I know why Jesus prayed, which was no small feat in my search for answers about Christian beliefs. I am not the only one who has asked the question, “If Jesus was God, why did he need to pray so much?” To answer that question, we need to consider that Jesus never said he was God. He said he was the Son of God, and several times throughout the New Testament, he stated his heavenly Father was our Father. In fact, the one and only prayer he taught his followers to say begins with, “Our Father who art in Heaven. . . .”
Jesus said something else that seems to be largely ignored by Christian churches, “The kingdom of God is within you.” He must have meant it because he later made the effort to teach his disciples how to perform miracles, and when his disciples returned to him disappointed in their attempts, he exclaimed, as he often did throughout the New Testament, “Ye, of little faith!” Conversely, nearly every time Jesus performed a miracle, he said to the beneficiary, “Your faith has healed you.”
So, why did Jesus pray? Clearly, he believed he was not acting alone, and he needed help from his heavenly Father. From his teachings, it is also clear that he needed to renew and refuel his own faith by staying in close communication with his Father and the divine spirit within himself. To understand why Jesus prayed, we need to remember Jesus said he was both the Son of Man and the Son of God. He was human, like us, and he insisted that we are just like him, made of the flesh of the human body and the divine spirit of God. In other words, we have souls, not just bodies, and both our souls and our bodies need nourishment. Miracles cannot be performed in a vacuum. They require profound faith, love, and earnest, heart-felt prayers, all of which require the constant reminder of who we truly are and a close relationship with the divine within ourselves, each other, and the universe.
Prayer is not a substitute for action. It is action, and when done with great faith and love, it is a very powerful action. However, it is not the only action we can take. Prayer might be the most powerful tool in our spiritual toolbox, but it is not the only tool we have, just as a hammer is not the only tool we need to build a house.
How we choose to pray or to whom we pray makes little difference, as long as our intentions are benevolent and cause no harm to ourselves or others. Theologies around the globe, from the ancient Egyptians to the ancient Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, and today’s variety of Christians and New-Agers, have much more in common than they differ. Love, compassion, and causing no harm are central beliefs among them. I would steer clear of any belief that does cause harm, but I would not condemn an earnest and loving heart from any culture or tradition.
In addition to their common beliefs, many of the world’s theologies use certain prayer tools that help them to focus on their connection to the divine. Nearly all of them find the light and smoke coming from candles or incense helpful. Mantras and chanting are also commonly used to assist the one who is praying or meditating to enter into a state of consciousness that helps them to connect with the divine. Ambient and peaceful music is used as well. Fragrances from candles, incense, and essential oils are useful too, and some have found the beauty and positive energy of crystals helps them to focus on the divine. Just being in a beautiful natural setting can help us to connect. Many of us can feel the divine spirit in the trees, the waters, and the wind. There are many ways to pray and to connect with the divine.
Many of the ways people from around the world have used to express their faith and to connect their inner divine selves to the universal divine, are becoming accepted by the field of psychology as legitimate therapies proven to significantly reduce anxiety and depression, including prayer, meditation, yoga, and sound and aroma therapy. To experience peace of mind and joy as a result of these spiritual practices is in itself a miracle for those who have been suffering from chronic anxiety or depression. The more we learn about the mind-body connection, the more we understand how chronic stress can be fatal because it is a major contributing cause to serious diseases. Managing stress can prevent health problems perhaps more than anything else we can do. Even if the only outcome we experience from the daily practice of prayer or meditation is a healthier mind and body, we are spending our time wisely. Grand miracles are not necessary to justify the spiritual practice.
The healthier we are in mind and body, the more able we are to possess good will toward each other, to achieve our goals, to live joyfully, and to be a source of joy in our world. This is the purpose of having a spiritual toolbox. Whatever helps us to be better, do better, and live better, we should put into our toolbox.
I have my own spiritual toolbox, including my own ways of praying and meditating. In addition, I have several moral principles in my toolbox that I strive to live by and get better at every day. One is to not be judgmental, and to be accepting of everyone as they are. Another is to forgive, both myself and others, which comes with accepting none of us our perfect, and most of what we do and say is only about ourselves, even if we think it is about someone else. The same is true for others. Whatever they do or say is only an expression of themselves, or to be more accurate, what they believe about themselves. Remembering that people tend to project their own insecurities and shortcomings onto others helps me to keep myself in check and not internalize insults or judgements from others. In essence, I am learning how to forgive preemptively. I enter into every interaction with a letting-go mindset. However, when someone does become abusive in some way, I have a duty to myself to let them know in as kind and loving way as possible that I will not accept this treatment.
Personal boundaries are tools in my spiritual toolbox. I have clear boundaries of what I will tolerate and what I will not tolerate, what I will do, and what I will not do, and when I will say “yes” and when I will say “no”. To remember my boundaries, I have a succinct personal mission statement in my spiritual toolbox as well. My ongoing life purpose is to live in the light of love and joy, both in receiving and giving. Reminding myself of my mission makes it easier for me to recognize when to say “yes” and when to say “no”, when to stay in a situation and when to leave, and if I need to confront someone, to be direct and honest, but in a way that does not attack someone’s faith or character. To be lovingly honest can be challenging, but it is so worthwhile because for the most part, it can bring healing to both parties and maybe even to our relationships. Even if it has no effect on others, knowing I have been true to myself and my mission makes my effort worthwhile. After all, how can we live with ourselves if we are not our own best friend?
All the tools in my spiritual toolbox are there to serve my life’s calling or mission. I know I am happiest when I feel connected to the universal divine within myself and others, and within nature. I have learned that to feel this connection, prayer and meditation are helpful, but how I treat myself and others is of utmost importance. They are actually interrelated. To be able to interact in positive ways with others, I must first put myself into a calm and positive state of mind, and taking time to pray and meditate at least every morning does that for me. I must be filled with light, peace, love, and joy before I have any to give others, and after giving, I need to be refilled.
Truly, for me, Jesus said it best, that we need to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. What this actually means to me is we must first love ourselves to be able to love others and the divine and benevolent force in the universe, which Jesus called his Father, and we need to choose to trust we are in fact loved by a higher power, each and every one of us. Faith in this love is trusting we are not alone, our prayers are heard, and they will be answered in ways that serve our best interest, and sometimes in surprising ways. The hardest time to have faith is during a hard time, but that is when we need it the most. So another tool in my spiritual toolbox is learning. Everything we learn about what we can do and how we can use our own talents to help ourselves and others should be embraced. Maybe our suffering will lead us to knowledge we did not have before that can reduce our suffering or even prevent suffering in the future.
Every bit of knowledge and wisdom I have picked up throughout my journey on this earth, I place into my spiritual toolbox. These tools include science, philosophy, history, literature, films, music, and inspiration and insights I have gained from my life experiences. I welcome everyone’s contributions to my toolbox. I am grateful for everyone else’s knowledge and talents. I have no doubt God works through all of us, and there are many different types of healers from medical doctors to shamans. Anyone who has good will is part of that divine and benevolent force of God, and each comes with their own set of skills, knowledge, and gifts.
To love and have faith regardless of the circumstances or the people we encounter is the greatest challenge, but if we learn to relax and breathe and say a prayer, it gets easier, and the outcomes can amaze us. So, as the Greeks say, with God, let’s move our hands. Keep the faith, and keep on working to make our lives better and better every day in every way.
Photo Credit: Marek Piwnicki
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