By Paramahansa Yogananda

When you pray to God, do it from the bottom of your soul. Tell what you truly feel and not what you think He would like you to feel. Be completely sincere towards Him, because there is no way you can hide your inner feelings from Him. An intense prayer gives you a very strong mental force. Your thoughts will then be focused and centred upon Him. Without honesty, this won’t happen. If you don’t feel any state of devotion, pray to Him like this: “God, help me love You.”

He is for you exactly what you really need and He will do for you much more than you can ever imagine.

More than anything, search Him for Himself, for His love. Ask Him: “Father, reveal Yourself to me!” If you ask Him to come to you in such a sincere way, He will certainly be always there for you.

Don’t ever pray with a beggar’s attitude. Don’t ever forget that you are a child of God. So, as such, you have a right to His treasures. Pray to Him and at the same time be sure that He is listening to you, because He will certainly fulfill all your prayers if you pray with love. (…)

A firm faith and love are the most important elements in prayer. (…)

How should you love God? Love Him as a poor man loves money, as a drowned man longs for a breath of air, as a man lost in the desert longs for a glass of water. Love Him with the enthusiasm of all lovers during their first love.

When you learn how to love Him from all your heart, then you will find Him. It is only then that you will be a true yogi, a human being who has reached the union with God.

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US Yoga Academy