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How do you pray when you don’t believe?
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Do you believe in prayers?

My mum does. For as long as I could remember, Mum has always prayed for everything. Mum prays when her grandchildren sit for examinations; when her glucose level climbs up the ladder; when I drive long distances without enough rest; when her sons attend job interviews; and also when Dad gets his occasional flu.

My mum believes strongly in the power of prayers - no doubt about it, for God seems to answer her prayers quite often. But I do find it odd though, for God never seems to be too bothered with my prayers.

“I think God has a beef with me,” I told Mum one day.

“Nonsense. God loves you,” replied Mum.

“Why then hasn’t He answered my prayers, like He does with yours?” I asked.

“Maybe you don’t strongly believe in Him like you should,” she explained.

I suppose my mum is right – in order for our prayers to be answered, we need to believe. Sadly, believing is not that easy, especially when our prayers have a tendency to go unanswered.

Answering prayers

Like my mum, I think Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah is also a strong believer in prayers.

A few days ago, Abu Bakar sat in front of a pothole and prayed for the authorities to improve the conditions of the road. Luckily for him, just like his prayers in the past years, they were once again answered by the authorities...

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