There are a lot of people who live day to day and without a real purpose.
Are you one of those people? Ask yourself and answer honestly. No judgment.
We just do what we are supposed to do and want for more.
Many people just don’t see that there is something deeper and more meaningful to life. We try to be the prettiest we can be, with a good body, nice hairstyle, the biggest television, a grand home and fancy cars. We are always wanting more. Instead of looking at the exterior things, we would be wise to look inside ourselves.
“The accouterments of life were so rich and varied, so elaborated, that almost no place at all was left for life itself. Each and every accessory was so costly and beautiful that it had an existence above and beyond the purpose it was meant to serve – confusing the observer and absorbing attention.”
― Thomas Mann
Prayer and meditation not only bring you closer to God, they provide health benefits. In tests, people who prayed (meditated) for a minimum of two weeks not only showed reduced stress but they also had a stronger immune system, better sleep, a better heart rate and lower blood pressure. In addition to this, the test subjects also had better mental capacity with an improved memory and better test performance.
When you add spiritual actions like forgiveness and gratitude, your mind becomes clearer and more open to growth and prayer.
Meditation is not exclusively an Eastern spiritual tradition, like some people think. Going back to the earliest of times, it is a Christian and Jewish tradition as well. Meditation has something to offer all beliefs. Instead of chanting Hindu mantras, you simply pray as you would in church, just not as a community, as a simple communication between you and God.
There are many scientific studies that show that beyond the physical and spiritual benefits of praying, there are measurable results as well. In the tests, a group of people prayed for things like fungus not to grow. The results showed that the fungus actually did have growth that was retarded. There have even been tests where they measured the results of prayer on healing that showed positive results. There have also been studies that show just the opposite. The studies themselves are not perfect, in that they can’t cover everything. They may be able to measure number of participants and results. They can not measure intent, expectation or divine intervention.
Prayer needs to be an act of faith, without expectation of results.
There is a lot of power when people come together to pray. Praying with others offers further support and a deeper sense of community. Whether you are praying together in a church, synagogue or mosque, it is beautiful; they pray loudly, they sing loudly and they do the cute little hand gestures while they sing with their whole heart and soul. If you ever wonder about the power of group prayer this is where you can feel it without doubt.
