Do you believe prayer can change this world?
I heard of a fantastic experience in Africa and this week we will pray
together with my friends and readers for the Saint Joseph’s Party on
March 19th.
We will pray to help to improve the state of the world. Some believe
that prayer is too abstract – but I would like to hear your opinion on
this.
Thank you
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I train prayer warriors and am looking for ways to equip them for prayer missions. Prayer is communication with God. If we have a relationshp with Him, He hears and answers our prayers. I believe God’s phone number is any verse of scripture that speaks to your heart and that you need to know how to live. My team and I have seen amazing results from prayer, individually and collectively. It cand efinitely change the world ut only when aligned with God’s Will. A man in South Africa underwent a 21-day period of fasting and prayer believing it would put pressure on he government of Zimbabwe to uphold heir committment to bring stability back to that country. A week after ending his fasting and prayer, Morgan Tsvangurai’s wife was killed in a car accident. What is God saying in an instance like this? That is the real purpose of developing a strong prayer life and using it as a weapon of spiritual warfare.We must be careful not to pray for things that may not be aligned with God’s Will and Plan. (added by Mobile using Mippin)
Dear all,
quantum physics proofed that reality is created by perception.
One good example for this was the quantum physicist David Bohm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bohm – he believed in an “Implicit Order”, out of which everything can be unfolded as soon as perception brings it to unfold in the right way.
Those being spiritually orientated regularly observe the power of prayer and quantum physics adds to this observation.
Yes, I believe that prayer can change the world as prayer means putting the focus and thus the perception on what is prayed for. The effect of prayers depends on how many people join in and especially to which extent the prayers really represent the beliefs of those praying.
Be attentive and find out that your life will be full of events mirroring the strong beliefs you have in your subconsciousness (and be aware of these beliefs often being the opposite of what you “believe to believe”). Then you realize that at any given moment “implicit prayers”, i.e. your subconscious beliefs, change and determine your portion of our world.
Love
Günther
I was born and raised as a christian and prayer has been really powerful to my life. Praying for the Christian is like petroleum for the car. Without it we cannot make any progress in our journey and survive this ordeal that our state is going through.
Para mi la oracion, no es la solucion para los problemas, pero si es el medio por el cual decides que camino tomar, el ser indiferente o trabajar en una solucion. Una frase que explica lo que quiero decir es: “ayudate que yo te ayudare” Es la persona quien trabaja, pero es por medio de la oracion que se consigue la fuerza y la direccion correcta para emprender una labor. (added by Mobile using Mippin)
Loves come and go. People leave, material possessions hold no value. Prayer is constant. It’s all we have. (in any form)
I believe prayer changes the person who is doing the praying – just simply by my having the intention to be closer to Spirit – and in that way I believe my prayers change the world.
Kathy
LA ORACIÓN TIENE PODER
Si una simple pregunta hecha en este blog, ha hecho que mis manos escriban lo que pienso. Imagínese usted lo que la Oración puede hacer. vuelvo y repito LA ORACIÓN TIENE PODER
Un Abrazo, Paulo
prayer with heart make things work. and i prayer for love.
to make you believe that there are miracles that you
didn’t see. you have to see the miracle i have.
sometimes we haprayer with heart make things work. and i prayer for love.
to make you believe that there are miracles that you
didn’t see. you have to see the miracle i have.
sometimes we have to trust each other.
sometimes we have to only hear the voice of our
hearts. please don’t forget. we won’t live
twice. give an email please.
Olá, Paulo.
Acredito sim nas orações.
Para mim nada é maior que a nossa fé. a intenção e a vontade que colocamos ao fazer uma oração pode transmitir a energia necessária para que nosso pedido seja atendido. Do mesmo jeito que quando saí de casa para estudare e pedi a Deus que tudo desse certo, e quer me ajudasse a seguir o melhor caminho, etc. Isso não quer dizer que esses caminhos foram ou serão sempre os mais fáceis, mas os necessários para o meu crescimento. Outro exemplo foi um câncer do meu avô, que estava muito debilitado, e conseguiu dar a volta por cima. Acredito veemente que nossa oração teve influência nisso tudo.
