The power of prayer is to be found in its mature fruit, increasingly savored by the believer as he persisted in long struggle. Abba Neilos says that prayer is protection against sadness and discouragement, which means that prayer protects the soul from the sins of dispirited sadness, despondency, oppression and despair. And he adds: “It is prayer which blossoms the spirit of meekness and peacefulness.” These virtues are fruits of prayer, not acquired by momentary action, but requiring continuous fervent effort.
The most discerning St. John of the Ladder refers to prayer as the source of virtues, the nourishment of the soul, the enlightenment of the mind, the weapon which cuts off despair, the overcoming of grief, the reduction of wrath, the mirror of progress, the indicator of moderation, and the true reflection of our spiritual condition.
In a similar spirit, St. John Chrysostom says basical y the same thing. For the faithful, prayer is their fortress, their invincible weapon, the purification of their soul, the forgiveness of their sins, the source of their innumerable blessings. Nothing is equal to or stronger than prayer. If anger is boiling in man, prayer can pacify it. If evil desire is burning within him, prayer can put it out. If envy has taken hold of him, prayer can dispel it.
Al irrational and beastly passions of the soul are overcome, if we pray fervently, attentively, clearly. Not only are the passions dispel ed, but the devil himself as wel .
It is the power of prayer to heal, to do miracles, even to open the closed heavens. The Gerontikon tel s the story of Abba Moses the Ethiopian, the amazing person of God living in an arid, isolated place, who heard a voice say to him: “Enter into the cave and have no care.” Obediently he entered without care or concern. When the smal amount of water ran out, Abba Moses went out of the cave and in again, beseeching the Lord to provide some for him. God heard his prayer and sent a cloud over the cave which fil ed his containers with water. Other fathers of the desert, who had noticed from afar that Abba Moses was going in and out of the cave, asked him what he was doing. “I had a trial with God,” he said. “He brought me to this cave and there was no more water for his servant to drink, so I pleaded with Him by going in and out of the cave until He sent me some.”
The power of prayer is such that it brings the grace of God, empowering saints to do miraculous and amazing deeds – deeds which transcend logic and yet are neither irrational nor mythological. Such miraculous deeds are the fruit of great faith, profound reverence and intense love.
Doulas, the disciple of Abba Bessarion, traveling with his elder, told him that he was very thirsty. The elder prayed, blessed the water of the sea, and the disciple drank sweet water. He decided to put some in a container for the rest of the trip, but the elder censured him: “God, who does miracles here, is everywhere!” The same God who spoke with the great personalities of the Old Testament, and did miracles for them, continues to be active now, doing great and marvelous deeds for his saints.
Once when the need arose, Abba Bessarion crossed the River Chrysorroa by walking on it as if on dry land, as St. Mary of Egypt did on the Jordan River. At another time this same elder was going to visit a brother and the sun was about to set. He prayed that the sun would not set until he had arrived at his destination, and the setting of the sun was delayed until the elder arrived.
When Abba Ammonios was going to St. Anthony the Great, he lost his way and prayed to God for help.
He saw a human hand in the sky directing him to St. Anthony's cave.
St. Maximos the Kavsokalyvitis, after praying at the top of Mt. Athos, would descend to his kalyva by flying through the air.
A contemporary monk on Mt. Athos who was seriously il went to the icon of the Panaghia to pray. As is wel known, Panaghia appeared to the first known monk of Mt. Athos, St. Petros the Athonite. She assured him that she would be protectress, nurse and doctor of whoever endures the pain of asceticism in this life, and intercessor and mediator for his salvation in the life to come. With these promises of the Theotokos in mind the ailing ascetic went to pray: “Make me wel , Panaghia, as you promised St. Petros. I know no other doctor.
If you have any complaint with me, tel me. I have been serving you for forty years. If you do not make me wel , I wil not leave this place. . “He had hardly finished his prayer when he became wel .
Another father of Mt. Athos who used the prayer of the heart, as told to us by a fel ow ascetic who was with him, attained the point where the Uncreated Light made him resplendent and night was changed to day, while he himself was thoroughly washed in tears and his heart lived an ever present Pascha. Moreover his mind was also il umined, and he considered this to be the natural condition of al the monks. When he fel asleep in the Lord his face shone in a supernatural way.
Neither many hours, nor even many days, would suffice to narrate the results of prayer, by ancient and contemporary saints, which reveal its miraculous power. These few have been mentioned, not to amaze us, but to make point that, since these marvelous thins happen to people who share our nature, our petitions can also be heard, accepted and fulfil ed.
THE POWER OF PRAYER IN OUR LIFE
And so, my beloved, let our prayers be constant and unceasing. And, as we pray, let us be forbearing, enduring and joyful. Prayer is a tremendous support in difficult times, and particularly in our own. Prayer is the instructor of the soul. But we must be careful not to limit ourselves only to asking, but also to pray that we may attain the delight of giving. Prayer brings us to the embrace of God, that is, into the depths of His love.
We are always God's children, no matter who or what we are – even if we are disorderly and mischievous, careless and sluggish, hesitating and frighte4ned. Let us recognize and admit that we do not know how to pray, that we have not yet come to love prayer. If this were not the case, then our life would certainly have changed.
Prayer is God's greatest gift to fal en man. Indeed, it is man's greatest power, which he can use to rediscover and restore the original beauty of his nature. The power of prayer is so great that it can overcome deep emotional emptiness, inexorable anxiety, bodily affliction, soul-destroying sorrow, grief, persecution, unbearable accusations, defamation, offense, insult, shame, hypocrisy, pettiness, impudence, envy, il ness, pain, fear, death. Prayer displaces the cold loneliness, the animosity of hatred, the cunning of egotism. Prayer brings peace, joy, exhilaration, forbearance, consolation, fearlessness, freedom, blessedness. As prayer has strengthened al the saints, so it wil also strengthen us.
