PRAYER
W. John Murray
The Astor
Lectures
Divine Science Publishing Assoc.
New York, 1917, 8th ed.
[60] Divine
Mind is the first Cause; it is the only
Reality. Thought is the substance of
Mind, the actuality of the universe. It
is the act of thinking that evolves the
images, which, by a process of
unfoldment, crystallize into the shapes
or manifestations of the things conceived
in Mind. It has been said that ideas are
begotten from the union of pure intellect
with feeling. In the same proportion that
an image in the mind of the sculptor is
the cause which produces the statue as an
effect, so the idea of conception
begotten from the union of intellect and
feeling is the invisible cause of which
the visible effect is the result. It is
thus that ideas become visible to the
senses while the original images from
which they have expanded are forever
preserved in the Divine Mind. The very
hairs of our head are numbered
because of this Mental retention of
original designs!
The ancients
taught that unseen spiritual essences are
the only realities in the universe and
that all which is seen exists only as the
developed state of the unseen. Plato
emphasizes this teaching by the assertion
that nothing exists but ideas which are
the only living, enduring realities, and
that all else is but sensuous
seeming.
[61] The
real world is the universe of ideas,
while the world we inhabit is an
imperfect imitation of these divine
images on a lower plane of consciousness,
a shadow of which the idea is the only
substance. As the universe is begotten of
the thought of God, so the world is
conceived in the thought of man. Divine
images are immortal realities, begotten
of the Mind which is God. The expressions
of these images are merely reflections,
not actualities; as such they have no
value in themselves other than that the
appearance of shadow proves the actual
presence of substance. Ideas are
essential to manifestation, and no matter
how imperfect the reflection, the fact
remains that the mental images in the
Divine Mind are eternally perfect. The
imperfection in the manifestation of an
idea is due to one of two things: either
there is a flaw in the mold in which the
design is cast, or a defect in the
reflector, neither of which affects or
detracts from the immaculate perfection
of the original idea, intact in the
Divine Mind.
There is one
sentiment that is possessed alike of man
and beast, one sensibility that is common
to all created beings, one feeling that
makes all things kin; it is called
Desire. This sensibility is the chief
factor in the evolution of an idea; it is
the impulse that draws the mental image
(derived from the Divine Idea) into the
mold, which is to give to it visible
shape. In other words desire gives to an
idea its first impetus towards visible
manifestation. In the world of effect all
[62] appearance of life, growth,
development as the outcome of desire, all
things of which the world can boast in
art or science, received their first
impulse towards visible manifestation
from desire, a sentiment which may be
likened to the birth process of mental
conception. The universe is begotten of
the desire of God.
Prayer is
concentrated desire, or the essence of
petition, and therefore prayer is the
most potent force in the world of ideas.
Prayer determines the shape that an image
shall assume; the mechanical nature of
prayer is such that it has the power
to correct the flaw in the mold and
to recast the model! It is the
mechanics of prayer that allays the fever
of sin by reforming the sinner. It is
thus by prayer that imperfection is
corrected. The only force in the world
that can change the shape of illness to
the form of health is prayer. The
electric chair may remove the victim of
sin’s ravages to another plane of
consciousness; fear may hide her pallid
face behind the mantle of virtue,
sickness may wear the mask of death, but
prayer alone can alter these shapes so
that the victim of sin will put on the
white robes of righteousness, the fearful
will be redeemed from their fears, and
the sick be made whole. Two things prayer
cannot do; it cannot change the
unchangeable, nor can it acquaint the
Divine with aught of evil. God’s
work is done, and not even the prayer of
praise can undo it. The Divine knows all
that is. If He does not know sin,
sickness, [63] and death, it is
sufficient proof that these
illusions do not exist other than
as phenomena or sense illusions. If evil
were known to God, it would be as real
and as eternal as is Deity, and to pray
to God to unmake that which He made would
be a vain petition. Our redemption from
sin and sickness lies in the fact that
they are external to God’s
creation. They are the seeming
absence of the harmony which is ever
present, and therefore by prayer it is
possible to see through those illusions
into the realm of spirit, and by so doing
to correct the errors of sense and thus
elevate the body above the plane of
sensual seeming. Prayer is a mental
burning-glass which, by the art of
concentration upon the real,
consumes whatever appears to be opposed
to the manifestation of that reality. All
that is, is the product of thought.
Change the thought, and the product is
changed. Since to think is to exist,
thought and existence are one; therefore
to change a mode of thinking modifies the
whole of existence.
There are
different ways of praying. The prayer
that would act on God is vain. The
prayer that acts upon the one who prays
and enables him to realize within himself
the power to effect the change he would
demand of God, is the effectual prayer.
It is an eternal truth that nothing lives
but by the power of God; the powers that
be are ordained by Him. Through prayer we
ascend above the sensuous seeming to the
realm of intelligence where we [64]
apprehend the things of Spirit, and thus
separating between the real and the
apparent, we lose consciousness of
illusion, and see afresh with the eyes of
Spirit the things of God. Prayer conforms
the nature of man to the character of
God.
