Why we always pray to GOD in difficult times?

This might sound a little cliché, but it’s a question worth asking. I was raised in a family that is completely hung up on this, and so are many others. I don’t blame them their parents did the same. They might see things differently, but they never questioned it, maybe due to the fear of being the odd one out.

Whenever exams came near or problems piled up, I would pray to God asking for things to be cleared, for solutions to appear. In those moments of frustration, I never stopped to think deeply. I didn’t consider that God might not be a literal entity but a creation of our own imaginations, poetry, and sacred figures. If they were exactly like us, we probably wouldn’t be here in the first place.

Yet I kept praying. And somehow whether it was just me or everyone else after praying I would feel a sense of hope. I felt motivated and driven again. Once, during a great grand darshan at a temple, I stood before the God sculptures, their beautiful paintings, and the poetry inscribed around them. The calmness of the Shanti Mantra stayed with me:

“Om Dyauḥ Śāntiḥ…’ (peace in mind, body, and universe).”

Over time, I’ve realized something important. Praying to God is us training our brain, our nervous system, telling it that it’s time to let go and act with faith. In simple words, praying to God is nothing but meditation and self-motivating yourself.

“In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to perform actions without attachment (Chapter 2, Verse 47 Karmanye vadhikaraste…). Praying helps us reach that state of surrender and focus.”

We all try to carry everything on our own shoulders. We want to stay anonymous and don’t like asking for help. But when there is someone ambiguous, someone greater and formless, we don’t feel ashamed to share our load. And that’s what God is there for an invisible presence we can offload our burdens to without judgment.

The real problem lies in the practice. So many devotees today have not read the books, don’t know the shlokas, and have no understanding of the history or deeper meaning. They pick up rough stories from Instagram or somewhere else and think that’s enough. They miss the real essence that true prayer is not just ritual or begging, but inner training, surrender, and finding strength within.

At the end of the day, whether God is literal or a beautiful creation of our imagination, poetry, and faith, the act of prayer still works. It brings calmness like the Shanti Mantra, helps us practice surrender as Krishna taught Arjuna, and gives us the strength to carry on. So, always pray not merely hoping to get things done, but to rejuvenate your own state of mind, to release the heavy load you carry alone, and to return to yourself with renewed clarity and peace.