Some people think that if they just pray to God, he will fix their problems.
However, such outsourcing of problems to God is problematic. If our problem doesn’t get fixed, we lose faith in God. If our problem gets fixed, we start expecting that our other problems will be similarly fixed. And that expectation sets us up for frustration because life sometimes presents problems that just can’t be cured; they need to be endured.
How, then, can we better relate with God? By honoring the nature and role that God has given us.
The Bhagavad-gita (15.07) indicates that we all are souls who are parts of God, Krishna. He has made all of us as conscious beings. And he has given us intelligence, initiative and talent. We are meant to use these gifts for playing our part in the unfolding of a divine plan for our lives, thereby contributing socially and connecting spiritually with our Lord.
The Bhagavad-gita demonstrates such an initiative-centered approach to God. At the start of the Gita, Arjuna is mortified at the prospect of a catastrophic war and asks Krishna for help. By the end of the Gita, Krishna has not fixed Arjuna’s problem: the agonizing war still confronts Arjuna. But Krishna has fixed Arjuna: the Gita’s message has fixed Arjuna’s confusion, thereby fixing him in devotional determination to shoulder his responsibility (18.78).
Learning from the Gita, we can avoid making our relationship with God conditional to his fixing our problems. Instead, we can pray that our relationship with him becomes fixed so that we can face life’s problems gracefully. Being thus devotionally fixed, we can fix problems that are solvable and not fixate on problems that are unsolvable, growing through both in everlasting spiritual realization.
Think it over:
- What is the problem with outsourcing our problems to God?
- By speaking the Gita, what did Krishna do and not do for Arjuna?
- What prayer is most conducive to our spiritual growth?
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18.78 Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
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Very illuminating article. Many times we do approach God to solve our problems. But this article very logically clarifies why such an approach can frustrate us as some problems can’t be cured, but have to be endured. Instead we should pray to God for fixing our relationship with him and with that fixity in our consciousness, we can face our problems with determination and grow in our spiritual lives. Thank you for this article!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Very illuminating words, applicable through out our life and at all stages.