Several people asked me to expand on something I said in a post about prayer, that some styles of prayer can actually make problems worse for a person.
Prayer as Ham Radio
Prayer is often done as a one-sided conversation. A person feels desperate and without knowing where to turn, they look upward and begin to unburden themselves by laying out all of their problems.
In my experience, though, prayer is not a one-sided conversation but operates very much like a ham radio with inspiration being one interpretation of the available response. With a ham radio, you must tune to a certain frequency in order to broadcast and receive messages.
My understanding of the human brain is that it operates much like a ham radio antenna, interpreting waves of energy and frequency and ultimately giving us the sensory experience of reality.
Your Antenna Strength
Radio frequencies were useless until we built devices that could tune to them properly. Just because we do not have consensus yet on a device that can read thought frequency does not mean we cannot train our brain to pick up on the extrasensory field and have a personal experience with it.
A ham radio is only able to tune to frequencies that are within range of its specific antenna. The taller or stronger your antenna, the longer range and therefore the more perspectives or frequencies free of static you have access to.
Praying from Distress
If your ham radio antenna only has a range of one mile and everything within a one mile radius is on fire, then you can scream for help all you want into the broadcast microphone, but you are only going to be able to communicate with other people whose homes are on fire, who are also panicking.
Praying from a place of distress or grief or pain and staying in that place of unease is like broadcasting on a ham radio with a weak antenna. We are asking for help, but we do not have the capacity to tap into a long enough range signal to provide any real support. We are just hearing static or other people confirming how bad things really are.
Growing the Antenna
That means that we must find a way to move from distress to a place of allowing, to grow our antenna, in order to find a solution that can be of any real benefit.
We do this by finding some way to feel better in the present moment, even if it is only temporary. It might be a motivational video, a Bible verse or quote that inspires you, or a moving song.
There are many physical exercises that take this from being a mental exercise to something that is easily trained into the body. Breath work, exercise, yoga, movement. These are all tools for building a stronger radio antenna. What we are seeking is anything that makes us feel better in that moment, that quiets our mind, so we can move through the static and laser in on a frequency that has the assistance we need.
The Science of Prayer
The science of prayer is about asking or broadcasting a heartfelt desire, and then immediately shifting into a place of reception for expected inspiration. The stronger an antenna you have grown in your body and brain, the easier it will be to tap into inspiration, creativity, and guidance. That stronger antenna comes with physical practice, expectation, and strong belief that a solution is possible.
Your belief system and expectation determines the frequencies that are available to you and the way you will interpret those frequencies. If you expect the voice of God, you will hear God. If you expect wisdom, you will get wisdom. If you are uncertain, you will get uncertainty.
Every Second Is Prayer
Every second of your life is a prayer. You are always getting mirrored back to you what your dominant focus on any given subject is. You are always asking with your attention and focus. Are you focused on the things that feel uplifting to you or the drudgery of life? What are you asking for? How quickly can you pivot from I do not want this to now I know more clearly what I want?
That is the key to effective prayer.