There are days when I find myself praying profusely and then there are days that I pray at a bare minimum. Sometimes the intimacy of God is craved and sought after, other times it is simply enough to acknowledge God as real. Prayer is one of the best ways to acknowledge the reality of God because asking precludes that the one being asked is capable of giving.
One of the amazing things about prayer, seeking assistance from God, is that you are able to acknowledge your heartfelt desires to yourself. Prayer shows you how vulnerable and needy you are and helps put your existence into perspective. Fragile as we are, we do but breathe, walk about, see and hear by the grace of God. Prayer is an acknowledgement and an acceptance of this fragility and a way in which the heart finds satisfaction and contentment through God.
Independence is when one relies on God, seeks from God, depends on God and turns to God. For only God is truly independent and if the Original Cause is acknowledged as the source then one doesn’t depend on others in reality, but depends on God. It’s not the mother who nurtures the child, it’s God who nurtures the child through the instrumentation of motherhood. It’s not the employer who pays you your salary in reality. It’s the provisions of God through the instrumentation of a job. If only you can view the world like that you will not be held captive to anyone, to anything or as a result of circumstances. With God is real Freedom. Here’s to praying.
Coach De Bruyns’s Guide to a Balanced Life
Life is complicated. Things go haywire and often we, you and I, will not really know what to do. The advice in this book isn’t going to solve your problems. I can’t stop the wheels from turning in the wrong direction when they do. I can’t tell you what the answers are to solving the complex problems you face. The De Bruyn’s method isn’t about telling you what your goals should be. No, this isn’t the role of any person in your life. Rather, that’s your role, and that’s what we are going to talk about. We are going to talk about you.
What I can do for you is help you set your life on track so that when those curve balls come, you are better prepared to deal with it. I’m here to help you develop the mental, spiritual and physical tools to get up when you are knocked down. In fact, I’m here to help you become best version of yourself you can be. I’m here to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be. I am Coach De Bruyns and I invite you to walk this journey with me so that you can get practical, concrete and realistic guidelines. Let us call this process a thought experiment. Are you ready?
The mistake some people often make is thinking that God needs our prayers, so we do it only because we’re commanded to do so. Of course we pray out of obedience, out of love for God, but we need the prayers—not God. God is not in need of anything. Like you say, we need God, and need to be reminded of our complete dependence, lest we forget that our provision is dependent on Him and thus begin confusing the means of provision with the Source of provision.
It reminds me of the problem some have with being called a slave to God. But what they forget is that if you are not acting as a slave of God, you are instead a slave to money, your career, societal expectations that serve nothing but dead materialism—and how is THAT freedom? Like you say, only with God is there true freedom. Prayer should help realign us several times a day to the reality of God, and therefore to our true purpose, to infuse every single action with true meaning and purpose. May God remind us not only to pray, but WHY it is we pray, each time we go to the mat.
Great piece, thank you.
True. Maa shaa Allah. Very well said. So that each person can be and feel independent.