A Jewish perspective on prayer

A Jewish perspective on Prayer

Did you ever ask yourself, "What good is prayer? My prayers don't get answered!" If you have asked the question, then great! It means you are asking the right questions about the purpose and meaning of life.

So, what's the answer? Prayer is not a form of barter where one puts in his requests and God is supposed to fill his list of requests. Prayer is about coming closer to the Almighty and creating a relationship with the Almighty. Whether the Almighty fulfills our requests in full or in part is determined by the Almighty as to what will help us grow in that relationship. That is why all prayers are answered -- sometimes with a "Yes," sometimes with a "No" and sometimes ... with a "Not yet."

Our purpose on earth is to grow as human beings, to develop our souls by doing the mitzvot (the Almighty's commandments in the Torah), to work on refining our character and perfecting the world. Prayer is a means for us to fulfill our purpose.

As mentioned, prayer is about building a relationship with the Almighty. It is about changing ourselves and recognizing that everything comes from the Almighty -- and only the Almighty. By strengthening this relationship it changes us and makes it good for the Almighty to grant our request.

A prayer has three components based on how one would make a request to an earthly king who had the power to grant your request or even put one to death:

1) Praises of God. (He doesn't need our praises; it focuses us on Who we are talking to.)

2) Our requests.

3) Thanks. (It is good manners to show appreciation.)

Of course, we would love for our requests to be answered in the affirmative. However, it is not always in our ultimate best interest. We can relate to this as parents. A child may beg for something that the parent knows is not in the child's best interest and may even be a danger to a child. The smart and caring parent will do the right thing, do the difficult thing and say "no."

We Jews believe that there is a God Who created the world, loves us, gives us ultimately what is best for us, has a covenant with us which obligates us to fulfill His commandments, deals with us with both justice and mercy. Life is complex. We are finite; God is infinite. We (those of us who understand that we are limited in our knowledge and understanding) do not presume to know the whole picture. We do know based upon our understanding of Torah and history that God has a plan for history and a track record of fulfilling His promises -- be they for reward or punishment. We understand that the Almighty acts in this world with purpose, meaning and good.

What good is prayer if our prayers aren't answered in the way we want or in the way we think we deserve? Prayer gives us hope. What is the value of hope? Hope makes it possible for us to live and face the future; with hope we have the possibility of change, improvement ... something better. Prayer is a means of integrating into ourselves that life has meaning and that we are not alone. What is the value of prayer? Perhaps the piece below, illustrates best:

THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS

I asked for strength, and God gave difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom, and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity, and God gave me brawn and brain to work.

I asked for courage, and God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for love, and God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors, and  God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted.

I received everything I needed.

My prayers were answered.