The one you love is the one you think about. Love of God bears prayer. If you do not think of god, you do not pray. But without prayer you cannot have His presence, His company, His love, the grace of the Holy Spirit. Prayer protects a person from sin, from the snares of evil. The praying person, whose mind and heart is attached to God, leaves no space or time for sin, and any wel set intrigues of the devil are destroyed.
Prayer constitutes the nervous system of the soul. With prayer we approach God, God approaches us, and humility, patience and every other virtue become more complete. The Lord pours out His joy abundantly and makes us pray with fervent tears for those who may be our enemies, who persecute and slander us, as noted by Elder Silouan of Mt. Athos.
This gift, this weapon, this power of prayer must be used correctly, with prudence. Otherwise we wil have results contrary to those anticipated, and we shal be obliged to mourn over those who have fal en victim to prideful conceit.
Prayer must be frequent and regular, but not a sterile formality. For then prayer loses its grace and freshness and becomes drudgery, a chore, an imposition. No methodology in prayer can ever force the presence of God. God appears by looking deeply into our hearts, without regard to our stated intentions, our formulations and our petitions. God's grace is given freely and is not determined by any particular programmatic effort on our part.
The position of the body is not as significant as the condition of the soul. It is not the technique but what is in the heart that counts. It is not the duration but the fervency of prayer that makes a difference.
Sometimes the specific words used are of little significance. For even when the words of a prayer are said incorrectly by a pure, simple and pious soul, they can stil lead to miracles. Quality of prayer is achieved by concentration of the mind, through silence, which means that fewer words used in prayer can bring one closer to perfection. Observe the brevity of the Jesus Prayer.
Of course, because we are weak, we need help. Particularly in the beginning we need a degree of imposed discipline and steadfast austerity. The blessing and guidance of a spiritual father, necessary for every faithful person, is indispensable for the beginner. When unaccustomed to the activity of the divine energies, one has frequent attacks of temptation. It is not always easy to know if the joy we experience is from God,. The elder Silouan says that one who wants to pray without a guide, one who in his pride wants to imagine himself capable of learning everything from books, is already half way into error. But the humble person wil be protected by God when there is no experienced elder to guide him. For, since in his humility he is prepared to accept spiritual guidance, God wil look over him.
Prayer for others, regardless of who they are, is prayer that is particularly loved by God. Here we observe a paradoxical phenomenon. In a sense, God becomes our debtor. He rejoices in such petitions and is prepared to repay us for what we give to others. Prayers of love offered by the saints for our brothers and sister, both the living and those who have fal en asleep in the Lord, have great effectiveness. We should persistently ask for their intercession, for their active prayers are able to greatly amplify our feeble efforts.
Sometimes prayers we consider to be fervent are the worst. Prayers with sentimental tears, nervous tension, a mad effort in self-concentration, and obstinate coercion can lead us to error. Experiences, life influences, divine consolations, signs and revelations are, of course, available, but they are given to the worthy, to those capable of preserving them, to the humble. They are gifts of God and He knows the opportune times when they are to be given. Gifts are from above, we do not give them to ourselves. The only things we do is prepare and adorn our “home” to be receptive and worthy of these divine treasures.
A objective of prayer, above al else, is to love everyone, but that love must not be abstract, indefinite and general. It must be concrete, focused and personal. For as Dostoyevski put it, “In the indefinite love for humanity as a whole, one almost always loves only himself!”
St. Isaac the Syrian tel s us that the heart of the praying person is burning when he pours warm tears from his own sins, for the various needs of his fel ow human beings, and even for irrational animals and unrepentant demons.
The person who prays can be detected from a distance, standing apart, sober, undisturbed, joyful, humble, caring, maturely beautiful. But let it be noted that these things are stated so that they may turn them inward, not to encourage us in the curious and useless scrutinizing of others. We must each of us look at our own work and our own self, for that is where the final accounting required of us wil focus. And may the words of St. Makarios make us more prudent: “The brothers are required to do whatever they do with love and joy.
And he who works should be able to say about the one who is praying: 'The treasure he gathers through prayer is also mine, since it is a common treasure.' But the one who is praying must not judge the one who is working for not praying. Nor should the working person judge the brother who is praying. No matter what each one of us is doing, we must always do it 'for the glory of God.' We al need each other.” The holy fathers encourage us to blend together harmoniously.
Let us give ourselves the opportunity to celebrate daily, to work responsibly in the positions given us, as sojourners to transcend current conditions through prayer, and to enjoy a foretaste of eternity. In the hours of voluntary silence and isolation, we can acquire the ability to live through any difficulties that might come our way. This is attained by the power received in the sacred hours of conversation with God, which empower us to say with St. John Chrysostom: “Glory be to God for al things!”, with St. Gregory Palamas: “Give light to my darkness!”, and with a contemporary Elder of Mt. Athos: “Come, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner!”
Since we began with St. John Chrysostom, let us end with something else he wrote: “Prayer dispels every type of sadness, is the cause of joy, the provider of constant delight, and the mother of true philosophy.
Prayer is such a powerful force that it can overcome the power of fire, it can tame the wrath of lions, it can cause wars to cease, it can stop storms, it can expel demons, it can open the gates of heaven, it can beak the bonds of death, it can heal sickness, it can stop the earthquake of a city. The insidious plots of men, and al forms of evil disappear because of prayer.”
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