Prayer, in general, is a confession of one's personal difficulties and a plea to grant wishes. When most people kneel in prayer, they speak about their weaknesses and plead for what they need, while maintaining a sincere attitude before Almighty God, being careful to avoid hypocrisy; arrogance and fabrication. Reverend Sun Myung Moon's prayers, however, are quite different. They are mainly about consoling the heart of God, who has been walking a path of grief ever since the human fall. They are about a serious and firm determination to liberate God and humanity through the heavenly strategy of enduring beatings and abuse on God's behalf, thereby eventually restoring all to God.

Ever since the age of sixteen when he received his calling from Jesus Christ, Reverend Moon has devoted himself to prayerful efforts to free humanity from the scourges of war, racism, poverty and materialism, and to uncover and release the sins that most deeply afflict the human soul. His tireless labors have advanced God's will on earth towards the goal of realizing God's Kingdom in every aspect of human life. He has uncovered insights that fundamentally challenge and redefine existing values in diverse fields, including religion, politics, culture, science, philosophy and art, in the light of God's absolute value. These considerable accomplishments would have been impossible without God's constant guidance and support, the result of deep communion through prayer.

Hence, many of these prayers are testimonies, issuing from the depth of his bones, of Reverend Moon's secret communications with God. Others are glorious declarations of victory over Satan, proclaimed in a roaring voice. His prayers are sometimes a lover's intimate whisper with God and sometimes an expression of genuine parental love for humanity and all God's creatures. They are expressed in a language of the heart and true love, which goes deeper than ordinary speech or literary embellishment.

Whereas the 350 volumes of Reverend Moon's Sermons open our eyes to God's saving providence, this book brings us close to God's heart of pain, sacrifice and love. Through its pages we can relive the sentiments of God's heart through each stage in His providence of salvation as it has progressed in our time.

This volume brings together prayers that Reverend Moon offered at various times and places throughout the world. In order to aid the reader's understanding, they are organized into twelve sections around themes including faith, hope, heart and victory. Through each one of them, I expect that the reader may recognize how closely Rev. Moon associates with God, how deep is his love for humanity, and how strong is his determination for the cause of humanity's liberation. Through these prayers, I hope that the readers of this book can gain a deeper understanding of God's heart and be moved to join with Him to realize the ultimate goal.

Finally, the task of rendering these prayers from the Korean original presented the translators and editors with difficulties as they sought to give full expression to their contents. I extend sincere thanks to them for their earnest efforts in wrestling with the difficult issues of translation.

Chang Shik Yang
North American Continental Director
HSA-UWC