Prayer as Listening, Not Demanding
Authentic prayer is a posture of deep listening to the divine will and the inner voice of the Atma, rather than a transactional exchange of demands.
So the Lord appears and if our posture is coming—if our posture is, 'Oh, You've come for me, You've come for me,' you see, 'Here, this is my list of demands now that You've come'—then that would be a wasted opportunity because anyone around you may ask you, 'Why didn't you wait to ask Him what is His will? What did He want when He came? What did He want to tell you before you had your list of things that you wanted?' So in that way, prayer is less about saying; it is more about listening. Are we willing to spend our lives just listening to our hearts, to our Atma's voice? If you are, then the tools will come. The question can be: what device can I use to hear the voice of my Atma? Once your intention is clear, then the device will be clear.
Key Teachings
- Prayer is primarily about listening to God's will and the voice of the Atma, not presenting demands.
- Approaching God with a list of demands is a missed opportunity to receive divine guidance.
- A clear intention to listen to the Atma's voice will reveal the means to do so.
- True prayer fosters receptivity to divine wisdom rather than imposing one's own desires.
From: The Only Refuge for the “Me” Is at God’s Feet - 8th December 2025