How to pray?
The power of prayer. You must pray with faith - your faith will save you. Most religions claim that ritual phrases that are uttered without religious sentiment remain empty words. They are made effective only by the power of faith. Prayer is only the verbal expression of aspirations to God.
Let us recall the episode from the Gospel when a sick woman, seeing Jesus Christ surrounded by a crowd, thought: “If I only touch the hem of His clothes, I will immediately be healed.” This is what happened, although she did not utter any magical formulas. The Lord told her: “Your faith has saved you.” Note: not prayer, not application to clothing (the Shroud, icons, relics in crayfish, not pilgrimage...), but faith.
Prayer is a test of our sincerity: can we say simple words with faith, from the depths of our hearts? If we can, the prayer will be heard.
Prayer is an appeal to the Lord, a way of connecting the earthly and spiritual worlds. Therefore, there are no specific rules on how to pray that must be strictly observed. Those who doubt the correctness of actions during prayer can be given only one piece of advice: act and speak as a soul turned to God feels. Such an appeal will be immediately heard by our Heavenly Creator, because it will come from the very heart.
All human life centers around himself. He cannot forget for a moment about his problems, desires and needs. It is not easy to even realize that there are people who are capable of renouncing their own “I” and unselfishly and incessantly praying for others. Their prayer gains effective and real power. What happens to people at the moment of their renunciation of their own pride and worldly vanity?
Scientists have discovered a fourth state of consciousness - “prayerful wakefulness”
Employees of the Institute named after. V.M. Bekhterev, having studied the influence of prayers on the human brain, came to the conclusion that during prayer the cerebral cortex is completely turned off and a state of clear consciousness appears.
At the same time, scientists discovered a fourth state of brain function, which they called “prayerful wakefulness.” Although before the experiments, only three states of consciousness were known: wakefulness, REM sleep and slow-wave sleep.
The state of prayerful wakefulness is necessary for a person’s spiritual health
Researchers who have studied “prayerful wakefulness” argue that this state of the brain is important for a person’s spiritual and physical health, because in this state a person’s mental restoration occurs.
Professor V.B. Slezin, who conducted these studies, concluded:
“Prayer is a powerful healing tool,
it can not only regulate all processes,
occurring in the human body,
but also to restore the damaged structure of human consciousness and psyche.”
Valery Slezin
Professor
Prayer and Energy
For our words to reach God, they must be filled with energy, otherwise you will not be heard. Initially, a person has a very powerful energy reserve, but most people waste it in vain, doing empty, petty things. We do not love our neighbors, as was bequeathed to us, but love is the most powerful energy, we are afraid of retribution for the sins we have committed, and fear is a loss of energy.
We are angry, we hate, and drop by drop of strength leaves us. When we try to pray, it turns out weak and lifeless. Therefore, before saying a prayer, it is necessary to free yourself from envy, anger, and any negativity. After such cleansing, a huge amount of energy will be released in your soul, which will flow in prayer. Believers say: “Being vindictive and praying is the same as sowing in the sea and waiting for the harvest.”
The sign of the cross purifies food and water, removes negativity
Scientists have proven that prayer itself works miracles and the sign of the cross that accompanies it. The power of the sign of the cross has been studied through experiments with water.
A. Malakhovskaya (member of the Orthodox Scientists Union) took samples from natural sources (wells, rivers, lakes).
The samples contained pathogenic microbes. After reading the “Our Father” and making the sign of the cross, the number of harmful microorganisms in the tested water was reduced by 7, 10 and even 1000 times.
It was also noticed that if the sign is applied carelessly (indistinct three-fingered, does not touch all points), then the positive result either became lower or was completely absent.
“The correct application of the cross (clearly, not waving) seems to cut a person, sanctifying and cleansing his blood, and is a sufficient confession of the Lord.”
But since time immemorial, Orthodox believers have made the sign of the cross before eating their food.
Scientists have even proven the healing properties of church services. Just being in church has a positive effect on the health and well-being of parishioners.
Scientific studies have shown that during church services, believers’ blood pressure normalizes, their nervous system calms down, and their blood counts improve.
Where to pray?
You can pray anywhere, but it is better to have a permanent place for daily prayer, where you are not distracted. Although it is very good to turn to God with short prayers on the topics of the day where and when you need it. In his book “The School of Prayer,” Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said that when we choose a special place at home for daily prayer, we “win for God” a piece of our sinful land. It is as if we are creating at home a small semblance of a temple, a holy place where our communication with God will take place. In such a “prayed” place, we feel the presence of the Lord more strongly and it is easier for us to establish a connection with him. Icons remind us of the presence of God - visible evidence of God’s greatness, “windows to the heavenly world.”
