|
Written by Guhanatha Swami
|
|
Saturday, 14 February 2009 13:54 |
|
A Guide to Effective Prayer
Praying to God is easy and natural. To pray means to communicate with God. To express ourselves to God in any manner is a prayer. We may be singing devotional hymns, chanting mantras, writing mantras, speaking to God mentally, performing social services or charity in God’s name or contemplating on God. These are all different forms of prayer. Effective prayer is prayer that reaches God. The key principal of effective prayer is devotion.
Devotion is love for God and having no fear of God. Devotion is possible if we remove any fear we may have of God. Hinduism teaches that the very nature of God is love. God looks upon all devotees with His Eyes of love and bathes them in soothing compassion.
Children should be taught to feel free to approach God in any situation. Teach them that God can hear their prayers and know their thoughts if they pray with love. It is important to teach children not to fear God. Teach them that God does not punish. This will give them the freedom and openess to confess wrong doings. Confessing wrong doings to God is very therapeutic and is a great aid in going through tough times especially when they are older. So teach them to confess to God when they make mistakes. Teach them also that God is all-forgiving and that He will never forsake them.
It is also important to teach children that it is alright to ask for God’s help to fulfill their needs or wishes. However before they ask God for their needs they must offer gratitude, or say thank you to God for what they already have. Teach them too that there are limits to what they can ask. The limits are these.
That whatever they ask must be beneficial to them and others, or at least not harmful to anybody. That they can never ask for harm to be done unto others, even if they may be enemies. That they should never ask God for anything if they are feeling angry, hateful or vengenful, but for the removal of such feelings from themselves.
These are the basic guidelines that we should keep in mind when we pray and instill in children when they pray.
Return To Hindu Prayers Content Page
Search MyHinduPage Website
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 23 July 2010 14:07 |