Efficacious
prayer is the prayer which knows that God
is the only power, which knowledge
effaces the supposition that there is a
power opposed to God. By prayer we ascend
to the mount of the Revelation of Harmony
as the real and eternal, and discover
evanescent, everchanging in harmony as
temporal and fleeting. It has been said
that every man having the ordinary use of
his limbs is qualified to swim, but put a
man who cannot swim into deep water and
he will go down. The mere stroke--the
movement of the limbs, is no mystery; but
unless the swimmer has a full belief that
such movements will produce the required
results, he will sink. To be sure,
swimming is a mechanical energy and
praying is a subtler force, but the same
principle governs alike in all that is
force, and it is as true of praying as it
is of swimming, that without a full
belief the prayer will be vain.
Answered
prayer is a petition that ascends from
the soul of one who knows that he has
already received from his Heavenly
Parent the power to accomplish the thing
desired, to be that which he desires to
be. God cannot perform our tasks, nor
should prayer be a means to that end;
instead it should be an earnest desire
for such an increase [65] of spiritual
understanding as will enable the one who
prays to declare the works of God
and not confound Infinite creation with
finite perception. God is all. He cannot
be more. He has done all; He can do no
more. It is for us to realize this Divine
omnipresence by refusing to believe in
its opposite, impotence. God has given
you dominion and power, and you must use
that which you have before you ask for
more.
In no way
other than in our actions towards others
can we attest our gratitude to God. One
praiseworthy act has more value in making
us God-like than a million professions.
Man is the image of God, but only by
concentrated desire and untiring effort
will his life attest the dignity of his
birthright. Sincere prayer is the most
potent means by which man may accomplish
his destiny which is to transcend
humanity and manifest Divinity. For
centuries unceasing prayer has poured
from the throats of all nations. It has
not been for lack of praying that the
world is bathed in blood; the lack has
been in the quality of the
prayers. Asking God to make us
Christlike when we refuse to express the
Goodness with which God has endowed us is
equally futile.
The first
requirement of availing petition is
honesty of endeavor. To ask God to do
anything for us that we are unwilling to
do for ourselves does not betray honesty.
Instead it manifests laziness or
ignorance, either of which qualities [66]
render fruitless the petitions into which
they enter.
What right
have we to expect God to perform
the tasks for which he has fitted
us? Yet consciously or
unconsciously we all do this. Is it just
that God should correct our mistakes?
Emphatically no, because God has given us
a degree of understanding that makes
error unnecessary. What we need is to
employ that wisdom in order to rise above
the habit of making mistakes.
The second
condition of prayer is sincerity. Are we
sincere when we ask for the measure we
mete? Why not increase our measure first
and pray afterwards? Prayer lacking in
honesty and adequate sincerity is
still-born. The quality of wisdom most to
be admired in Solomon was that his only
petition was for an increase of
understanding. Solomon prayed knowing
that he had received, for his prayer was
the practical application of his
God-given possibilities. Jesus did not
ask God to raise his dead friend. Instead
he himself raised Lazarus. Jesus prayed
the prayer of action, which is the only
prayer that is worthy and acceptable, the
only appeal that ascends to the throne of
God.
Repentance
is easier than reformation, but amendment
is the only test of true contrition. Real
repentance is manifested in the
renunciation of sin. Sin can never be
obliterated by any rite of state or
church. To believe otherwise is to
mistake the law of God. To be forgiven,
sin must be abolished. It is not within
the jurisdiction [67] of man to pardon
sin. The only forgiveness for sin is the
obliteration of the sense that would
testify to the reality of an illusion,
therefore “the
soul”--sense--“that sinneth,
it shall die.” If it were
not so, there would be no end to sin. To
escape the delusion of sin, follow after
that which is good. When temptation
assails you, agree with her quickly that
she is a temptress, and turn your back
upon her. She has no power other than the
power you give her by believing in her.
There is no enticement possible to man
that God has not given him the power to
overcome. If it were true that man could
cancel sin, the sinner would have only to
ask forgiveness in order to be free to
repeat the crime. This would place a
premium on sin. The ability to do right
is the only reward of righteousness. To
be “present with the Lord” is
to be absent from sin. Every consistent
effort to rise above the sense places us
higher up on the ladder of Spirit, but to
reach the throne of God, we must be
willing to forsake all for the Christ
Truth.
There is no
room in the heart that contains Christ
for an illusion. Says the Master of
prayer: “When ye pray, use not vain
repetitions as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their
much speaking,” and, “The
kingdom of God is not in word, but in
power.” To pray aright is to live
rightly, which is the only proof we can
give of the sincerity of our prayer.
Holiness is the first and last
requirement of acceptable prayer, and
contentment [68] is essential to
holiness. “Be content with such
things as ye have; for He hath said, I
will never leave thee nor forsake
thee.” The overcoming of illusions
is a painful performance, but remember
that “Though he was the son of God,
he learned obedience through the things
that he suffered.” “If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth
with you as with sons; for what
son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement
(instruction) whereof all are partakers,
then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had fathers of our
flesh who corrected us, and we gave them
reverence. Shall we not much rather be in
subjection unto the Father of spirits and
life? For they verily for a few days
instructed us after their own
pleasure, but He for our profit, that
we might be partakers of His holiness.
