Posted by Janet on May 13, 1999 at 03:58:51:
In Reply to: Not for me, thanks posted by Roy Orbison on May 12, 1999 at 20:14:09:
: I always wonder about people who swear by prayer
: to help them perform. Is there some omnipotent
: deity out there who is going to play the notes
: for you or at least help you to play them?
I am a Christian, and whenever I pray before I play, I am certainly not expecting God to play the notes for me. I am not expecting to be able to play any better than my preparation should allow me to play. But what I may expect to happen is that my mind is focused for a time on a larger picture. Why am I playing - to minister to people? to glorify God? just because it's beautiful music? I guess the greatest benefit from prayer (at least for me) is that it gets ME out of the way. My anxieties are put into perspective and my fears are usually assuaged. As Paul said, it permits him to RELAX. And for those who do not believe in God, I suspect quiet meditation would have the same effect.
Thanks for sharing this with us, Paul.