Which prayer to choose?
When I pray, I ask to connect with the Divine Source and feel His presence in my heart.
You can choose any prayer you like, any prayer you know, or pray in your own words. You can pray by repeating positive statements. The repeating rhythm gives them strength and power and makes them look like a kind of chant. In many cultures and civilizations, chanting is a way of achieving good health, promoting a sense of well-being, enlightenment and connection with the divine. Repeating affirmations allows you to use your breath to unite your mind, body, and soul. You can create your own chants using names, words, sounds, syllables, or even snippets of text. It's not that you hum, but the desire to do it, which raises your vibration to a higher spiritual level. The effect of this is extraordinary, because during the chant, waves of energy permeate the body, and the heart is filled with pure joy.
As a form of prayer, chanting and drumming are used by the American Indians in their ceremonies. In some traditions, prayers can be sung to music, in others they are repeated with the fingering of beads - for example, among Buddhists. And someone establishes a connection with God through meditation.
No matter what method of prayer you choose, the main thing is to start. Don't worry about how you do it at first. Don't get stuck trying to find the right words or the right intention—God will not be upset even if you have nothing to say. Just pray, thank God and connect with the Divine Source.
The Power of Prayer - Experiments
In order to unravel the phenomenon of prayer in our time, the latest computer technologies are used.
• Neurophysiologist Valery Slezin back in 1986 recorded for the first time an encephalogram of the brains of clergy during their prayer. The result was sensational and was immediately accepted at a world psychiatric symposium. But the neurophysiologist in the USSR was almost fired from the institute. Slesin showed that brain activity actually disappears during prayer, i.e. it decreases tenfold. During the waking state, the adult brain operates at approximately 12 Hz. And while saying prayers, an electroencephalograph in the professor’s laboratory recorded activity of about 3 Hz.
These kinds of indicators would be typical if the participant in the experiment were unconscious. But for the researcher, the most surprising thing was something else: a frequency of 3 Hz is characteristic of the work of an infant’s consciousness. According to legend, Jesus Christ once said, “Be like children and be saved.” It is quite possible that this phrase is not just a beautiful metaphor, but a key commanded to humanity, a means that everyone can use for their salvation. With the help of prayer, an adult returns to the state of infancy, to pristine purity.
• British scientists from the Center for Brain Research in Cambridge conducted an experiment on 20 volunteers, among whom were 10 deeply religious people and the same number of atheists. Each participant in the experiment had electrodes attached to his arm and received weak electric shocks. During the experiment, believers were asked to look at an icon with the face of Jesus Christ, and atheists were asked to look at a reproduction of a Gauguin painting.
In 20 min. During the experiment, each of the volunteers received 20 unpleasant electrical shocks. However, the two groups perceived them differently. Those who looked at the face of Christ felt completely safe and did not worry. Moreover, the instruments showed that they did not experience as much pain as those who looked at Gauguin’s painting. A device that analyzes the functioning of the brain showed that the believers activated the anterior lobe of the right half, that is, these people themselves suppressed the pain inflicted on them. But atheists did not have such a brain reaction.
Dad got very sick. Doctors refrained from making predictions and just shrugged: “80 years, whatever you want!” My sister called me and, crying into the phone, told me how bad our daddy is. And I went up to the icon of Matronushka and began to pray. I don’t know how to pray, I said whatever came to mind, asked to ward off the illness and prolong my dad’s life.
This has never happened to me; I somehow lost myself in prayer. It was as if I was no longer at home, but floating somewhere, looking at myself from the outside, then there was a push and I sank to the floor. As if I woke up, woke up, if you want. My throat was dry, my head was heavy, but my heart felt calm. Dad didn’t get better right away, he was on the edge for some time, then his sister called and said that dad was feeling better. After that he lived for another 5 years.
Acts 12:1-16
Let's begin our study of this passage with verses 12:1-5a:
Acts 12:1-5a “At that time King Herod lifted up his hands against some of the church to do them harm, and killed James the brother of John with the sword. Seeing that this was pleasing to the Jews, he then took Peter—then were the days of unleavened bread—and, detaining him, put him in prison, and ordered four quartets of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after Passover.”
The King Herod referred to here was the grandson of that King Herod who wanted the baby Jesus dead (Matthew 2) and “sent to kill all the little children in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and under” (Matthew 2:16). He was also the nephew of Herod, called the “tetrarch,” who beheaded John the Baptist and treated Jesus before the crucifixion: “having humiliated Him and mocked Him, he dressed Him in light clothes [to humiliate Him even more – approx. author]" (Luke 23:11). It seems that the Herod of our story fully inherited the cruelty of his grandfather and uncle, because it was he who killed James, one of the twelve, and, seeing how the Jews liked it, grabbed Peter, intending to bring him out to the people, probably to kill him too . However, Herod miscalculated because verse 5 says:
Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in prison, WHILE the church prayed earnestly to God for him.”
