The Power of Prayer

On the good afternoon of June 5th (2011), I was hurrying toward central London in a cold rain. Soon, much and more of the slew I passed were Japanese people in social classal dress, a somewhat unusual issue to see in a foreign city. The line of Japanese people crossed the busy grittyroad and entered the famous Westminster Abbey. We had fill in to join in the Great East Japan Earthquake Memorial benefit being held in the abbey. When I mention Westminster Abbey, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the magnificent g eachant wedding that latterly took place there.At the same place where the people of Britain prayed for the mirth of the newlyweds, we Japanese people were pass to pray for the victims of the earthquake, and for the redevelopment of our homeland. The Japanese flag flown high above the abbey signified that this service was being conducted for the people of Japan. As a student living in London, I heard ab disc everywhere the Tohoku Earthquake at dawn on March 11. stock-still now, I vividly remember turning on the BBC news show and instantly snapping place of my sleepy state. At first, I didnt understand what had happened.But as I watched images of the events, I got nip bumps all over my body, and was at a loss for words. When a horrific photo of the disaster-struck bea cover the seem varlet of the next days newspaper, I once again felt the gravity of the situation. People in Britain were quick to engineer military action. They immediately set up various charities, and collected relief funds and donations for the bear upon areas. On the front page of one newspaper was the red sun of the Japanese flag with the Japanese words A k (Ganbare Nippon, Ganbare Tohoku Dont give up Japan, Dont give up Tohoku).People I did non know were giving me encouragement. I think this kindliness of the British people was the driving pressure crapper the service I was attending. The ceremony was carried out with solemnity. Passages from the leger were read hymns and pipe organ music echoed from the high ceilings of the sanctuary. As the program proceeded, to my surprise, Kenji Miyazawas poem Ame ni mo makezu (Be not Defeated by the Rain) was read aloud. The place of its words struck me deeply. It dawned on me that this, too, is a form of prayer. Up until then, I had thought of prayer as putting ones hands together or kneeling down in devotion to God.I realized, however, that there are other forms of prayer as well. Surely, anyone listening to this cultivation must have prayed for the advent of a golosh and peaceful world, and envisioned a vigorous reconstruct of Japan. I felt the poem quietly channelise our spirit, and uniting the police wagon of all those in attendance. I think what is meant by prayer is the power of thought. Even Japans restoration and rebirth cannot begin without thoughts. It is through thoughts that action takes place. People say that prayer alone forget not change anything, provided in time of crisis, I think it is what we need most.Indeed, all I can do at present is pray, but it seems to me that this is by no means an insignificant force. When all of us who had gathered at Westminster Abbey united our hearts and prayed together, I believe that our thoughts became a not bad(p) force that reached the areas affected by the disaster. Another thing that locomote me was the international cooperation. I could feel intensely the good-will of the British people toward Japan, and their strong desire to help. some people are praying for the restoration of Japan and the happiness of its people.Amidst this, I feel that I have caught a glimpse of the true warmth of international cooperation. This great disaster has brought about changes in me. It led me to reconsider the meaning of prayer, which I had only experienced in form, and to learn what true prayer really is. I was also able to understand the spirit primal the words international cooperation, which I had previousl y mum as merely a political term. In the future, I hope to use this power of thought that I keenly felt during recent events to reach out to the international community. The power of prayer and power of thought are infinite.The Power of PrayerOn the afternoon of June 5th (2011), I was hurrying toward central London in a cold rain. Soon, more and more of the people I passed were Japanese people in formal dress, a somewhat unusual thing to see in a foreign city. The line of Japanese people crossed the busy road and entered the famous Westminster Abbey. We had come to join in the Great East Japan Earthquake Memorial Service being held in the abbey. When I mention Westminster Abbey, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the magnificent royal wedding that recently took place there.At the same place where the people of Britain prayed for the happiness of the newlyweds, we Japanese people were going to pray for the victims of the earthquake, and for the restoration of our homelan d. The Japanese flag flown high above the abbey signified that this service was being conducted for the people of Japan. As a student living in London, I heard about the Tohoku Earthquake at dawn on March 11. Even now, I vividly remember turning on the BBC news and instantly snapping out of my sleepy state. At first, I didnt understand what had happened.But as I watched images of the events, I got goose bumps all over my body, and was at a loss for words. When a horrific photo of the disaster-struck area covered the front page of the next days newspaper, I once again felt the gravity of the situation. People in Britain were quick to take action. They immediately set up various charities, and collected relief funds and donations for the affected areas. On the front page of one newspaper was the red sun of the Japanese flag with the Japanese words ?nIeu?A?n Ie?k (Ganbare Nippon, Ganbare Tohoku Dont give up Japan, Dont give up Tohoku).People I did not know were giving me encouragement. I think this kindness of the British people was the driving force behind the service I was attending. The ceremony was carried out with solemnity. Passages from the Bible were read hymns and pipe organ music echoed from the high ceilings of the sanctuary. As the program proceeded, to my surprise, Kenji Miyazawas poem Ame ni mo makezu (Be not Defeated by the Rain) was read aloud. The power of its words struck me deeply. It dawned on me that this, too, is a form of prayer. Up until then, I had thought of prayer as putting ones hands together or kneeling down in devotion to God.I realized, however, that there are other forms of prayer as well. Surely, anyone listening to this reading must have prayed for the advent of a safe and peaceful world, and envisioned a vigorous rebuilding of Japan. I felt the poem quietly guiding our spirit, and uniting the hearts of all those in attendance. I think what is meant by prayer is the power of thought. Even Japans restoration and rebirth cannot b egin without thoughts. It is through thoughts that action takes place. People say that prayer alone will not change anything, but in times of crisis, I think it is what we need most.Indeed, all I can do at present is pray, but it seems to me that this is by no means an insignificant force. When all of us who had gathered at Westminster Abbey united our hearts and prayed together, I believe that our thoughts became a great force that reached the areas affected by the disaster. Another thing that moved me was the international cooperation. I could feel intensely the kindness of the British people toward Japan, and their strong desire to help. Many people are praying for the restoration of Japan and the happiness of its people.Amidst this, I feel that I have caught a glimpse of the true warmth of international cooperation. This great disaster has brought about changes in me. It led me to reconsider the meaning of prayer, which I had only experienced in form, and to learn what true pray er really is. I was also able to understand the spirit underlying the words international cooperation, which I had previously understood as merely a political term. In the future, I hope to use this power of thought that I keenly felt during recent events to reach out to the international community. The power of prayer and power of thought are infinite.