Therefore, all the words of prayers are reminders (who God is, who I am, what God has done and is doing for me, what I must do, etc.), a tuning fork (tuning one’s desire to the one need – life-service to Christ, for Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ… aspiration-burning in gratitude and joy for good deeds (which always yield the fruit of humility)), a map (of spiritual life, the route to the Kingdom of God, to becoming like Christ, union with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit; it is prayer (quality, zeal) that shows the catechumen his state, location on the way to the Kingdom of God) – therefore often need to resort to prayer so as not to cool down, not to get lost, not to fall into temptation…
“Not everyone who says to Me: Lord! Lord! – will enter the Kingdom of God, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” Therefore, all verbal prayers are reminders to me of the constant fulfillment of God’s will (recognizing it, and then fulfilling it). The main thing is not just to do something (fulfill my will!?), but to fulfill God’s will, God’s commandments, not human regulations, various traditions of the elders! Therefore, we labor prayerfully first to recognize God’s will about me here and now…
“In prayer, do not say unnecessary things, like the pagans,” do not try to magically enchant God, talk Him down, tell God about Himself to appease, incline Him to fulfill your will, your desires-whims, etc. God the Loving Father knows all our needs and requests even before we open our mouths or think about them! Therefore, the essence of all prayers is to give oneself to God (in trust and gratitude): ourselves, one another, and all our life to Christ our God!
The goal of all prayers (petitional, thanksgiving, glorifying, special…) is to give oneself to God’s will! This is what the Church teaches the catechumens at the end of each prayer: ourselves, one another, and all our life (with everything that fills it) to Christ our God; not as I want, Lord, but as You do, as is pleasing to You – let Your will be done! Prayer is giving oneself to God (renouncing oneself, one’s will) and accepting God’s will! Therefore, prayer is a prayer only when the prayer is in the state of humble self-giving and all one’s “problems”, “needs”, “fears”, “concerns”… everything of oneself – to God! And everything else (that does not aim to enter the state: let Your will be done, Lord! I renounce my will and everything of mine, and desire (want to desire, labor, strive so that this desire may be born in me by the gift of Grace) only Your will, only You, Lord, that You live and reign in me!) – this is pagan, heretical verbosity, magic, witchcraft, incantations, mantras, attempts to change God, imposing on God our plans and urging Him to implement them… that is, pagan (magical) use of God (as a faceless, unconscious, unfree force) for one’s own (selfish, sinful, godless) purposes! For Christians, the only goal, purpose, value – Jesus Christ! Therefore, God (Person, Hypostatic Freedom and Love, Truth, and Humility) cannot be used, and it is impossible, even if you want to! God can (and must) be given oneself in humble loving trust – ourselves… to Christ our God! Prayer is (frequent, very frequent, which strives for constancy) joyful, humble, repentant, trusting self-giving (and all of oneself) to God!
God is Love, therefore knows all our needs, generously gives every moment everything necessary for our Happiness, for repentance, for the movement to the goal, to deification (we, by God’s mercy, by God’s providence-care, are every moment in paradise, in the best conditions for our self-realization for salvation, for good – whether we know this or not, whether we pray to God or not, whether we remember God or not, whether we believe in the existence of God the Creator or are foolish atheists – God Loves us and Lovingly (unconditionally – all and always) constantly cares for us!!!). Therefore, there is no need to ask God for anything – more than you have, God cannot give you (God is Love!), God gives every person every moment all His Love!!! So why then do supplicatory prayers exist, supplications?! All prayers (including supplicatory ones) are needed by us, not by God! So that we come to our senses, realize who we are, who God is, where everything we have comes from and what it means, what it is all for (the whole world)! Therefore, we need to ask from the One Who has long given everything abundantly (selflessly, forever, not just given to later take away, or to make me His slave, to buy me and then use me for His purposes), to humble ourselves, that is, to recognize the Gift, Love by the given (to the one who is unworthy of this given – the last sinner, debtor of an unpayable debt, unworthy servant)!
Therefore, all prayers (thanksgiving, supplication, glorification…) are for humility, to realize that my only need is to give myself to God, and in this act of self-surrender, to receive God into myself, to attain the Holy Spirit! The Kingdom of God belongs to the humble, poor in spirit, who accept the Gift (adoption in Christ), long bestowed (prepared from the creation of the world, and lovingly offered every moment)! Prayerful words (“prayers”) are needed to maintain the state of humble (in a spirit of contrition, repentance) self-surrender in thanksgiving (doing good, fulfilling God’s commandments) to the Lord!