The «Our Father» prayer

First and foremost, one must learn to preserve love when fate heals you. Learn to feel the Divine will in everything. Everything that happens to you is sent from above for your good. If fortune visits you, it means you are subjected to a temptation that needs to be passed. If it’s misfortune, it’s a trial that also needs to be overcome. One must be able to detach from both happiness and misery and maintain a sense of the presence of the Divine will.

The «Our Father» prayer helps maintain love and detach from attachment to the body, spirit, and soul. This prayer begins with complete and absolute acceptance of the Divine will:

«Hallowed be Thy Name…»

The Name is an encoded function. We worship the Creator and accept everything He does, we accept the Kingdom of God. Someone's kingdom is a territory where everyone obeys the ruler's instructions. In the Kingdom of God, people fully accept the Divine will, understanding that it is paramount. Absolute internal acceptance of the Divine will is what unites us with God, when a person feels himself to be a child of God.

Further, the «Our Father» prayer states that we strive to satisfy the needs of the body, spirit, and soul, but only the Creator determines whether or not we will succeed. The more we accept the Divine will, the less we fear for our tomorrow. Condemnation of people goes away, as does the fear of losing spiritual values. We can overcome lust, forgo pleasure for the love of God.

The prayer ends as it begins, with absolute acceptance of the Divine will. The essence of the «Our Father» prayer lies in the fact that the Divine will is our essence.

We are all children of the Creator, our souls were born in Him and came from Him. The Creator's desire is also our desire. The more we accept the Divine will, the more we overcome pride and feel ourselves to be one with the Creator. The more we feel happiness from caring for our soul, the closer we approach God.

Rejecting the Divine will, regretting the past, fearing the future, dissatisfaction with the present, the people around us, and the world, the inability to feel the Creator in every person—all these are forms of pride.

First, you need to learn to preserve love, and then to support and increase it. Love grows when we care, sacrifice, and make people around us happy. Love increases when restraining animal desires and instincts at the level of the body, spirit, and soul.

Various techniques—solitude, silence, fasting, prayer, abstinence, detaching from all plans and hopes—are periodically necessary for all of us, as they help restrain the human «I».

Learn to switch off thoughts, let go of control over the situation, and live by feeling. We think with feelings and images. Thinking is a superficial process, duplicating what we feel.

After death, the brain stops functioning, but a person continues to think, see, analyze. We simultaneously undergo two thought processes: at the level of the soul and at the level of the mind. True thinking is thinking with the soul. The Divine «I» operates on the principle of «I want,» not on the principle of «should — should not» or «profitable — unprofitable.» To live by feeling means to live, primarily guided by the soul. Feelings pertain to the soul, while thought pertains to the body.

A person's feelings are oriented towards the needs of his soul, while thoughts are oriented towards the needs of the body. Tune into the Divine, pray, and try to switch off your thoughts. Live by feelings based on the principle of «I want.»

As Saint Augustine said: «Love God and do what you want.»

It will be difficult at first, but then you will be surprised to realize that it is possible to live without thoughts in your head, that feelings are much wiser than thoughts. Blessed are the poor in spirit, that is, those who live and are guided by feelings, not thoughts. Try it, and you will achieve certain successes.

S. N. Lazarev, «Faces of Pride»