Asking God…
Hislop: Is not praying to God the same as begging?
Sai: To beg from an equal puts you down and him up. But when you ask God, you rise up to His level. You must ask God. To ask God is perfectly all right. It is not begging.
Hislop: But I had thought that since God knows each problem, that if it was appropriate to remedy the trouble God would do so without being asked.
Sai: Important answer! No. It is your duty to ask God. Words must be said, and the words must correspond to the thought. The thought must be put into a true word. It is true enough that the Divinity knows all. But He requires that the true word be said. The mother may know that to maintain life the child requires food. But milk is given when the child asks for it.
Hislop: It is not clear when one should ask God and when one should not. For example, there is a headache that doctors seem unable to cure. I do not ask Swami to cure the headache; I do not pray for a cure. However, in a letter, Swami wrote: ‘How is your health? Do not worry about that. Your God is always with you, in you, around you.’
Sai: That is right. What Baba said is enough. For you, body identification is weakening. You have a headache today, a stomach pain tomorrow. Let it go. Don’t worry about it. You are not the body. Once Baba has told you not to worry, there is no need to ask Him about it. Don’t identify.
Hislop: Does Swami mean that for those persons still fully identified with the body, a continuous headache might be a proper subject for prayer?
Sai: Yes, but why bother Swami about a mere headache? You may tell others the same.
Hislop: Then, it is really all right to ask God?
Sai: When there is a real need, God should be asked to provide. A child asks parents for peppermint candy, and the parents give it. When older, it asks the parents for property, and receives it. It is by right that the child asks, and it is by right that it receives. A child may ask a stranger for peppermint once or twice and expect to receive it. But even if he asks for it, he may not expect to receive property from a stranger. God is not bothered by a multitude of small requests, and He will certainly give property (things of great value). Therefore, one should always ask God to meet needs. It is the individual’s right to ask. There is no question of begging.
Source: Conversations with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
