With so much turmoil in this world today I think it is inevitable to be affected in some way by all the sorrow and tragedy that is engulfing too many people and places. What better way to help ourselves and the world then by meditation and prayer...

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Paramahansa stressed that the negative vibrations of selfishness, greed, and hatred — which bring disease and unhappiness to individuals, war and natural disaster to nations — can be overcome if enough men and women turn to God in meditation and prayer. By changing ourselves — through spiritual living and communion with the Divine — we automatically radiate vibrations of peace and harmony that do much to counteract the negative effects of inharmonious living.

Thus, as a channel for the healing power of God, prayer for others is one of the highest services we can offer. Material charity, social welfare work, and other forms of relief are valuable and necessary in temporarily alleviating the suffering of others, but scientific prayer strikes at the root-cause of the world’s suffering: the wrong thought-patterns of mankind.

Paramahansa Yogananda

To pray somehow is within our power, but to pray purely is the gift of grace. So offer to God what it is within your power to offer. Bring to Him at first just quantity (which is within your power), and God will pour upon you strength in your weakness. "Prayer, dry and distracted maybe, but continuous, will establish a habit and become second nature and turn itself into prayer that is pure, luminous, flaming, and worthy."

"From having all these and other feelings I noted that interior prayer bears fruit in three ways: in the spirit, in the feelings, and in revelations. In the first, for instance, is the sweetness of the love of God, inward peace, gladness of mind, purity of thought, and the sweet remembrance of God. In the second, the pleasant warmth of the heart, fullness of delight in all one’s limbs, the joyous "bubbling" in the heart, lightness and courage, the joy of living, power not to feel sickness and sorrow. And in the last, light given to the mind, understanding of holy Scripture, knowledge of speech of created things, freedom from fuss and vanity, knowledge of the joy of the inner life, and finally certainty of the nearness of God and His love for us."

The Way of a Pilgrim