Espero que a opinião seja bem vinda.
Thanks
Trough praying we receive love, and we give it trough expressions of love, the minds are united, therefore praying is the way of asking to God for the minds of others, remember that one mind alone can do but nothing, but two or more can have have unlimited power. Two things to remember, all our prayers are answered trough the voices of our brothers, thats why we should always pay attention to people, because the answer to our prayers its being expressed trough them, and the second thing is that if we think that we dont have received an asnswer, this is not true, we always receive an answer, but this answer has a law, never to increase our fear by getting what we are asking. Instead of asking for a better world, we should ask for our minds to see the world differently, as nothing external can influence our inner reality. By asking for a better world we assume that we are better than the world, and that its the world who has to change in order for us to fit in it.
Hi Paulo and friends,
I believe in the collective consciousness and unconsciousness. In our Soul.
This reminds me of a health healing experience. My Aunt who was spiritual/Christian. Had laid her hands on my neck and back to relieve stress.
I was advised to focuss on this expierence at an appointed time the following week, to continue the healing effect.
I was relaxing in the bath this evening, I suddenly felt an immense sensation of relaxation and warmth to my neck and back.This lasted for a fair amount of time.
A short time later after reflecting on this experience. I realised that I had forgot to focuss as agreed at the appointed time, however it would appear that the power of my Aunts thoughts had indeed had an effect on my physical/psychological self. With the same physical intensity.
I would be interested in joining in on the prayers in Africa on the 19th of March.
What time is the event? and what time in the UK British time?
Carol
AMÉN
Ciao! Io credo nella preghiera, soprattutto credo che ci sia qualcuno che la scolta. Per questo quando si prega è importante sapere che cosa si chiede perchè si rischia di veder esaudita la preghiera…ma non nel modo che ci aspettavamo!
Credo anche che la preghiera cambi le persone…se le persone cambiano anche il mondo cambia.
Hi Paulo and Everyone,
There are as many forms of prayer as there are individuals in the world and each of these is overshadowed by some kind of faith system. These range from a prayer to St Christopher for a safe journey, to the atheist who is simply willing and hoping that he will get the job, to organised daily observance, ritual, chanting and group meditations.
All of these are a form of prayer.
In a very real sense thought can produce substance. How come we now have cars?
Someone and their colleagues, thought them into being.
Prayer can also re-enforce belief, which in turn can lead to will to action and then action.
Prayer that is “going through the motions” has little or no activating intent behind it. It can just be simply something nice to say. This in itself is not bad yet the invocation isn’t there unless it is heartfelt.
Some prayers are aspirational, setting an aspiration for a better way of living and that does have effect. My favourite prayer from the Christian tradition is:
Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de Votre paix.
Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l’amour.
Là où il y a l’offense, que je mette le pardon.
Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l’union.
Là où il y a l’erreur, que je mette la vérité.
Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette l’espérance.
Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je mette Votre lumière.
Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
Ô Maître, que je ne cherche pas tant à être consolé qu’à consoler, à être compris qu’à comprendre, à être aimé qu’à aimer, car c’est en donnant qu’on reçoit, c’est en s’oubliant qu’on trouve, c’est en pardonnant qu’on est pardonné, c’est en mourant qu’on ressuscite à l’éternelle vie.
Par Saint François d’Assise
This one is very aspirational calling on Divine help to improve and without the hypocrisy of thinking that one has already gotten “there”, recognising that there is work to be done. These are a truly inspirational set of words to aspire to.
There are a number of groups organising world wide meditations such as the Lucis Trust and these use meditation to invoke change and build thought patterns in the consciousness making a “thought path” for the energies to manifest along. The Great Invocation is said by many of us daily around the world as part of a group meditation.
Anyone who has heard the call to prayer (Adhaan?) issuing forth from a minaret can bear witness to the effect that prayer has on group identity in the Muslim world, which moves to the rhythm of daily observance. This provides a true sense of group identity and collective behaviour.
