The Role of the Heart in Prayer
January 21, 2008
We casually say things like, “I believe it with all my heart,” or, “I know it in my heart;” but we rarely consider the literal reality of these sayings — or why there are so many of them, or why they endure through time. We talk about the heart almost metaphorically — or completely metaphorically; but few people realize that the heart is actually a “THINKING” organ. This is no metaphor; this is a literal, scientific, medical fact — and a timeless spiritual truth. The head (brain) thinks; the heart KNOWS.
“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” ~Proverbs 23:7
A well-known teaching on prayer says, “Whatsoever you desire, when you stand in prayer, believing, will be given to you.” Prayer is a mental exercise; we think about “whatsoever we desire” in a way we hope will give us the best chance of experiencing our desire. But prayer alone is not enough; Belief is a key factor in the formula for successful prayer. Thinking a thought is one thing; feeling a thought is an entirely separate matter. Prayer is a thinking process; and belief is a thinking-feeling process that you can infuse your prayer with.
The heart is where wisdom is believed to “enter” our body — energetically, or spiritually speaking. The HeartMath Institute has extensive research suggesting that the heart knows the truth and communicates it to the brain before the brain “decides” what information to act on. Unfortunately, we don’t always listen to our Hearts! We have all felt that “flash” of heartfelt inspiration; though it is often too subtle to grasp firmly when it comes. If you’ve ever said, “I KNEW I should have done that!,” or, “I KNOW better than that!,” then you have become aware of the subtle part of you that whispers the truth before you have a chance to THINK your way into difficulties. Have you ever heard the old saying, “Think long, think wrong…”?
The researchers at The HeartMath Institute have also done extensive research on the electromagnetic field around the heart, commonly called the heart torus. This field can be relatively small, or it can extend to fill an entire room; the difference seems to be based on the mood of the person — good moods & positive energy = BIG electromagnetic field. This torus is the same (except in size) as the magnetic torus around the Earth and the Sun — and every other living entity. We are all surrounded by a magnetic field that can now be “seen,” and photographed, by several medical devices.
Whenever you are in a room and someone walks in and seems to “brighten up” the mood, you are experiencing the effects of a rather large heart torus. Likewise, when someone walks in and you get “bad vibes,” you are simply picking up the chaotic vibrations of that person’s electromagnetic field. When “good vibrations” are present, the heart is a powerful attractor; when those vibrations are absent, or chaotic, there is little or no attractive power.
Imagine an electromagnet in a metal scrap yard. The magnet won’t pick up anything unless there is energy running through it; but when there is, the electromagnetism DRAWS the desired material to it. When the flow is removed, and energy is no longer being invested into holding on to the metal, the electromagnetic field shrinks and the metal falls away. Our thoughts determine what we focus our attention on, and the kinds of thoughts (positive/negative, etc…) we think; and our will-power, or discipline, determines how long we are able to focus on our desires. When we think about what we want in a certain way, we begin to believe it; and we can feel it in our heart. A prayer is just a thought until you believe it in your heart — literally. When you have moved your thought into your heart, and you can feel it, your answer is assured.
“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” – Muhammad Ali
Your heart draws your desire to you, or guides you to your desire. In either case, you are “drawn,” or “attracted,” to your desire by feelings that were stimulated by your thoughts. Man has pondered the workings of the heart for ages; but the mind can only know so much about the heart — just as a man can only know so much about being a woman. You can think anything you want, but if you want to experience your thoughts as reality, you must feel your thoughts in your heart.
Thus far, I have been speaking of practical prayer, or creative thinking — prayer intended to present our preferences to our mind and the Universe at large. But even thinking fearful thoughts, and feeling fear in your heart, will draw that which you “greatly fear” into your experience. It would be nice to think that our mind was only registering and transmitting the good, happy, positive thoughts, but any thought you feel in your heart is drawing experience to you — “According to your beliefs it is done to you.” If you believe a thing in your heart, you will experience some version of it in your body and life.
“Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.” ~Proverbs 3:5-6
Here is the link to HeartMath: http://www.heartmath.com/
Also, you can check out Emotional Mastery.com for interesting information, articles, and interviews about HeartMath and their products. To visit Emotional Mastery.com, go to: http://www.emotionalmastery.com/
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