3 psychological needs of Prayer

Prayer lifts the soul to heaven every time it clings to the earth and connects it to its Lord every time it is separated from Him by carelessness or distraction.

Human being seeks to increase their finite energy in prayer by referring to the Infinite Source of all energy. When we pray, we connect with the endless drive that makes the universe go round. We pray that some of this strength will be distributed according to our needs.

Prayer meets these three basic psychological needs that all people share, whether they believe in Allah or not:

Prayer helps us solve our problems

We can’t solve a problem as long as it remains vague and illusory. Prayer is, in a way, like writing our problems down on paper. If we ask for help with a problem - even from Allah - we need to put it into words.

Prayer gives us a thought of sharing burdens, not being alone

Very few of us are strong enough to bear our heaviest burdens and our most painful sorrows alone. Sometimes our worries are so intimate in nature that we cannot talk about them even with our closest relatives or friends. Then prayer is the answer.

Any psychiatrist will tell us that when we are depressed, stressed, and in emotional pain, it is therapeutically good to tell someone about our problems. When we can’t tell anyone else, we can always talk to God.

Prayer becomes a positive principle of action

This is the first step toward action. I doubt anyone can pray for an accomplishment, day in and day out, without benefiting from it - in other words, without taking a few steps towards achieving it. Prayer is the most powerful form of energy that one can create.

Allah warns people not to believe that their own strength is enough, for this ignorant view will deprive them of the blessings of providence and leave them forever vulnerable.

ARR