The most universal expression of spirituality is prayer. Even in the secular western world most people say they pray – but probably for things to change for their benefit. However, real prayer is about getting our lives and actions in line with what God wants. It’s like being in a boat and reaching out with a boathook. I don’t pull the shore to me; I pull myself to the shore. Prayer is not about pulling God to my will, it’s aligning my will to God’s.
In Solzhenitsyn’s famous novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Ivan, a political prisoner, is praying silently with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says: ‘Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster.’ Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, ‘I do not pray to get out of prison, I pray to do the will of God.’
That’s the essence of prayer.