Prayer​—Empty Ritual or Meaningful Communication?

JANUARY 1 to 3 is the most important holiday in Japan, lasting several days as everyone seeks to start the new year right. Well over half the population of Japan visited a shrine or temple during the first three days of 1979 to pray for success and good luck during the coming year.

If you had gone with them, what would you have seen?

Here is a person ceremonially cleansing his mouth and hands at a fountain by the entrance gate to a Shinto shrine. Now he walks up to the shrine and puts something into a large offertory box. Next, he reaches overhead and grasps a thick multi-colored cord. As he whips it, a wooden block clashes against a bell, making a dissonant “Clank! Clank!” He releases the cord and claps his hands together several times, then holds them together as he makes a number of deep bows. Turning, he leaves. Thus a prayer has been said.

But who heard it? Was it merely empty ritual? This worshiper sincerely believes that his prayer was heard.

Before leaving the shrine precincts he will jostle his way over to a booth to buy a talisman or amulet, perhaps a simple piece of paper with Chinese characters written on it, or an arrow with good-luck charms dangling from it.

What did he pray for? Most likely peace, security, happiness and wealth. As one Shinto priest put it: “They offer 100, 1,000 or 10,000 yen [$.50, $5, $50, U.S.] but they pray for hundreds of thousands, even millions. They give little but want much.”

While many Japanese visit temples only at the beginning of the new year, just as certain nominal Christians visit churches only at Easter, the devout make regular visits. Many homes feature a kamidana, a shelf for Shinto images, and/​or a butsudan, the family Buddhist altar. Here family members can offer up prayers by lighting a candle from which they light incense. Kneeling before such an altar, they first strike a chime with a small wooden stick and then recite over and over again a written prayer or some memorized words such as “Namu-Amida-Butsu” (Glory to Amida Buddha). This may be repeated in singsong monotony for 20 minutes, even for hours.

What of those Japanese who profess Christianity? They might be found going into a church building where they kneel for a few minutes, praying silently or perhaps in a whisper. Some read their prayers from a book. Among them are persons who pray here frequently, while others come only at times of special trial. Others, with a string of beads, recite a memorized expression each time a bead is advanced in their fingers. At intervals during this ritual they may fix their gaze on a crucifix or the image of a particular saint.

There are so many ways that people offer up prayers! Without doubt they are participated in by devout and sincere persons. But regarding all such prayers we do well to ask: Is meaningful communication taking place​—or is it just empty ritual?

[Picture on page 5]

Written prayers tied to branch at a Shinto shrine

Why and How You Pray​—Does It Matter?

“OH, KAMI-SAMA,a please help me pass the exam. Because I haven’t prepared for the test well enough, I’m depending solely on you.” Written prayers like this are offered at religious shrines all over Japan as highly competitive exam time draws near. Concerned grandparents of students make offerings of 10,000 yen ($50, U.S.) so that daily prayers will be said for a year in behalf of the scholastic efforts of their grandchildren.

Many of the students who flock to shrines at this time of year have little faith in God. “No, I don’t usually believe in God,” one said. “But I pray for divine help only in times of trouble.”

Their attitude illustrates the Japanese proverb: “Lean on God when in trouble.”

But what happens when the crisis is past? God is usually forgotten until the next crisis.

What Do People Pray For?

Usually, people pray because they want something. A Western magazine article cited the prayers of children, most of which were requests: “Dear God: I need a raise in my allowance. Could you have one of your angels tell my father? Thank you.” “Could you please send our family some money?” “Please help me in school.”

In Japan it is customary to visit shrines at the beginning of the new year and offer prayers to Ebisu, the God of Wealth. Vast numbers of Japanese did so last year, with over three million people visiting certain shrines in Kyoto and Tokyo alone, to pray for money in the coming months.

Persons desiring protection from accident or disaster visit Japanese temples for Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, as well as Shinto shrines.

Philippine Catholics may pray to the “Santo Niño,” or “Holy Child,” for good luck. One man bought a 14-karat gold crown studded with real rubies and diamonds for his statue of Santo Niño in gratitude for the financial help he believed the image had given him.

Some prayers express appreciation, but far more are requests​—for almost anything.

Will the Prayer Be Answered?

For each person who feels that his prayers for success or money have been answered, there are many who are disappointed. Vast numbers of Tokyo students pray for help during exams to enter private high schools, but only 22 percent score well enough to be admitted. Most lose out. Why weren’t their prayers heard?

A family of five visited a Shinto shrine to have their car exorcised to protect it from accident. Driving away from the shrine, they hit a bridge abutment and all five were killed. What went wrong? Consider:

To Whom Are You Praying?

Japanese students often direct their prayers to Michizane Sugawara, long venerated as the “God of Learning.” Mr. Sugawara was a ninth-century Japanese poet and scholar. He has been dead for a thousand years. Is it logical to believe he can really help to improve a person’s test scores?

The truth is that, in Japan’s highly competitive exams, most of Mr. Sugawara’s petitioners evidently do not have their prayers answered. That should not be surprising. On this matter common sense agrees with the Bible. It says of dead persons: “They are conscious of nothing at all . . . there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [the grave].” (Eccl. 9:5, 10) Mr. Sugawara, who is presently in Sheol, cannot help any student whether he has studied well enough or not to pass his exams.

