From the Scriptures

"Be always humble, gentle and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gibes by means of the peace that binds you together... there is one God and Father of all mankind, who is Lord of all, works through all and is in all"

Ephesians 4: 2, 3-6

YOUTH WORLD

PRAYER
Rev. Suresh Pawar, Religioius Works Department

Everyone recognizes that prayer is essential in one's life. We have to admit that to pray well demands practice and self-discipline. We all pray a little and have some kind of a lifeline to heaven, even if it is only a faint kind of thanksgiving. One thing we must learn about prayer is that God wants fellowship with us and that He is drawing us close to Himself. He seeks communion with us and we need Him.
Prayer is:
· A conversation with God
· It is the lifeline for all of us
· It is a source of power
· It is a means of finding God's will
· Praying for others is a dedicated ministry.

Jesus himself felt the need of prayer. He lived the kind of life, which we in our best of moments desire, but cannot. Yet, He could not live without communion with God. How then could we hope to do without prayer?

Let us honestly ask ourselves what we should do with half an hour if we decide to spend it in prayer. For some of us praying comes easily, but some of us need aids to help us.

To pray effectively:
· First of all, we must affirm and feel the presence of God in our midst. God is with us. Remember His promise that He is always with us. We are talking to Him; He is physically present. We are addressing Him, our Heavenly Father.

· Praise, Thank (an attitude of gratitude), and Adore Him: We surely have something for which to praise and thank God. May be it will help if we can list the things for which we should thank Him. We should adore Him for all He is Himself - His Love, His Splendor, His Power, His Beauty, His Wisdom, His Holiness. Thank Him for the way He has lead us and for all He has done for us.

· Confession, forgiveness and unloading: We must confess our sin, not just in a general way but really being honest. Most of us are sometimes jealous, malicious, unkind, irritable, proud, intolerant, impure; in many ways we do what we know to be wrong and fail to do what our inner spirit prompts us as right. When we confess our sins, our shortcomings and our fears, we lay bare our true selves before Him and ask for forgiveness. God is always ready and willing to forgive us. We are loved, forgiven, and accepted by Him. But we must also remember what our Lord has said - only if we forgive others will our Heavenly Father forgive us.

· Affirmation: This involves us receiving forgiveness. We no longer dwell in the depths to which we have fallen, but in the heights to which our God will lead us. We must let this sink into us - that we are safe within His love and care. His everlasting arms are round about us and He will not let us fall. But remember His words… 'Go and sin no more'.

· Petition: Petition is asking. We always ask what we 'want'. When we ask, are we conscious of His will in our lives? Instead of asking 'I want' or 'give me', can't we start saying 'show me' and 'use me?' Can't we ask Him to use us in some way to help others? God provides all our 'needs'; our 'wants' are met only if it is within His will and purpose. He, our Heavenly Father can give us only the best.

· Intercession: This is praying for others. When we pray for others, not only do we receive grace, but others also receive grace through our prayers. The best example is our Lord's High Priestly Prayer as recorded in St. John's Gospel Chapter 17, where He prays for His disciples.
How serious are we about praying for others? Do we bear one another's burdens and take them to the Lord in prayer? Can we be true and sincere prayer partners? If we do, it leads us to the right relationship with God and man.

· Meditation: It is necessary to set aside a time for meditation and our meditation should end in dedication.

One problem we all face is 'distraction' or 'wandering thoughts' - thoughts about self, evil thoughts, day dreams, love fancies - these easily find abode in our minds. This is a temptation we must overcome. We are able to read a book of fiction without being distracted. Can we not develop a real love for God and train our minds to dwell upon Him?

Our best example is our Lord Himself. At times He spent all night in prayer. Can't we resolve to spend at least twenty minutes daily in prayer? Jesus prayed - we ought to do so too. If He needed close contact with His Father in prayer, how much more do we?