In the Toltec tradition there is only intent. This is the force that pervades everything and use of intent is powerful. There is universal intent and personal intent and there is will. In this tradition there is the practise of active dreaming in which ones states the intent appropriate for dreaming class as one enters the dreaming colour. The dreamers of mankind are group conscious and this practise enables one to dream true to the One Purpose, coloured by one’s own vibration. In a sense this too is prayer.
In Tibetan Buddhism we have prayer wheels and the chanting of various mantra. The tone and sound of these have healing and energising effects. Om Mane Padme Hum, The Jewel in the Centre of the Lotus has the purpose of developing Compassion along the lines of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
In Shamanism the ritual of listening to the drum beat, perhaps clapping along with it, lines up the consciousness of the participating group, building a group intent for whatever is to be enacted.
And in the Christian traditions, the use of the Lord’s Prayer the world over provides a basis for commonality within Christianity despite various sectarian differences.
The key is always the motive. And I mean that in the sense of music as well as locks.
So yes I believe that prayer can change the world. It already has…
With all my very best wishes,
Alan
Paulo, tomorrow we will be praying for all the people in the world.It’s a very import attitude.Let’s pray for everybody!!
Dear Paulo and everyone,
I hope you have a good time to-morrow.
I ‘ll be thinking of you.
Love always,
Some call it prayer some attraction power.. but the word prayer itself gives so much peace.
The nature of prayer is intention but it is not only intention, it is an action – mental action. Every action has an effect, it is the same with mental actions, they will bring effects. I strongly believe in power of prayers. They change our mind, they bring goodness to our mind and through this they change this world. Of course we need wisdom to discriminate right from wrong and through this make our prayers truly meaningful. I think that when we pray for others it is like sending positive energy to them enabling some positive things to manifest for them. The power of our prayers depends upon closeness of our connection with those for whom we are praying, perhaps that connection has been made in our previous lives.
Depends on the deepness of the prayer.
If it is a profound message coming from your soul, its strenght can aid you in changing your perceptions of the world and by this changing it.
Prayer is like the act of asking for an answer. Messages are everywhere around us, and by formulating the right question you get able to perceive the right message. I think someone said it, the answer is in the question.
In the end things are a way too simple:-)
The result of prayer can be very concrete and completely secular. After a number of very troublesome attempts to have a second child, I went to the Nidaros Cathedral to pray. 2-3 days after I got a letter from St. Olavs Hospital. They wanted to help me achieve my goal of having my second child. Within 1-2 years I had a wonderful boy who now is 11 years old.
The second time I went to the cathedral to pray I needed help to save my friend who had uncureable cancer. I got healing power and found the code for finding cancer medicines in nature. 8 years later the cancer patient is in perfect health without any other treatment than healing and homemade cancer medicine. He never lost one day from work.
One time I also heard the voice of God. One very important and strange message…. All of this make me convinced that if we unite in prayer for this world, good things will happen.
Do I believe that prayer can change the world? On one hand I say yes but also believe no. For me it is not because of pray but rather a large number of people thinking wishing, and hoping for the same change. We each have our own wants and needs. And I do believe among earths many religions we have certain common themes, charity, and forgiveness to name two. Sometimes they disagree on the details in which agree on in general. BUT on occasion they the leaders all agree as well as the followers.
However the maths say there will always be those who want pain and suffering to continue
Hi Paulo!
In essence we are all spiritual beings (energy) manifested in the physical plane. Prayer is thus a channel or form of communication (management of energy) that a human being express to access the spiritual realm or to connect with Divinity. Thus moving from the concious to the sub-concious to the unconcious. The spiritual realm communicates with us by means of dreams, signs, delightfull and traumatic events in our lives. It is mostly through traumatic events that we as humans discover that there is a much larger force at play in our lives and therefore increase our awareness of the spiritual world. Prayer is thus more that just words. It is also faith, hope, trust, forgiveness, gratitude, humbleness, peace and above all, love. It is what we desire for ourselves as well as for other people as our thoughts are reflected and released into the spiritual ether, which affect everybody else, including nature. The old saying -what goes around, comes around. What you sow, you shall reap.
