Prayer is central to nearly every religion on the planet, and it can help us navigate the toughest times in our lives. However, there are many misconceptions about what it means to pray and what it’s meant to achieve. Here are 18 common misconceptions about prayer.
You Must Dedicate Your Prayer to a Saint
Brittanica reveals that the Catholic Church recognizes over 10,000 saints, and many Christians like to dedicate their prayers to one or more of these religious figureheads. However, this isn’t actually necessary. Saints don’t need to be consulted in your prayers—God will hear you even without any namedropping.
You Can’t Have Sinful Thoughts
Everybody sins—that’s just an unfortunate side effect of being human. However, you shouldn’t let your sinful thoughts or actions prevent you from seeking consolation in prayer. After all, God is in the business of forgiving the sins of true believers, so committed sinners should still turn to prayer in their hour of need.
You Can Pass the Buck, Letting Others Pray for You Instead
You might think that you don’t need to pray because other people will do it on your behalf. However, if you want to truly participate in a conversation with God, you’ll need to take matters into your own hands. Don’t get caught short on Judgement Day—it’s essential to take responsibility for your own salvation.
Prayers Need to Follow a Formula
Prayers don’t need to follow a pre-existing template to be heard. When you’re talking to God, the most important thing is to speak openly from your heart. Prayer isn’t about checking boxes or ticking off a list of significant phrases; it’s about baring your soul to God.
Praying Doesn’t Really Help
Many people dismiss prayer as a waste of time because it doesn’t literally make their dreams come true. However, even if you can’t affect material change, prayer has plenty of psychological benefits. As CNN points out, practitioners feel less isolated after praying, thanks to their spiritual connection with God.
Frequency Is Really Important
While it’s important to talk to God whenever you find the time, you shouldn’t worry if your busy schedule prevents you from regular check-ins with heaven. It doesn’t matter whether you pray once an hour, once a day, or even once a year—as long as you’re sincere, the process can still be meaningful.
Effective Prayer Requires a Group
We often associate prayer with large church congregations, but that doesn’t mean that prayer has to be done with other people in order to be effective. In fact, prayer can be just as valuable as an entirely solitary activity. In the end, it’s a matter of what works best for you.
You Have to Know What to Say
It’s all too easy to feel like you’ve been put on the spot when it comes to talking to God, but this isn’t something you should worry about. Effective prayers don’t need a script, a plan, or even coherent sentences—as long as you feel a connection, the words will get through.
Prayer Is For Emergencies Only
According to The Guardian, one in five people turn to God when they’re worried—even if they don’t classify themselves as being religious! Ideally, however, prayer should be a more frequent activity. The point is to form a connection with God, not to try to acquire an easy get-out-of-jail-free card.
God Isn’t Interested
God is in charge of the whole universe, so it’s easy to assume that He’s got more important things to deal with than your problems. However, this simply isn’t true. God is omnipotent, which means that he’s always available to listen to your problems, no matter how trivial they may seem to others.
It’s Better If You Have a Silver Tongue
Plenty of priests are charismatic—they have to be in order to preach to their congregations. But don’t worry if your vocabulary is limited when it comes to praying. God is interested in faith and conviction, not in fancy words that most people would have to look up in a dictionary.
Prayer Is a Spiritual Transaction
Some people treat prayer like a vending machine, where praying automatically results in an outcome. In reality, effective prayer is a two-way street that’s as much about opening yourself up to God as it is about informing him of your own trials and tribulations. Don’t monopolize the conversation!
You Always Get What You Ask For
We’re all guilty of expecting physical, measurable outcomes from prayer—maybe you’ve prayed for a new, better-paying job or just for your plane to make it through some turbulence. It’s important to remember that God isn’t a genie. Prayer can be spiritually transformative, but you shouldn’t expect it to transform the world.
Prayer Is Competitive
God doesn’t keep a scoreboard of who is praying best or most often, so don’t get stressed about others ‘beating’ you when it comes to prayer. Prayer is personal, and anyone who tries to convince you that they’re doing it better than you is guilty of one of the biggest sins of all—pride.
Location Matters
The Akron Beacon Journal states that there are about 380,000 churches in the U.S., but you don’t have to stand inside one for your prayers to be heard. While it can be comforting to visit a priest, don’t let that put you off praying at work, at home, or in nature.
You Can Change God’s Plan
It’s important to remember that we are all, ultimately, parts of God’s plan. What will be will be, and no amount of praying will change that. However, just because your plan for life might be incompatible with God’s doesn’t mean that you can’t take comfort from prayer.
Your Mind Must Be Empty to Pray
In our chaotic modern world, it’s harder than ever to clear your head and relax. Luckily, God doesn’t need your thoughts to be free of distractions when praying. You might be worried about meeting deadlines or picking up your kids from school, but these thoughts won’t dilute your prayers.
Priests Are Essential
Some religions place a big emphasis on the role of priests. However, many popular American religions place the priesthood in a more supportive role. You don’t need to go through a priest to talk to God, but they might be able to help in other, more practical ways.
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