.........Continued from previous edition Praying for other people What has been described above is individual prayer, that is, prayer done for one’s own welfare. The case is different when more than one person is involved in the prayer scheme and we pray for others. This kind of prayer attains fulfillment only when two conditions are fulfilled. If we want to pray for the welfare of others, we must first of all acquire the required competence. Only a person who has practiced prayer for many years and has succeeded in experiencing divine Presence within, or at least a deep certitude, can really help others through prayer. Secondly, prayer for others attains fulfillment only when they also attune themselves to a common source of divine Power. When I pray for some body, my prayer is primarily directed to God. But the divine response will reach the other person only if he also attunes himself to the same divine source. If he remains unreceptive to divine grace, my prayer for him may not attain fulfillment.
He is born in vain, who having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realise God in this very life. - Sri Ramakrishna There are, however, occasions when these conditions are not important. This happens when one prays with deep sincerity and intensity; as for instance, when a mother prays for her sick child or a woman prays for her husband. This kind of sincere and intense prayer knows no conditions. A similar effect is produced when a group of people pray sincerely for the welfare of someone. This kind of collective prayer, sometimes done in the form of a ‘prayer chain’, is very effective in critical situations. Fulfillment of Prayer The important point about prayer is that, when the conditions mentioned above are fulfilled, prayer - whether spiritual or worldly - attains fulfillment. The great prophets and saints of world religions have given us assurance about this. We can also experience it in our own lives. Sincere prayer never goes in vain. An intense desire supported by a strong will itself generates much power. And when this intentional desire is combined with divine Grace through prayer, it will find its target with irresistible force and bring about the fulfillment of the heart’s longing. This is true not only of spiritual prayer but of worldly prayer also. Prayer for worldly objects, if they fulfill the conditions mentioned above, will attain fruition some day or other. Hundreds of people have borne testimony to this fact.
Does it matter in the least to God whether you believe or not? Even the sage Suka Deva was to Him like a big ant at the most. Infinite is He. How much can you understand of Him. -Holy Mother One of the most remarkable instances of the power of this kind was published in one of the very early issues of ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ a hundred years age. The article was about George Muller of Bristol, the founder of the Ashley Down Orphan Homes, spread in different parts of the world with a total student strength of 122,000. In a speech delivered when he was ninety-three years old, George Muller said that whenever he felt need of some service, he simply went on praying till he got the answer. Every stone of the Orphan Homes was the result of prayer; every particle of timber was the result of prayer; for he never asked a single human being in the wide world for a penny of he 115,000 pounds which the buildings alone cost. Year after year, now for sixty-two years, he had been going on this way, without asking for a shilling. There are hundreds of similar true anecdotes of people who have been cured of incurable diseases and saved for grave dangers - all through prayer. It should, however, be mentioned here that although worldly prayer is quite effective, true devotees of God do not normally resort to such prayer. Their sole aim in life being God realization, they practice only spiritual prayer. .................to be concluded
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