix AweI ]

My Lord and Master has heard my prayer, and all my affairs have been resolved.

pRgt BeI sgly jug AMqir gur nwnk kI vifAweI ]4]11]

The glorious greatness of Guru Nanak is manifest, throughout all the ages. ||4||11||

I asked a chardi kala Bibi Ji sitting next to me to interpret what God said to us. She said, buchay, whatever your prayer was, and if you did it with full vishvaash, then God has heard it. I had tears rolling down my face. She said, buchay, there is something troubling you, keep faith in Waheguru Ji, stand tall with confidence, don’t let your mind wander away from Him for even a moment. Do Nam Simran and Nitnem 24/7, and you will see that He will Bless you.

[kaur03]

"Make faith your bow and prayer your arrow. With the strength of love, the arrow will not miss its target."

Vaheguroo

She said, buchay, there is something troubling you, keep faith in Waheguru Ji, stand tall with confidence, don’t let your mind wander away from Him for even a moment. Do Nam Simran and Nitnem 24/7, and you will see that He will Bless you.

:'(

Vaheguroo Vaheguroo Vaheguroo Vaheguroo