Prayer - What is it good for?

Have you ever wondered why so many religions have some kind of prayer in them?  Prayer seems to be something that 70% of the world says they do.  Why?

I had an acquaintance that did not believe in any kind of god.  He told me that most people are living a dream if they believed there was some kind of advanced being who, when we prayed to it, would grant us our desires.   Like some genie in a bottle.  He also said that if prayers were answered, why was their the suffering there is in this life.  Or is God so enigmatic, that it doesn't matter what is prayed, we would never know what would be answered or what would be ignored.   In this, he has a few valid points.

Why do I pray?

Prayer for me is not engaging in some negotiation with eternity, showing that I have done this and that and therefore I deserve to receive from God this and that.  God is not Santa Claus to me.  I do not expect that the new car, the new house, more money will suddenly appear if I pray.  Nor is prayer for me a replacement for taking responsibility for the direction and actions that I make in my life.

First and foremost, prayer is a time when I practice being humble.  That is; I purposely move my ego from the forefront to at least the second position, behind this time with God and myself.  This is essential for me.  It is practice that I need to even survive without being shackled always by the desires of my ego.   Prayer is practiced humility.

Second, prayer is a time where my mind if focused on something greater than myself.  It amazes me how I can get so self-focused, so self-centered that my mind and emotions become bogged down and turn negative.  We are meant to participate in something greater than ourselves.  Whether it be relationships, family, community, or society, our minds and spirits long for those ties with others, and the sense of fulfillment when we participate in something greater.   When are talents and skills are used to bring more value to the larger group, idea, purpose, thing.   Prayer then is a time to connect with that greater power, that larger existence.

Prayer is also a time for communion.   I talk to my best friend whenever I can.   I love the conversations we have and how they bring out the best of who I am.   In relation to my friend, I find the parts of myself that still need work and those part that bring joy and love and peace to that relationship.  Prayer, for me, is just conversation with God.  It serves the same purpose as conversation with my best friend.

Additionally, prayer is practicing the focusing of my mind.  My mind is very powerful.   However, it is like a fire hose that no one is holding.  It is shooting all over the place, totally out of control most of the time.  Thoughts are flung here and there and the very things that I would rather not think about is what is right up there in front. Prayer is the practice of taming my mind.  I focus on God, on my purpose, on how to bring love through service with the rest of the world.  Other times, prayer is silence.  Slowly giving up the love of my own thoughts for the love of God.

Finally, prayer is thanksgiving.   I cannot recognize what is not in my life without realizing that at least some small part of what I want I already have or had in my life.  How would I know that I want more peace in my life if I have not experienced peace before.  How would I know that I want to heal a relationship if I had not experienced a joyful time in that relationship before.   For all these things, I am thankful that I have already experienced them.  I am also thankful that if I experienced them before, that I can experience them again.   In my opinion, the greatest form of prayer is thanksgiving, gratitude for what I have now.