I have discovered and come to realize that effective prayer requires a State of Mind and Being filled with the PEACE that passes Human understanding.
My quest for a better understanding of what life was all about started when as I child, I felt that my entire family and I, were all going to hell because God didn’t like us. This conclusion at that time was arrived at because it was clear he didn’t answer any of our many prayers we offered to him daily on our knees, eyes closed and face upward to Heaven.
Praying and the need to pray was drilled into my head daily to be done before I went to sleep at night, when I woke in the morning, before I ate anything, before leaving the house and yes even at school before classes started for the day.
More than thirty years later, I can safely say after more than fifteen years of conscious and consistent exploration of religions and various belief systems:
- I have extended my concept of prayers and praying or acts of worship.
- I now no longer pray for anything with words but continuously try to maintain a state of Mind and Being of gratitude for every experience or event I experience.
This isn’t always easy or the ready FIRST response in every situation as I go about my daily practical living or when my ego and intellect demands an excess dose of attention.
- I am now totally at peace with the notion that there is never ANYTHING to pray for.
- I, no longer offer up any prayer to something or someone outside my Being.
I may say THANKS or THANK YOU from time to time when my innermost feeling of gratitude is so intense, that I may automatically verbalise my gratitude as (THANKS or THANK YOU); an outward declaration and reminder to my self to consciously look around and observe more of the present moment.
- This continues to strengthen me to be more consistent in my willingness to be open and receptive to give up any previously held concept in place of a new response in any given moment.
- Which then usually fosters harmony with whatever IS in the NOW moment.
… this is what I now understand and know to be “be still and know….” and it is truly “the Peace that passes Human understanding…”
The podcast that explores this topic in further details is available @ iTunes – search for “shirvington hannays or smahoo” or click the following link listen or download http://itunes.apple.com/md/podcast/self-motivation-healing-ourselves/id290781640.


