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Pray Only to God

Papa, why do we pray in silence?

We pray in silence because God hears us whether we pray in silence or out loud. He knows the number of hairs on your head, the number of molecules in your body, and he knows what's in your heart.

But why do we pray in silence?

Well, let me tell you. You know that you can go to God for anything, don't you?

I know that.

Well, he hears everything and responds to everything. He knows what you need, what you want, before you ask. Sometimes, when you ask him for something, he says no, because he also knows what's good for you and what's not good for you. So you shouldn't expect that he'll answer every request. But when you pray out loud, you have to be careful about what you say, so that what you say isn't heard by the Djin.

The Djin?

Yes, the Djin. Some people think that God is like a wishing well and that you just make a wish and he grants it. Well, it doesn't work like that and you shouldn't approach the Father in that way. He loves you and wants the best for you and will listen to your requests and weigh whether this is going to be a good thing or a bad thing for you. You know, I do the same thing with you.

I know that. That sort of makes sense. But what about the Djin?

Well, the Djin are always hanging around, lurking, listening. You can't see them, but they hope to catch a human's wish—and then they grant it.

That's bad? I wouldn't mind that.

Oh, yes you would. Now when God grants a request, you're assured that it's good for you and always comes with his blessings for you. Not when a Djin grants the wish, though. If a Djin hears your wish, he can grant it, because he has the power to do that, and when he grants the wish, it comes true.

So why's that bad?

It's bad for two reasons. One, it may not be the best thing for you, and could be the worst thing to happen. Two, it always comes with a price. You see, when God grants your request, he does this out of a love that's not tied to anything you've done or ever could do. We call that unconditional: it doesn't rest on anything. You can't do anything to make God grant your request and you don't have to give God anything as a reward for his blessings. He already has everything, and doesn't need anything. The Djin, on the other hand—they always expect something in return for granting a wish. So the request you make might end up being something really evil for you, and you still have to pay the Djin something.

I don't understand why having a wish granted would give me something evil. I mean, it's something I want.

Yes, it's something you want, desire, at the time. That's why we have to be careful about the things we desire—some of them are good for us and some aren't. That doesn't mean, in the big picture, that it's what's best for you. Let's say you want a tattoo of a bug on your forehead. You really want that tattoo and so you pray out loud that God will allow you to have a tattoo of a bug on your forehead. Now God knows that having a tattoo of a bug on your forehead isn't really a good thing for you to have, but the Djin want you to have what you want, so the Djin, who hears your prayer, steps in and grants your wish. Ten years later, you can't get your dream job as a bank executive because you have a tattoo of a bug on your forehead. You also can't get a lot of things, with a bug tattoo on your face, but this is just an example.

I understand that much. How do the Djin get their reward?

They get their reward when what they've given to you is balanced by having something taken away from you.

What do you mean?

Let's say that you want to win the state lottery. You're convinced that money is going to solve all of your problems and the state lottery is the answer, at least at the moment. So you pray out loud and a Djin hears your prayer and delights in granting your wish. You win the big state lottery and now you're very, very rich. Because this is a gift of a Djin, not a gift from God, it is going to have consequences that will force the reward to be balanced by having something taken away from you—maybe it's the death of your child, or the loss of your wife, or your accountant helps you cheat on your taxes and you end up spending twenty years in federal prison, and your money is confiscated—

—I think I get it.

And the Djin has his reward when there's balance.

So I should pray in silence.

God will hear your pray. Be careful who you allow to hear what's in your heart.