Importance Of Prayer: There are quite a number of topics that poses a degree of complexity and Religion is certainly one of such topics. It can be seen as a complex topic of discussion however, it is not completely incomprehensible. Religion remains universal, it doesn’t discriminate against culture, tribe or ethnicity. Not withstanding the universality of religion, some religious belief are more popular and recognised with more worshipers worldwide when compared to others. Some of such religions that has gained more prominence and followership includes the Christian religion, Islamic religion, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindu and some others that are not so popular even though they are being practiced in several countries with few or smaller worshipers.
Religion is known to possess some characteristics that distinguishes it from other social activities one of such characteristics is Prayer. Prayer is a way of communion, fellowship and recognized way by which a worshiper communicates with his or her God. It is believed to be sacred and in some ocassion, it follows a pattern and encompasses the use of specific words and even languages.
Every religion is believed to engage in prayers, they are also known to have their different patterns and ways of praying. Prayer can be said, in a nutshell, to be an integral part of every religion. Being such a relevant activity or religious practice, one might be wondering why prayer is so important to religion and religious practices. This is what we’re about to find out.
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Top 10 Importance of Prayers
1. It is a way of religion: Religion is characterized by some peculiar activities that makes it what it is. Some of this religious activities includes, praises, worship, festivities, divinations, meditation, incantations, humanitarian services, pilgrimage, sacrifices and offerings, communions and of course prayers.
So, amongst many other things that religion entails, prayers is at the focal point and so, it reaffirms the fact that the congregation are religious People when when they’re often seen praying.
2. It is a unique way of communication: The position of an individual in the society determines the way other people interact with him or her. In this case, the communication is not actually between man and his friend or colleague but between man and his creator and so, one of the best way of communicating with God is by praying. Sometimes,this is done in the best way the person knows how.
It involves speaking in languages known to the person praying and sometimes in a foreign language unique and associated to the religion or an entirely new tongue.
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3. It engenders religious confidence: Prayer as mentioned above is a way of communicating with one’s maker and so, it engenders a level of confidence knowing that you are able to communicate with your maker in a way that soothes the heart, body and soul.
It is said that prayer is a sacred enterprise and so, it is more of a fellowship between man and his maker and so it creates a level of confidence in the person.
4. It is a way of connecting with God: God is a spirit being. This is a universal belief. It is a solemn belief amongst religious worshipers across the globe and so, it is seen as the surest way of connecting with him.
This goes to explain why prayer is revered and considered sacred amongst believers. So, one of the very notable importance of prayer is that it draws the person or people praying much closer to God and strenghtens the sacred relationship between man and God.
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5. It is a way of making requests: Humans are known to be imperfect beings. We are constantly in need and prone to our inadequacies. For these reasons we are always concerned about how and where to get help.
Religion has shown us and also made us to believe that we could ask whatever we desire from our creator and have him do it however, there are quite a few ways to ask and one of them is by solemn supplication (prayers). So, prayer has been adequately utilized by religious faithfuls to tender their supplications in times of need and in gratitude making prayer a very important aspect of religion.
6. It differentiate religion from social activities: No doubt that every Organization has a distinguishing feature that defines it and shows it’s uniqueness in the face of other associations. This has been one of the major importance of prayers.
Praying is one of the hallmarks of religion and so, it is easy to distinguish that a particular Organization is a religious gathering or Association by their practices like praying often and some other activities.
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7. It renews strength: Prayer has been described as an act of divination, an act that is more spiritual than physical and a way of connecting with one’s maker and so, the totality of the act brings about a sense of connection with one’s entire being and so, it strenghtens the person to a great extent.
Prayer is a way of strengthening oneself as a religious believer. The very fact that you have just communed with your maker and tables your needs to him could be invigorating.
8. It connects believers: Quoting the Christian religion, “Iron sharpeneth Iron” that is to say that, it is another way to fellowship with fellow believers in a more relaxed and religious way that transcends formal fellowships. It is a way to gather believers together with faith and belief in a common agender.
It is also a way of encouraging them as brethren in love and pursuit for a common good. People often gather to pray together in unity, this is sometimes the regions doctrine for some religion however, it is advantageous.
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9. It engenders hope and service: When people pray, they believe in the potency of their prayers and that is a way to encourage their hope. It is also a way to show dedication to your belief and do the bidding of God as instructed through his teachings of prophets or his holy book.
So, prayer is very important because through it, we are fulfilling a divine mandate and at thesame time we are encouraging the strength of our faith and belief and that is a way to boost our hope.
10. It provides solutions: Prayer has been seen to be a way of making solemn supplication to God about our needs and things beyond our human control, it is also believed to be the solution to some of our inadequacies as it encourages us in our time of weaknesses go be strong and at the time of dispare to remain committed and hopeful and in time of trouble, to not be dismayed.
Prayer has in many ocassions met both our physical and spiritual needs as well as our yearnings. It goes to show how important the act of prayer is to a believer and to religion.
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In conclusion, prayer, as mentioned above, is an integral part of every religion and so, it is not new. It is also one of the most practiced religious activities. Prayers are often made at different times and locations, depending on the religion. It is quite important to understand what prayer is and some of the importance as listed above to create an insight on the act of prayer.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.