References from the Scripture:
· Pray constantly … - I Thessalonians 5:17
· … In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God - Philippians 4:6
· … Pray at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance - Ephesians 6:18
· … Men ought always to pray and not faint - St. Luke 18:1
· And in the morning a great while before dawn, he (Jesus) rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed - St. Mark 1:35
· In these days he (Jesus) went out into the hills to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God - St. Luke 6:12
· Draw near to God and He will draw near to you… - James 4:8

To conclude, we must set aside a period everyday especially for prayer. During this time we must learn to give ourselves to worship and thanksgiving, to confession, petition and intercession. As we wait on God, the Holy Spirit will teach reverence and what we ought to say, and the secret of remaining in His presence throughout the day.

With God being our helper, can we resolve to set aside at least twenty minutes everyday to spend alone in His presence?

Iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional deficiency in the world with as many as 5 billion people suffering from it.
1 billion of these suffer from iron deficiency anemia.
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Anemia and Iron Deficiency
Anemia is a late manifestation of iron deficiency. Iron deficiency may be present without anemia, causing functional impairment of tissues like the brain.

Iron deficiency can cause permanent learning and behavioral disorders in growing children even to the extent of reducing their IQ

Do not take iron medicines along with coffee, tea or milk. The iron does not get absorbed from the intestine if you do so!

Prevalence of IDA in India
-65 percent of infants and toddlers.
-60 percent 1 to 6 yrs.
-74 percent of non-pregnant women.
-88 percent of adolescent girls.
-85 percent in pregnant women.
-56.4 percent in lactating women.

Iron is one of the most important micronutrients essential for the well being of the human being and it is ironic to note that Iron Deficiency is the commonest and the most widespread nutritional deficiency in the world! It has been estimated by the World Health Organization that more than 4 to 5 billion people in the world suffer from iron deficiency.

Functions of Iron and consequences of Iron deficiency. Iron has many important functions in the body.

1. Iron is needed to make hemoglobin, a protein present in the Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Hemoglobin has the vital function of carrying oxygen from the lungs to all the other parts of the body including the brain and the heart. A reduction in the level of Hemoglobin is called anemia and it has far reaching consequences in the body.

2. Iron is needed for the proper functioning of the brain, particularly in growing children. Thus, its deficiency in infants and children results in learning disabilities, decrease in their IQ, behavioral disturbances and overall decrease in their growth and development. And the most important fact is that these changes are permanent!

3. Iron is important for the proper functioning of the immune system. Thus its deficiency results in decreased ability of the body to fight infectious diseases.

4. Iron deficiency in pregnant women is one of the most important causes of death in the mother and the baby. It also leads to Prematurity of the baby.

5. Iron deficiency in adults results in decreased work capacity thus reducing the productivity of the nation.

Magnitude of the problem in India.

Studies have shown that in our country majority of the infants, children and women in the childbearing age has iron deficiency. Much of this goes unrecognized by the lay public with the result that the problem goes untreated leading to serious ill health among children and women.

How to prevent iron deficiency.

In infants and children
1. Promote exclusive breast feeding: Iron present in breast milk has an excellent bioavailability and breast fed infants do not develop iron deficiency in the first six months of life.
2. Provide iron rich weaning foods after six months of age. Foods rich in iron are ragi, and iron fortified baby foods. Iron rich foods suitable for toddlers include leafy green vegetables, pulses.
3. Do not give tea, coffee or milk soon after meals. These contain substances that prevent absorption of iron from the diet. Juices and citrus fruits improve the absorption of dietary iron. Therefore these could be given with meals.
4. Avoid cow's milk for infants under the age of one year,
5. Give medicinal iron in the form of drops or syrups to all infants from the age of 6 months to 2 years and for 3 months for all older children.
6. Treat intestinal worms when present.

In pregnant women:
All pregnant women should receive iron and folic acid tablets under the guidance of health personnel.

In women of childbearing age.
Since most of the women in this category are either deficient in iron or on the verge of deficiency it is a good idea to treat them all with medicinal iron for 3 months.

Every infant, child and pregnant woman in our country is at a high risk of developing iron deficiency anemia. Hence take adequate measures to prevent and treat it!