What about prayers offered to images, such as the Buddhist Kannon, or to any other image? Simple observation shows that the world is full of persons who pray to such images for success and happiness, yet who remain unsuccessful and unhappy. Why?

If prayers to a dead person are not helpful, would prayers to a lifeless image be any better? Reasonably, no. Again, the Bible gives a viewpoint of matters in harmony with common sense, saying of images: They are “the work of the hands of earthling man. A mouth they have, but they cannot speak; eyes they have, but they cannot see; ears they have, but they cannot hear. A nose they have, but they cannot smell. Hands are theirs, but they cannot feel. Feet are theirs, but they cannot walk; they utter no sound with their throat. Those making them will become just like them, all those who are trusting in them.”​—Ps. 115:4-8.

“The Hearer of Prayer”

Does this bleak summary mean that all prayer is futile? Not at all. Many sincere prayers are answered every day, as the following article will indicate. What is necessary, however, is to pray to the right person. But who would that be?

Would it not logically be someone infinitely more powerful and wise than a mere inanimate image, or even a dead human being? Should it not also be a person who has shown a sincere interest in humankind and a loving desire to help? Since no human person has the needed power, one would have to pray to a superhuman person, and what superhuman person could be more powerful than the Creator of all things?

Yes, in harmony with the Bible, common sense tells us that we should direct our prayers, not to fellow creatures like ourselves, nor to the lifeless creations of man, such as images, but to the living Creator of the universe.

Which of the many gods and spirits worshiped today fits that description? Notice how clearly this God is identified in the Bible: “For this is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the true God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it . . . ‘I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.’”​—Isa. 45:18.

But is this mighty Creator truly interested in the prayers of his human creation? Or is he indifferent to man’s plight as are the callous gods of so many religions? Notice this warm description: “O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all flesh will come.”​—Ps. 65:2.

Thus the Bible describes Jehovah God as the great Hearer of prayer. He invites the sincere prayers of people of all cultures and backgrounds. ‘That sounds good,’ you might say. ‘But does the record bear out that description?’ Yes, indeed!

About 3,500 years ago, long before Confucius or Buddha were born, the historical record tells us that Jehovah God ‘heard the groaning’ of his worshipers who were slaves in Egypt. He answered their prayers by sending Moses to deliver them.​—Ex. 3:6-10.

Five hundred years later his faithful servant King David could truthfully say: “Blessed be Jehovah, for he has heard the voice of my entreaties.” (Ps. 28:6) A thousand years later God’s Son, Jesus Christ, showed that his Father had not changed, by promising: “Most truly I say to you, If you ask the Father for anything he will give it to you in my name.” (John 16:23) This is still true!

‘Ask in My Name’

But why does the Bible indicate that we must approach God in the name of Jesus? Why can’t we pray directly to Jehovah God?

The fact is that Jehovah God has answered the sincere prayers of many persons who did not know that they should approach him in the name of Jesus Christ. Indeed, such persons have often prayed simply to “God,” without even knowing his personal name, Jehovah. They have generally prayed for knowledge of God, indicating a desire to serve him, and their prayers have been heard in countless cases.​—Acts 17:26, 27.

But as these sincere persons have grown in knowledge of the true God, they have adjusted their prayers in harmony with that knowledge. Just as they have learned to make use of God’s name, Jehovah, they have also learned to make use of his channel for prayer, Jesus Christ. This reflects their humility, a quality that Jehovah God approves.

Humility? Yes, because it takes humility for us to admit that we are sinful, imperfect. We would not think of requesting an audience with the ruler of our country if we had only rags to wear and were not washed, would we? Likewise, a humble person realizes that he has no right to a direct hearing with God in an unclean, imperfect state. So humble persons are grateful that the clean, perfect Son of God is willing to represent them before his Father. They are thankful to be able to address their prayers to Jehovah in the name of Jesus Christ.

What counts in prayer to Jehovah God is not necessarily our location or posture, nor our external appearance. It is not necessary to pay money so that someone more “holy” than ourselves can pray for us, since all men are imperfect and unclean in His sight. (Rom. 3:23) What is God looking for? “To this one, then, I shall look,” Jehovah says, “to the one afflicted and contrite in spirit and trembling at my word.”​—Isa. 66:2.

Does this mean that if we want more money or success with our exams we need only to shift our prayers to Jehovah God, praying for these things in the name of Jesus Christ? No. Usually, a policeman would not help you to break the law, would he? Likewise, God logically will not help you unless what you ask for is in harmony with his will. Otherwise, God would forever be contradicting himself.

“According to His Will”

The Bible clearly says this: “No matter what it is that we ask according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14) This is because Jehovah is a God of justice. His natural laws, such as gravity, reflect that, being applied equally to everyone. If you did not study for an exam, would it be just for God to intervene and cause you to score better than others who did study? Really, it would not be fair to the other students, would it?