Negative prayer would therefore be hate, revenge, envy, anger, selfishness, disrespect, distrust, greed, jealosy, egoism, unfaithfulness. The powerful vehicle of prayer was given to mankind as universal language to create prosperity and abundance no matter which religion you follow or nationality. Prayer is therefore surrendering yourself to your higher(s)elf, and trusting that the outcome will be for the greater good. Just because you dont always receive what you ask for, does not mean that prayer does not work. It simply means that it is not for your benefit to receive it, for it is not what you need in order to grow spiritually as a human being.
“Uma oração sem objetivo é como uma flecha sem arco. Um objetivo sem oração é como o arco sem flecha.”
– ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
Extraido do livro ” O caminho do arco”, PAULO COELHO.
Querido Mestre,
Namastê. Ha plusieurs types de prières, chaque acte, chaque parole et chaque pensée sont aussi une façon de prier. Cependant, personnellement, si prier est une façon de parler avec Dieu, je veux qui notre conversation soit la plus agréable possible car je Lui aime. Je veux sourire avec lui, je veux chanter avec lui, je veux être heureuse avec lui, et je veux surtout lui remercier.
C’est cela ma prière. C’est le acte de donner mon mieux pour la vie, pour l’Univers au Dieu Tout Puissante, qui tout exécute pour moi.
Le pacte avec Dieu n’est jamais cassé. Et je sais qu’il m’apportera toujours la couverte par apport mon froid. Pour cela, je ne dois pas me voir comment seule au monde, mais aussi avec toute les autres êtres humains du planète ou j’habite et jamais oublier qui dans une statistique social mondial je suis et sera toujours une enfant gâtée.
Dieu m’appris a « offrir l’autre face ». Pourtant, j’appris qui Dieu ne veux pas qui je sois un tapis. Dieu m’appris qui je dois aimer mon prochain comment je veux être aimée, Dieu m’appris le pardon. Prier c’est me souvenir toujours de ça.
Je crois qui l’énergie de la prière peut tout faire. Il n’existe pas d’impossible pour notre foi en Dieu.
Penser qui je serai avec vous dans cette prière, c’est déjà une énergie sacré, qui je remercie infiniment a Dieu et a toi Maitre, de pouvoir partager ce moment demain.
MARG,
Cassia
Lynne McTaggart has written a book called The Intention Experiment. In it she collates scientific studies on intention.
She devotes a chapter to the power of prayer and refers to the fascinating study of Leibovici. He is an Israeli Professor who conducted a test on the effects of prayer on a group of 4,000 adults who developed sepsis whilst in the hospital. Not surpisingly the group that had been prayed for suffered less fatalities (28.1 per cent versus 30.2 per cent) which was not statistically significantly however what was significant was that prayed for group had a far shorter duration of fever and got better faster than the non prayer for group. The study was published in the British Medical Journal in the Christmas 2001 issue (the Journal at that time publishes “spoof” articles which indicates the scepticism that medicine has for this.
what was amazing with this study was this bombshell:
“But his study offered one novel twist. The patients had been in hospital between 1990 and 1996. The praying was carried out in 2000 – between four and ten years later.”
Leibovici “intended to use science to prove the absurdity of alternative medicine but had actually ended up proving to many people that we can pray today to affect something that occurred yesterday.”
This has developed a lot of criticism in the medical industry that you can change yesterday
However Larry Dossey separately wrote that Leibovici had turned “conventional notions of time, space, prayer, consciousness and causality on their heads.”
McTaggart then asks the readers to follow her website for the purpose of a global experiment whereby people are asked to express their intentions to improve, say the health a specific individual.
As for your comments Paulo, McTaggart summarises all the scientific and religious literature by suggesting the following things to be followed (I imagine with a prayer this would be similar):
enter your intention space
power up through meditation
move into peak focus by mindful awareness of the present
get on the same wavelength by focussing on compassion
state your intention and make it specific
mentally rehears every moment with all your senses
visualise it and with your intention think of it as a fact
time it right – check what the sun is doing (electronic magnetic) and choose days that you feel happy and well
Move aside – surrender to the power of the universe and let go of the outcome
Take care and my love to all
James S
prayer is like a phone number given by God to human to dial him whenever they want.Whether you like it or not or believe it or not,its upto the individual,coz no one is forcing anyone.But if you dial the number it will definitely ring,and whether God answer ur call or not, no on eknows coz i believe that he answers them individually and in mysteriously.
