Prayer can influence our state of mind which then has an effect on our state of body. It’s a portal that connects us with Divine Source and is an intensely personal journey inward as well as an act of conversation with the Presence of the Infinite or what some call God. We wonder then, who is truly hearing our prayers? Also, what constitutes an effective prayer and how we should pray? Living a prayerful/self-aware life can lead to active concern for others. It can help us to move from a primarily secular, materialistic life into a more spiritual one and its rewards can be vast and deep because prayer brings us closer to the Divine both within and without. Rabbi Citrin says, “In Jewish tradition there are three ways that we draw close to the Divine. One is through nature…The second is study of Scripture (the Divine Word) as a way to draw closer to God…and the third is being in community.”
