“The minds who spend hours worshiping God in prayer and meditation are different yet more blessed than others.” – Barbara Bradley Hagerty
The power of prayer and meditation cannot be overlooked. In today’s busy life, the importance of meditation and prayer has increased multifold. Not only do they bring much-needed peace to the increasingly materialistic mind, but they also enhance character traits that are essential for success in life.
Prayer and meditation are the ways to know the meaning of life and live their best life. Let’s take a closer look at why prayer and meditation are important.
What Is Prayer?
Prayer is the act of communicating with God. This communication is expressed through words but done through the mind and heart. Through prayer, humans seek the supplication of their Creator. They seek His blessing, pay their gratitude, and ask for patience and strength to bear the trials of life.
Prayer is common in most religions of the world, especially the Abrahamic religions. Almost every religion has specific prayers that followers recite to seek refuge, safety, and express their gratitude.
The Lord’s prayer from Mathew, the Lord is my Shepard from Psalms are two popular prayers in Christianity. Similarly, the Shemma and Mourner's Kaddish of Judaism and the 5 Sala’t at specific prayer timings in Islam are popular examples of prayers.
Mawlana Rumi, the famous Persian poet, says, “Prayer clears the mist and brings back peace to the Soul.” Others describe prayer as a continuous effort to know God and understand His will. It is also a way to drive strength and to leave the unsolvable mysteries in God’s hands. By doing so, humans let go of things they cannot control, and this brings peace of mind.
Whatever definition and style of prayer you use, it is clear that prayer strengthens the troubled heart and brings peace.
What Is Mediation?
Meditation is an act of taking the charge of your mind. It is a spiritual activity in which a person uses meditation techniques to train their attention and obtain increased awareness of themselves and their surroundings.
Meditation enables people to achieve a calm and aware state of mind which allows them to view things clearly. Meditation brings emotional stability and tranquility.
Although prayer and meditation both bring tranquility, they are different from each other. A prayer is visualized as a relationship with God, while meditation does not by definition make moral beliefs. It is simply a technique to gain awareness and lead a better life.
And yet, both prayer and meditation have the power to affect our lives. This is how:
1. Prayer and Meditation Increase Consciousness
Prayer and meditation question multiple issues for the discussion of science and religion. The field of neurotheology studies the relationship between a human brain and worshiping God. Neurotheologists examine what is happening in the brains of people when they are in an intense spiritual practice.
According to neurotheology scientists, both meditation and prayer leave the human mind in a more conscious state, but they both also cover the portion of the brain that permits the sensory information to give way to feelings.
2. Prayer and Meditation Shape Our Personalities
Prayer and Meditation is an exercise that shapes our thoughts and habits. Prayer and meditation increase the maturity of an individual. Research studies show that mindful meditation and prayer can increase emotional awareness and stability in a person.
Moreover, it can increase the interpersonal and intrapersonal maturity of an individual, i.e., it makes people more self-aware and thus more confident. It also decreases insecurities and pettiness which leads to better cooperative traits and more empathy.
The enhancement of character traits affects our personalities; it contributes to making us more successful in our personal and professional lives.
Prayers and meditation instill the belief that a person has the power to change themselves. It helps them see their goals more clearly and attune to other people's points of view.
3. Prayer and Meditation Reduce Negativity
Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, who is a therapist of marriage and family addictions says that 'Prayer and meditation are useful in minimizing the level of reactivity to any kind of uncertain or negative events. It is because prayer and meditation alter our thoughts and let us focus on something else- beyond ourselves.
The limbic system of a person, which is commonly referred to as a central nervous system becomes hyper-activated in case of a stressful situation. The central nervous system takes two kinds of actions: it pushes a person into survival mode and makes the person unable to fight against the situation. It compels them to move away from the present situation and let them think about something better.
Prayer and meditation help to calm the stressed-out limbic system so humans can make rational decisions. They both, help humans calm their fear and focus on positive solutions so they can make sane decisions in their lives.
Final Thoughts
The power of prayer and meditation can transform your reality. When you take a spot and engage in prayer or meditation, you can go away from worries or stress and get more closer to God.
One of the aims of prayer and meditation is to discover who you are and recover your origin so that you can live life as it is meant to, without selfishness and up to its full potential.
Through prayer and meditation, people re- reconnect, recharge, and get the necessary strength to take measurements that bring a real change. In other words, prayer and meditation are the fuels that ignite the fire of gesture and action.
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