The Tsar sent a whole detachment of armed guards to guard Peter. He thought that by doing so he could prevent any attempt to free him. However, he did not take into account the fact that, although Peter was in prison, all this time the church diligently prayed to God for him. Herod could not prevent this in any way, and therefore could not prevent God from intervening in answer to this prayer. Let's see what happened next:
Acts 12:6-7a “When Herod wanted to bring him out, that night Peter slept between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and the guards at the door kept watch over the prison. And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared, and light shone on the prison […].”
Herod took sufficient measures to prevent Peter from escaping from prison. To the right and left of Peter there were guards, to whom he was chained. If he decided to run away, he would have to deal with them first! Moreover, as if this were not enough, there were two more guards guarding him at the door! And although Herod did his best to surround Peter with armed guards, all his efforts were nothing compared to God and HIS power. Look what the Lord did:
Acts 12:7-11 “And behold, the angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison. The angel, pushing Peter in the side, woke him up and said: get up quickly. And the chains fell from his hands. And the Angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your shoes.” He did so. Then he says to him: put on your clothes and follow me. Peter went out and followed him, not knowing that what the Angel was doing was real, but thinking that he was seeing a vision. Having passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gates leading into the city, which opened to them of their own accord: they went out and walked one street, and suddenly the Angel was not with him. Then Peter, coming to his senses, said: Now I truly see that the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and from everything that the people of the Jews were waiting for.”
Many believe that in order for such an escape to succeed, the guards had to sleep deeply. Well, does the Bible say this? Never! On the contrary, it is said that Peter slept between two soldiers, while other guards at the door “guarded the prison.” As for these watchmen, would the Word say “watched” if they were actually asleep? I don’t think so, because it would contradict the very meaning of the word “guard.” One way or another, I don’t know exactly how God arranged the escape, but I do know that He arranged it and saved Peter “from the hand of Herod and from everything that the people of the Jews were waiting for.” Yet let us not forget what led to this miraculous liberation in the first place. This is stated in verse 5:
Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in prison, WHILE the church prayed earnestly to God for him.”
Pay attention to the particle of opposition “meanwhile” in this sentence. She points out that Peter's imprisonment was countered by a weapon, and that weapon was prayer. The church prayed tirelessly, and God answered their prayer by doing the impossible, bringing down Herod and his power, and delivering Peter from the trouble he was in.
The Power of the Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is rightfully considered one of the most powerful and universal Orthodox prayers. You can read it in times of despondency, illness, or any trouble, and always receive help from the Lord God.
Jesus Christ said: “Praying means sending luminous streams into space. If you do not receive help and protection from Heaven, it is only because you yourself did not send the light. The sky will not deal with what has gone out. Do you want it to answer your calls? Light all your lamps."
By turning to prayer, you open access to subtle energy layers and can really influence fate, karma, and health. It is important to learn to turn to prayer not only in grief, but also in joy and gratitude.
Prayer reduces inflammation by changing the blood at the cellular level
Candidate of Medical Sciences Mikhail Lazorik, conducted a study “How prayer affects blood”
Scientists have conducted a number of studies to understand and substantiate the healing power of prayer. For example, researcher, candidate of medical sciences Mikhail Lazorik, studied the effect of prayer on human blood.
The experiment consisted of the following: they took venous and capillary blood from people of different genders, ages, professions, and who suffered from various diseases, and carried out an analysis.
Then the experiment participants read the prayers “Our Father”, “I Believe”, “Heavenly King”, Psalm 50, to the saints, to the heavenly patrons for 15-20 minutes.
Healing by prayer has been proven by scientists to improve blood in just 15 minutes of prayer
Blood was taken again and analyzed. The results amazed the scientists. After the prayer, blood counts changed - the level of infection fell, and the indicators of inflammatory processes decreased:
“Prayer is not just words. These are vibrations of a certain frequency. It has long been proven that prayer changes the structure of water. After all, the phenomenon of blessed water for Epiphany is not a myth, but a scientific fact.
Man is almost 80% water.
Therefore, by acting on the most basic fluid of our body, prayer changes it at the cellular level, even when you read it to yourself.
And when it is spoken or heard by you,
sound ordered vibrations additionally affect the human body and cause changes in blood cell parameters,
reduce inflammation and have a healing effect.”
