Stop Praying to God—Start Connecting to God

Have you ever felt like your prayers were going unanswered? What if the issue isn’t that God isn’t listening, but that we’ve misunderstood the purpose of prayer? Across religious traditions, prayer isn’t just about asking—it’s about connecting to the Divine. Let’s explore this transformative idea through the lens of both Arabic and Hebrew understandings of prayer.

1. Prayer Isn’t What You Think

In both Arabic and Hebrew, the words for prayer reveal meanings far deeper than simply asking for divine favors:

• In Arabic, the word for prayer, Ṣalāh (صلاة), comes from the root Ṣ-L-W, which can mean to connect, align, or bond. Prayer, therefore, is an act of building a connection with God—a way to align our inner selves with divine will.
• In Hebrew, Tefillah (תפילה) derives from פלל (P-L-L), meaning to judge or to evaluate oneself. This suggests that prayer is not about pleading but about introspection and aligning with divine attributes.

Together, these meanings highlight that prayer is more about self-transformation than external requests. It’s about creating a direct and personal bond with the Divine Light that’s already present, always radiating blessings.

2. The Problem Isn’t God—It’s the Curtains

Imagine sunlight flooding your house, but you’ve hung blackout curtains over the windows. Is the problem the sun? No—the light is there, but the curtains block it. In the same way, God’s blessings and light are always present, but our inner obstacles—the “curtains” we hang—keep us from receiving them.

These “curtains” are the reactive traits and emotions we cling to, like:

• Fear: “What if this doesn’t work out?”
• Anger: “How dare they!”
• Jealousy: “Why do they have that and I don’t?”
• Stubbornness: “I’m right, and they’re wrong!”

The true purpose of prayer is to remove these curtains, allowing God’s light to flow into our lives.

3. The Ego Is the Real Enemy

At the core of these curtains is the ego—the self-centered part of us that resists change and clings to negativity. The ego:

• Holds grudges like they’re treasures.
• Insists on being right, even at the cost of kindness.
• Whispers that the world owes us something.

Religious traditions across the world emphasize overcoming the ego as the key to divine connection:

• In Islam, the nafs (self) is seen as a barrier to spiritual growth and must be purified to approach Allah.
• In Kabbalistic Judaism, the ego blocks the flow of divine energy (Ein Sof) into one’s life.
• The Kolbrin Bible warns against selfish desires, which cloud spiritual understanding.

Breaking free from the ego is like removing those blackout curtains—it’s difficult but liberating.

4. Prayer as Connection and Self-Judgment

True prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind; it’s about changing ourselves. Both Ṣalāh and Tefillah emphasize self-transformation:

• In Islam,
• Ṣalāh connects us to divine alignment, focusing our hearts and minds on God’s guidance. Ṣalāh is described as a means of dhikr (remembrance), reconnecting the believer with Ellah’s presence. Surah Ta-Ha (20:14) says, “Establish prayer for My remembrance.”
• In Judaism, Tefillah asks us to judge our own actions, seeking to refine and purify our intentions.Tefillah involves self-reflection and aligning with divine attributes, such as justice, mercy, and humility.This redefines prayer as an act of aligning with divine principles, breaking down ego-driven barriers, and attuning oneself to God’s ever-present light.

When prayer becomes a tool for introspection and connection, it tears down the curtains of ego and allows the divine light to flood into our lives.

5. Why Prayers Go Unanswered

If divine blessings are always present, why do prayers often seem unanswered? The problem isn’t with God but with the way we approach prayer. Praying without addressing our inner barriers is like ordering a pizza but forgetting to provide an address—the blessings exist, but we’re not open to receiving them.

To truly connect with God, we must:

1. Recognize Our Curtains: Identify negative emotions like anger, fear, and jealousy.
2. Resist the Ego: Pause and choose a proactive, positive response instead of reacting impulsivel.

6. Practical Steps for Real Connection

To transform prayer into a tool for divine connection, consider these steps:

1. Reflect During Prayer Use prayer as a time to evaluate your behavior. Where can you grow? How can you better align with divine attributes?
2. Tear Down the Curtains When you feel anger, fear, or jealousy, pause. Acknowledge these emotions as barriers and consciously work to overcome them.
3. Seek Guidance from Sacred Texts Engage with texts like the Qur’an, the Zohar, or the Kolbrin Bible to gain wisdom and strengthen your spiritual resolve.
4. Shift from Asking to Connecting Instead of focusing on what you want, focus on aligning yourself with God’s will and attributes.

7. The Light Is Always Present

The Divine Light—God’s blessings, solutions, and peace—is always shining. Every time we remove a “curtain,” more light flows into our lives.

This is why the Qur’an states,

“God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (Surah 13:11).

When we stop praying as a plea and start praying as a connection, we open ourselves to the miracles that were always there.

Conclusion: Stop Praying, Start Connecting

Prayer is not about begging a distant God for favors; it’s about removing the inner barriers that block our connection to the Divine. It’s about aligning with the infinite light and blessings that are always present. So stop praying to God.

Start connecting with God. Tear down the curtains, resist the ego, and let the Light in. When you make this shift, you won’t just transform your prayer life—you’ll transform your entire life.