Why is it necessary to pray? #

Prayer has two aspects. First, prayer is communication with God, during which those praying express to the Divine their requests, thanksgiving, and praise. In prayer, a person pours out to God both joy and sorrow, repentance, and longing for the heavenly abode. Second, prayer is any supplication. Strictly speaking, one can petition, entreat, or implore not only God but also other people, whether living or those who have departed to the Lord. Therefore, when we speak of prayer, we mean both prayer addressed to God and prayer directed to the holy servants of God who pleased the Lord with their lives, departed this world, and have been glorified by God in His Kingdom.

Every person in a difficult situation turns to someone for help—either to people nearby who can assist or to God and His holy servants, who are unseen to the bodily eyes but invisibly present and who can and do help in miraculous ways those who turn to them in prayer with faith. People living near us may come to our aid, but those who are glorified among the ranks of the saints, and especially the Lord God Himself, help far more than the frail people around us. Therefore, we must pray to those who provide divine assistance. Only proud and self-reliant individuals claim they do not need God’s help and rely solely on their own strength.

A person who has prayed sincerely even once experiences the reality of communion with God and continues to pray even when all is well in life. They no longer need to ask for anything, but their soul longs to commune with the Divine. This need leads believers to cultivate the “unceasing prayer” taught by St. Paul the Apostle. Even in this life, they begin to enter into what will fill the lives of those in paradise—unceasing glorification and thanksgiving to the Lord. This unceasing prayer of paradise can begin even in this earthly life if a person strives to live in the fear of the Lord, to “walk before God,” and to pray without ceasing.

Priest Mikhail Rodin.