The basic things God expects us to pray for are contained in the following Model Prayer, given by Jesus Christ. Notice the priorities in it: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.”​—Matt. 6:9-13.

Jehovah God expects persons who pray to him to be more concerned about his will and purposes than about their own goals and ambitions. That is only reasonable, since God knows what is best for all of us. There is nothing wrong with praying for material things, our ‘daily bread,’ but nothing is said about praying for riches. Rich people are usually not concerned about God. Notice that God is pleased with prayers that show concern for him and his purpose first, and ourselves second. Such prayers are all too rare today.

Is there any evidence that such prayers are truly being heard and answered today? Really, does it pay to pray?

[Footnotes]

Does It Pay to Pray?

GOD has always approved of prayers such as this one: “Teach me your regulations.” (Ps. 119:68) Numerous modern-day examples show that he is very much interested in answering such prayers.

An elderly Japanese woman daily offered up rice, water and incense on her kamidana, or Shinto ‘god’ shelf. One day, as she clasped her hands together, she thought, “If there is a true God, teach me who you are before I die.”

No sooner had she completed her prayer than the door opened (in Japan it is customary to open the door and call out) and a voice cried out, “Excuse me, please!” When the elderly lady went to the entrance of her house the visitor politely told her she had come to talk to her about the “true God.” Her prayer had been heard and answered! She began to study the Bible and has now learned a great deal about Jehovah, the living Creator and Hearer of prayer.

It is not unusual for Jehovah God to answer sincere prayers for knowledge about Him even before the petitioner has completed his request. In Europe a man was in his apartment making such a fervent request when he heard a thump at the door. He ran to the door and threw it open. A person passing his room had accidentally bumped the door with his briefcase and kept walking.

The householder called out to the two men in the hallway. He was not fluent in the language of the country, but the two men spoke his native language. What was more, they were Bible teachers! They had visited that building to call on another person who had not been at home that day. Overjoyed, the householder arranged on the spot to start a regular Bible study. His prayer for knowledge of God had surely been answered. Not all answers to prayer come so quickly, but God does hear and answer those who sincerely want to know him and his requirements.

Have you wanted to know more about the true God, the Creator of all things? Would you be willing to do his will if it were revealed to you? This very magazine may well be the answer to your prayers. By getting in contact with the publishers, or any of Jehovah’s Witnesses, you too may arrange to obtain answers to your questions about God.

Another type of prayer that God approves is for help to do his will. The psalmist David testifies that his prayers were answered: “I earnestly hoped in Jehovah, and so he inclined his ear to me and heard my cry for help.” Why? Consider David’s desire: “To do your will, O my God, I have delighted.”​—Ps. 40:1, 8.

A salaried employee needed time off from his work to attend a school for training Christian elders. It was a very busy time of year for his company and he felt it would be impossible for him to get time off from work, but he prayed to Jehovah God for guidance and went into the manager’s office with his request. He was joyfully surprised when the manager said: “Yes, you may take off the time; it sounds like a good arrangement.”

In Hokkaido, Japan, a Christian man who was an experienced carpenter felt that he could do God’s will by assisting in a Christian construction project. Carpenters were very badly needed on this project at the time, but the man had numerous family obligations. With the encouragement of his wife, he prayed for Jehovah’s help to arrange matters.

This man had a family business, making and delivering tofu (a soybean curd that is very popular in Japan). While he was out of town helping with the construction project, who would deliver the tofu to his customers? That problem was solved when a man came to his house, wondering if the family knew where he might find a job. “Do you have a driver’s license?” he was asked. “Yes,” was the reply. “Then you have a job right here.”

But who would supervise the making and packaging of the tofu? The man’s three children pitched in and made tofu early in the morning during his absence. Even the five-year-old boy helped out by putting the floating curd cakes into plastic packs. In fact, he packed several hundred cakes without breaking one, something even an experienced adult may find difficult to do!

The man’s wife had previously been concerned about some health problems, but these vanished during his absence. In short, as this man prayed to do God’s will and worked in harmony with his prayers, every obstacle was smoothed out.

Answers to Your Prayers

Are your prayers being answered? Do you feel that you have really gotten to know God? Does your life have the deep sense of purpose and meaning that it should? Have you prayed for God’s help to know and do his will? If so, your prayers will be answered.

But what will you do about it? It is one thing to pray to God for his direction. It is something else to accept his direction when your prayer is answered. Jesus illustrated this by saying that a certain man went up to his child and said, “Child, go work today in the vineyard.” In answer the child said, “I will, sir,” but he did not go out.​—Matt. 21:28-32.

Many people today give God lip service, but do not really want to do his will. They want God to serve them, but they are not interested in serving God. They want help on exams, or money, or good luck, not so they can better serve God, but just for selfish reasons. (Jas. 4:3) Answers that God does give in harmony with his will they choose to ignore.

On the other hand, if you are one of the minority of persons today who really do wish to know God, to please him, to see his will done earth wide​—then you may rest assured that he will favorably answer your prayers. Jehovah’s Witnesses will be glad to assist you to learn more about the true God, the Hearer of prayer. And he will prove to you, if you let him, that it does pay to pray.