Now no chastening (instruction) seemeth
to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless
afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable
fruits of righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby.” “For
our God is a consuming fire,” to
the illusions of sense. “Is any
among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any
sick among you? Let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray
over him and the prayer of faith shall
save the sick and the Lord shall raise
him up. Pray one for another, that ye may
be healed. The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much. Submit
yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee
from you, and the only devil there is, is
spiritual ignorance.”
[69]
“But, thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet” which is the
chamber of imagery, the secret place of
the Most High, the developing room of
mind. Go into the innermost recess of
your own being, which is the tabernacle
of God. Shut the door on sensuous
seeming. Lift up your heart to God.
Proclaim the omnipresence of Infinity,
and there will be no need to deny the
finite. True prayer is affirmation not
negation. Pray, remember that God knows
no race, no creed; that He is your
Father, even as He is the Father of all
created Beings, and that He maketh His
reign to fall on the just and the
unjust, and therefore we must not ask for
universal blessings for personal
gratification. To do such a thing is to
profane prayer, and to misunderstand God.
Prayer is the soul’s incense, and
the fragrance which arises from the
prayers of the righteous ascend to God,
and behold, He giveth increase! To
realize for a second the all
inclusiveness of Mind, is to rise above
the illusion of sense, and to “put
on the new man,” created in
righteousness and true wholeness.
We will be
honest in serving God, if we are
honest in our profession of Him, for it
is in deed, not in words, that we attest
our sincerity, even as it is in the
understanding of our unity with
God, not in a belief in the existence
of God, that our infirmities are healed.
“A man cannot serve two
masters.” To believe in the
omnipotence of God is to realize the
non-existence of [70] that which is
opposed to Goodness, and every spiritual
gain is preceded by a loss of material
dependence. The efficient prayer is the
prayer of understanding. And “When
ye pray, use not vain repetitions, for
your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of before ye ask Him; after the
manner of spirit pray ye.”
Principle of
Being, Mind, which is the abode of ideas,
sanctified is Thy image, and Thy reign is
acknowledged. May Thy decree be
understood as it is, perfect. Give us
today understanding of our unity with
Thee. Separate us from our
illusions as we disassociate men
from their unintentional errors, and
bring us forth from the depth; make to
flow from us malice, for Thine is the
only reign and the only power to be
accounted trustworthy. This is the
Lord’s prayer.
The science
of prayer requires that the giving
end must be equal to the receiving,
otherwise stagnation will arise. When the
fever of avarice sets in, the temple of
God will become a market place, where
honor is exchanged for gold, and
righteousness is bartered for
self-aggrandizement, and the chamber of
imagery, “the house of
prayer” will be made a “den
of thieves.”
The answer
to prayer depends wholly upon the quality
of the petitioner’s faith in the
possibility of obtaining that for which
he prays. Faith is the motor of prayer.
It is “the prayer of faith”
which heals the sick and reforms the
sinner, and it is the action of prayer,
coupling the absolute faith that you
already have with that which you
desire to have [71] that gives the
increase. The success of your demand is
determined by the proportion of your
faith. To desire goodness is the first
step in the direction of righteousness,
but to obtain holiness demands the
concentrated effort of a lifetime, for we
must make ready our chamber of imagery by
casting out the illusions of sense,
before the Christ will come and make Its
abode there.
Blind belief
in the potency of prayer has not the
authority of the prayer of understanding.
Belief is expelled from the prayer of
understanding when knowledge takes its
place. Belief is a word taken from the
German and signifies merely a mental
assent or a pleasure of mind. Therefore,
belief is purely speculative and
incapable of nothing more potent than to
substitute one illusion for another.
Belief acts like medicine, whose potency
depends upon the patient’s faith in
its curative qualities, for drugs have no
power other than that which is thrust
upon them by the power of belief.
Understanding enriches prayer, and
“by knowledge shall the chambers
(of imagery) be filled with all precious
and pleasant riches” which are the
infinite wealths of Mind. David said:
“Through Thy precepts I get
understanding-- Give me understanding and
I shall live-- for understanding is
Life.” Belief would darken
understanding, for it has no reality of
existence. The prayer of knowledge is the
healing prayer, and the channel through
which God supplies all [72] human need.
Righteousness is consistent prayer, and
unselfishness is a worthy test of
acceptable prayer.
To pray
aright is to do the will of God from the
heart. Simulation is fatal to effectual
prayer. Therefore, He that giveth, let
him do it with simplicity. He that
sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness,
“Be kindly affectioned one to
another, patient in tribulation, Bless
them that curse you. Rejoice with them
that do rejoice, and weep with them that
weep. Recompense to no man evil for
evil,” and if it be possible, as
much as it lieth in you, live
peaceably with all men. “Avenge not
yourselves.” This is the acceptable
attitude of Prayer, and God Himself will
answer the prayer of understanding.
Next: Self-Confidence
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The Astor Lectures
Table of
Contents
(Formerly at
Northwoods Divine Science Resource
Center)
