All of us pray and have our own methods of doing so. Prayer, in my view, is a form of auto – suggestion that expresses your intent or statement of purpose. It could be in any language, mantra, chant, the important thing is you understand what you are chanting/reciting or the import of the prayer. Once you have expressed and reminded yourself of your intentions through prayer, it is most important that you execute the intent through the day as sincerely as possible. Most of us do the first part of the prayer of expressing it very well but whether we actually bring to action what we wish for is what is doubtful.
Prayer is not sufficient unto itself, it needs the wheels of effort to make it come true. Who is going to make the effort? We wish to outsource our effort to some entity called God and wish that it happens. What we forget is this God is within us and wants to see the prayer accomplished but we need to take efforts to accomplish it.
Examine/Re-examine your prayers, make it as simple and understandable to you as possible, but above all put efforts behind whatever it is you pray for… Sharing a lovely prayer that I came across of St.Francis, who also took the efforts of actioning his prayer and actually walked his talk…
For as long as space exists
And sentient beings endure,
May I too remain,
To dispel the misery of the world.
Lord make me an instrument Of thy peace,
Where there is hatred, Let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant thatI may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we Are pardoned,
and it is in dying
That we are born to eternal life.
Bodhisattva 