But make sure when you dial the number you are dialing with true sincerity coz if nt then that wouldn’t ring the number.
God bless
“Prayer does not change God, but changes him who prays. ” Kierkegaard, Soren.
When we pray it makes us to humble ourselves,it makes us to become GOD-dependent,to become submissive in HIS will.We’ll be able to acknowledge our littleness and allowing GOD to fill with HIS divine love the empty spaces of our hearts.
Dear Paulo,
I believe that faith can change the world. It’s not what you believe, it’s that you believe that’s important.
With love,
Diane
Praying for us and the whole world,the univers,all the elements and souls it `s help us to feel as one,to feel God!The most peaceful time to pray for me is before I go to bed.
I will enjoy the prayer to `the party` and I belive that every prayer is heard by God!
Let us pray together ,for the Glory of Light!
Love
Mirela(the woman in elevator)
What if you’re not religious? are you then excluded from saving the world? I think actions will save us, not words, but without words there’ll be no inspiration…
Anne Lovise
Hi Paulo,
You should come and visit us here in Africa sometime, (though I’m fairly sure you already have at some point).
I don’t so much believe in prayer per say, but I do believe in the power of positive individual concentrated thought and the enormous effect this can have if done collectively. No matter how this is achieved be it by prayer, meditation, or just light and gentle thoughts of directed goodwill. But this can only augment time spent, hard work, and the willingness to help to make your own community, city, country, continent and world, a better place to live in.
I will certainly join you on the 19th in positive thoughts towards a positive global change for all. And do some food gardening while I’m at it. Our African winter is just starting. :).
JESUS SAD: “When you pray, do not be like the HYPOCRITES, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that OTHERS MAY SEE THEM. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to YOU INNER ROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR, and pray to your Father IN SECRET. And your Father WHO SEES IN SECRET will repay you.
In praying, DO NOT BABBLE LIKE THE PAGANS, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” [Mathew 6:5-8]
Sure Paulo! I believe it! Pray is the way more powerful to realize our dreams and of others!
I will be with all you during your party…together.
When you pray, don’t ask God for anything.
Thank Him only for everything he has given you, even if you think that you don’t have much.
If you must ask for anything, pray for your health and the well being of others.
Imagine if everyone only focused on those things during prayer and life.
That would change the world.
The power in prayer is not in the ritualized words recited fervently to an almighty god who can decide the outcome of all human events. The force behind any words is the intent of the individual to use their own power to visualize and enact change, in themselves, in the people around them, and the world at large.
If a group gathers and they visualize the same outcome, they lay down individual tracks for change in their brain. If they continue the visualization, either individually or as a group, their potential for altering the world is unlimited. Change is within us, not outside of us. We are responsible, not god.
For me personaly a prayer is a very intimate thing….when i pray me & God are alone for the moments i talk to him….every time it gives me so much energy & power….although i didnt pray too much cause im confident about that he already have the path for me and i know that god is with me every second and I only talk to him when i really dont know the answers……but the rest of the time i trust him blind and I know he is with me…with prayers or without prayers…
Love Rob
Dear Paulo,
That is so interesting that you have a blog about praying.
I was reading the Mozes Code by James Twyman and I have just finished a chapter in which he gives an example how praying with a lot of people at the same time can have an effect. He divides our being in that of what your soul wants and what you ego wants. It is the ego of people that is thinking prayers are abstract, each soul ultimately wants peace/ a better world and if you can become one with what your soul wants especially if it is focussed and in a group I think it can have a powerfull effect. So thank you for praying.
abraco
Do
I do believe it can do something to change the world. Prayer is a different word for meditation in my opinion, the outcome is the same; You focus your mind’s energy to do something.
But the world is not only composed of energy. Reality exists. Some say reality is an illusion, if that is the case, then you have to be able to eliminate the distracting illusion in order to do something.
