Jesus, on the cross, remembered this profound truth. First, he was annoyed because no miracle was happening, and he shouted at the sky, “Father, have you forsaken me?” This is not the way of prayerfulness, not the way of meditation. Only in the end did he realize that his expectation for a miracle was begging; it was not prayerfulness. It was an expectation, a demand; and nobody can demand from existence.

Hence he says, “Thy will be done, not mine.” He knows his will is that a miracle should happen, but he has come very close to the truth: “Thy will be done. You simply do your will – don’t listen to me and my will.” After this statement a great silence descended on Jesus.

“It is thy desire in us that desireth.
It is thy urge in us that would turn our nights, which are thine, into days which are thine also.
We cannot ask thee for ought, for thou knowest our needs before they are born in us…”

What is there to demand and ask? Existence knows you – you are born out of it; you are children of the earth and the mountains and the sun and the moon and the stars. Even before you become aware of a certain desire the earth knows it, the sky knows it.

You are rooted deep into existence. Before the flower comes to know, the roots know it; and before the roots come to know, the earth knows it. So the man of understanding simply relaxes in a deep let-go: thy will shall be done.

“Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all.”

The only real prayer is a silent thirst, a silent hunger: Thou art our need, we don’t have any other need. Our hearts are empty. We are ready to be your host, you be our guest.

In deep silence, calling existence to be your guest is the only prayerfulness.