There was a movie in which a man had the opportunity to take God’s job. He found out quickly that God is bombarded with endless complaints and prayers from billions of people requesting things, all at the same time. In fact, in this humorous movie, when God checked his email, there were millions of email messages of complaints and requests. It may be a funny film, but it has some truth in it.
We pray to God, because we want blessings to come just the way we want. We include an instruction manual with our prayer, telling God how we want those blessings to come. When they don’t come the way we want, we disregard the fact that God sent us blessings anyway. If we look back on the blessing later in life, we realise that what God sent us was far better than what we had imagined or asked for. Sometimes, we ask for something that is not really good for us, or not as good as what God actually wants to give us. There have been many instances in which people prayed to God for something, and their wish wasn’t granted. Later they realise that receiving the wish would not have been a good thing after all.
Will a mother allow the child to have poison, even if the child demands it and throws a tantrum? Instead, the mother will give the child what is best for him. The child may not realise it at that time but as the child grows and learns, the child is grateful for all the things the mother denied him that were ultimately not good.
Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us. Acceptance doesn’t come easily. At first we begin praying for one thing or other. Praying for something in particular has its pitfalls. Sometimes we may have our prayer answered the right way and at other times, not at all. If we don’t get what we want, there is a danger of our becoming disappointed, disillusioned and depressed. We lose faith and feel that God has not listened to us and is not responding.
But when we don’t pray for anything other than what God wants to give, there is no danger of disappointment. It takes time to evolve to a point where we can pray in this manner. Faith and trust in God is born out of our experiences.
If we relax and rest in God’s will, we will find that everything works out for the best in the long run. Meditation is a process of relaxing in God’s will. It provides a time when we can let go of all demands. We can sit in the state of stillness and surrender to God’s will. It is a chance to let go of all our wants and desires. In this state, nothing stands between God and us.
During meditation, we become an empty cup and the pure waters of divinity can flow unhampered to us. To derive the greatest benefit from divine blessings, we should adopt the humble attitude of an empty vessel. Our mind will be emptied of its ceaseless desires and distractions and we will be open to receive pitcher after pitcher of sweet grace. Sit in a receptive mode and ask God to grant what is best for us. That is the secret to enlightened living.