I believe that prayer alone is not enough to change the world, because we are whether we like it or not, intertwined with the illusion of reality. We have to actually do something.
Some people use prayer as a way to avoid direct conflict/contact.
That is not going to bring change.
You can’t just say “yeah, I prayed, let’s see if something happens!”
Hah, no…
You have to do something.
Prayer focuses you, and it can support you very well. It can also be miraculous, but it is not ALL that exists.
Cheers.
PS I really can’t believe this is actually Paulo Coelho personally!
If it is, this is a HUGE HUGE HUGE honor :)
Prove it to me :D you can’t blame me for asking can you? :)
María de España, I use Google Translate to change comments to english. It also does not do the job 100%, but I can still understand the comment. Sometimes the translator can not even translate a certain word so I hope I do not miss too much.
Yes,every time I pray I feel good and free:)
I think that prayer is a powerful force in surrender to the divine.
I suspect that some prayers can be detrimental when we pray in our own understanding. We can create a binding force that affects others. Therefore we have to take care how and what we pray for.
If I pray for my daughters to marry well, I exert an influence on their lives which may or may not be in line with God’s destiny for them.
More than anything else, I seek first to be aligned with God’s intent in the world, in surrender to that intent and to God’s power.
I have found that prayer has helped me in an instant, to turn around a situation or an attitude or condition I am it. That is nothing short of miraculous!
But just as important as the prayers I utter, I also seek, again, to be aligned with God’s will and intent in this world. And I find that alignment and surrender as much if not more so in meditation. I think both have to go together for us to truly be instruments of God’s will and intent.
I am a lapsed Charismatic Christian but I still pray in tongues as I believe that is God’s gift to me to be even closer to God’s intent to be expressed in our world.
I believe we to impress upon the material world the sense of ourselves, as others have alluded to in Masuro Emoto’s work. However, the closer we align ourselves with the purpose and intent of the Divine, as instruments and channels, the more will heaven on earth be realized.
In difficulty I find my prayers effect an ability to handle such difficulty, not necessarily to make that difficulty go away. I think that is a truer consequence of God’s will in my life.
I don’t think that God’s will is as explicit as sending me to a foreign country to do missionary work. Rather, it is for my life to better embody spiritual principles and put them in to practice. Several have mentioned that it is action rather than prayer that makes changes. Well, yes, but really our prayers and surrender in meditation gives action meaning, substance and direction.
Meditation is as important as prayer for then we begin to hear God and learn how to listen in all moments.
I try to orient my life to be in conscious contact, as it were, with my God as much as possible at all times. Therefore my action has a better chance of expressing God’s intent.
Frankly, my understanding of who God is has emptied out the more I seek alignment with and surrender to God. My God is non-denominational, non-sectarian, non-religion oriented.
I wonder and find joy in how God expressed who God is when Moses asked, “Who should I say sent me…”, in other words, what is Your name and Who are You?
And God replies, “I am that I am….”
Dear Paulo,
Yes, I believe in power of prayer, especialy if more people pray and unite their energy.
Somewhere, sometimes in my life I’ve read: “Wherever there are two or more of you gathered in my name and praying I am (God) there with you”.
So I’ll join the prayer !
Love
Luce
Prayer occupies a central role in most religions of the world. It is considered to be a link with God and human. I believe that prayers has the power to change the destiny of man. Man can get anything through prayer if he asks sincerely.
Yo al igual que la mayoria de ustedes si creo en el poder de la oracion mientras se haga con mucha Fe y corazon, creo que todos somos energia que si unieramos toda esa energia universal podriamos conseguir un mundo mejor.
Yes, I do!
The prayer thing didn’t work..But I’m glad! I’ll do it the old fashioned way from now on, thats what works best.. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!
Yes I believe that prayer can change the world…and Masaru Emoto has proven it scientifically
http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm
Enjoy, and thank you
Sian Lindemann
http://www.socialtraffic.biz
Changing the World One Event At A Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v7OxYJ
One word, YES!!
http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/e_ome_home.html
Ja, ich denke schon.
Grüße
Christa
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