Greatings from Apelonija

We recognize the importance of prayer, although we often do not realize the extent to which this significance really exists. By wavering between doubt and faith, we often deprive ourselves of the true power of prayer, not realizing how great its potential is.

These possibilities have also interested scientists, and this is not a frequent question. The Father foretold that a time would come when goodwill scholars would begin to revisit the disciples of Jesus at that time to receive light and guidance from their research. But how will they perceive everything that the churches will have to convey to them? We know this and many other things that we will receive in communication from spirit to Spirit, but what else, if not communication, is prayer elevated to its highest expression?

Let us now consider several aspects of this important topic, hoping that this will broaden our understanding of the true possibilities of prayer.

People pray for different reasons – from the youngest, who ask for the toys they need, to the elderly, who ask for health and strength in the last days; and husbands and wives pray for all kinds of needs, including spiritual, emotional, and material. And each type of prayer has its own form – when we ask for something for ourselves or others, or when we worship the Father, or are in awe in the presence of His Glory. The Lord explained to us that there are basically four forms of prayer:

“Prayer is asking, praying for someone, worshiping, and contemplating.”

“Indeed, I tell you, the first form is a request, the essence of which is that the person praying longs for the satisfaction of his needs, the fulfillment of his desires, everything that he considers useful, important, and healthy for life. And I tell you, little children, the Heavenly Father hears all prayers and gives everyone the most necessary things for their true good.” 

“The second kind of prayer is intercession for someone. Its source is the love of your neighbor, which I taught you when I was in the world. Pray for your brothers near and far, for those who suffer in other countries because of war, because of plagues and diseases, for those that suffer hunger, for those who suffer under the tyranny of the secular rulers of this world. Oh, dear ones, get ready to pray for your brothers, but you must also learn to pray, because spirit is more important than matter.”

“The third form of prayer is the worship of the Spirit of God. It means to glorify everything that is perfect, in such glorification one can unite in spirit with the Perfect, with Love, embracing the entire Universe. In this prayer, you can find the state of perfection that each of you should be able to achieve.

By this worship, the fourth form of prayer, contemplation, can be reached.”

“Contemplation combined with worship / meditation / is what elevates you to union with the Holy Spirit of God, with the Source of eternal life, with the Source that gives you life from day to day, so that you can one day enter the Kingdom of the Father.”

“You must practice these forms of prayer every day, starting with a request until you reach the point of contemplation. This will give strength to your spirit, and everything else will be given to you as well.”

If we think carefully about what we have read above, we will understand how important prayer can be in reducing evil in the world, and especially when we orient prayer as an intercession and a request. Let us all become mediators for our brothers, humanity!

“Pray not only when you are in painful trials, but also when you are at peace, because that is when your heart and mind can deal with others.”

You can see a great similarity between today’s world and the times of Roman empire, when the followers of the Divine Master were mercilessly persecuted, despised and deprived not only of their freedom, but of their lives. Even the word “Christianity” was an insult to many Romans who considered themselves good subjects of Caesar. And today the Caesars are not going to tolerate us any better than they did then.

We have other goals, our thoughts are no longer focused only on ourselves, we have realized that true love cannot be locked only in ourselves. We must strive every day to be living symbols of goodness, fighters for the truth and defenders of our weak brothers; and that is why we must forget ourselves. Jesus taught this not only by word, but by His life:

“Then Jesus said to all His disciples: “Whoever wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”

(Matthew 16:24)

Of course, life in this world offers us many opportunities to put into practice what the Lord teaches us at this time. There are many things, many motives that deserve our attention, care, and prayers.

“Pray for all who, in their madness, kill, rob, or otherwise harm humanity. Pray not only for those who have done you good, or for those who have not done you harm. This is good, but it will give you much more if you pray for those who have harmed you in any way.”

“Send consolation with your prayers and thoughts to the sad, sick, lonely, old people, children, youth. You see, there are more widows and orphans in your world now than ever before. Think of nations without peace and people without hope. Some suffer greatly, others because they are deeply mired in immorality, some suffer because they do not know the light of truth and live without love, or they thirst for truth and peace.”

Let’s imitate the Divine Teacher, the most wonderful rabbi from Galilee, whose whole life was one prayer! The Father asks us only five minutes a day to pray, but this prayer must come from the deepest depths of our being.

Let us persevere in benevolent prayer, let us persevere and be steadfast in it, and with complete selflessness let us expand the possibilities of our love, sending it to all who need it. From the world of spiritual light, we are told to spend five minutes in prayer, and whole life is dedicated to the fulfillment of the Word.

We need to clearly understand that in order for our prayers to have a real effect, we must first wake up.

It is not for nothing that the phrase “be awake and pray” is constantly repeated by the Father: “Be awake and pray, I repeat to you often; but I want you not to get used to this gentle advice, but to study and apply it in your life.”

When the Lord speaks of being awake, He does not mean anything material, as is done in a very broad form in some religions. No, the revival the Father speaks of is spiritual.

Only by being awake can we overcome temptation because we can recognize it in time; we will also be able to get rid of material as well as spiritual traps that can cause us to stumble or even fall. The time of the great wars of ideas is approaching; therefore, let us be vigilant and pray that we may accomplish our task without hesitation, because whoever doubts is discouraged.

Apolonija Bērziņa, Riga Second UMC.