Prayer is not meant to be a routine of repeated phrases or a long recital of requests. True prayer springs from the depths of the soul and carries with it reverence, simplicity, and sincerity. Christ Himself taught: “Let your speech be yea or nay!” and this commandment about our speech extends to our prayers as well, reminding us that they should be just as direct and truthful.
Jesus cautioned against praying for the sake of appearances or out of empty habit. Every prayer should arise from an inner stirring whether joy or sorrow. He warned: “Dare to pray only when your soul stirs, but every prayer out of presumption or habit is sacrilege to God!” Such teaching underscores that prayer is not performance, but communion with the Living God.
One of Christ’s greatest gifts to humanity is The Lord’s Prayer. It is far more than a collection of sacred words; it is the very essence of His teaching. Each line is alive with power, serving as both staff and torch supporting us in our struggles while lighting our path toward spiritual ascent. The Grail Message reveals that The Lord’s Prayer contains the whole Gospel in concentrated form, a key to heaven for those who pray it with sincerity and strive to live by it.
Unlike the endless petitions common in prayer today, The Lord’s Prayer is primarily a series of solemn promises to our Creator. When we say “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,” we are vowing to honour God, to welcome His reign, and to submit to His Will. Only then do we utter a petition-“Give us this day our daily bread”which, in its true sense, is a request for strength and blessing to fulfil the promises we have just made.
The petition for forgiveness reveals the working of God’s Law: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Here, forgiveness is not begged as a gift but acknowledged as a condition; we can only receive it if we ourselves forgive. Thus, prayer aligns us with the eternal Laws of sowing and reaping.
Christ taught that the right order of prayer is to place the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness above all else, with the assurance that everything else we need will follow. The story of the two thieves crucified with Him makes this clear: one demanded rescue from earthly suffering, while the other sought only to be remembered in Christ’s Kingdom. To the latter came the promise of Paradise, the miracle of all miracles.
Jesus also emphasised private prayer, away from display. This principle was mirrored in other servants of God. Mohammed, in preparation for his mission, withdrew into solitude for prayer and fasting. Under his leadership, five daily prayers were instituted, not as empty ritual but as reminders to live constantly in God’s Presence. Facing East symbolised opening to the Light, while ablutions served as signs of the inner purity required to serve God.
Lao-Tse, God’s messenger to China, left us a prayer of moving simplicity: “Sublime, Almighty God, I no longer wish to be anything myself. Make me into an ever better instrument of Thine, into Thy servant!”
From Christ to Mohammed to Lao-Tse, the message is consistent: prayer is not for begging earthly favours but for drawing nearer to God, aligning with His Will, and becoming His instrument. At our core, we are spirits, and prayer is the channel through which we seek the Kingdom first, trusting that everything else we truly need will follow.
Let us therefore approach prayer with reverence and truth, speaking only when our souls stir, and allowing every word to link us more closely to the Will of our Heavenly Father.
