Meditation and Prayer

Meditation and Prayer

Meditation and prayer are often confused as being the same thing and although you can meditate through prayer, there are differences between the two.  Meditation is often described as a way to engage in a mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.  Prayer is often described as a request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.  Both prayer and meditation should be done with the correct intention and when they are they can produce the same benefit.  The psychological effect, provided the intention is pure, is the same in that you are free of the suffering and angst that you have felt and more focused on inner peace.   

Prayer accomplishes many things.  It develops our character to its highest state.  It builds a mind that is always open to Spirit.  Through prayer, we attain an interpenetrating consciousness with God's perfect life and love and power.  Prayer also enables us to become infused with divinely inspired ideas.  Especially powerful moments are experienced in a meditative state of prayer.  In the silence of prayer we are inspired with a fresh resolve, new creative thoughts, solutions to problems, and understandings of the truth we need.  Prayer does closely relate to meditation in many ways.  It is usually an inward, contemplative state that is undertaken in quiet solitude.  As in meditation, so in prayer outward stimuli are reduced and a special kind of soothing, monotonous environment is created.  The echoing intonation of ritual words and phrases chanted over and over again; reverberating music; candlelight; votive offerings; incense; the sound of bells; awe-inspiring architecture with symbolic decorations; a special posture held for a period of time; the closing or partial closing of the eyes – these are all traditional accompaniments of prayer intended to evoke a sense of reverence and union with the deity.  Through them the meditative mood is evoked in a highly effective manner.  There are some important differences between meditation and prayer, however, even when meditation is used for spiritual purposes.

Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person.  It’s about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective.  You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings.  You’re learning to observe them without judgment.  And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.  With meditation, you are not just seeing your desires and asking for help.  Instead, you might go deeper into allowing more subconscious energy to move to the surface so it can be cast away.  While meditation is often used for religious purposes, many people practice it independently of any religious or spiritual practice.  

Studies have shown that both meditation and prayer can reduce stress, lower cortisol levels and improve your outlook on life.  Personally I pray each morning and I ask God for the day to be good for myself and others.  Doing this has given me a sense of balance and peace to start my day which I find helps me to meditate a bit easier.  Yes, I also meditate but after 20 minutes of yoga - it kind of ends my morning routine on a peaceful, purposeful note and I start the day off happier and calmer.  Regardless of whether you meditate or pray or even if you do both - take a moment and remember why you are doing it.  You might be surprised at what you find.  Perhaps you will even find a new reason to do these things.