Prayer is indeed a phenomenal way of participating fully and freely in this thing called life. There are many schools of thought, combined with one’s personal experiences that influence one’s prayer life.
The following are just a few examples of information that may have been inadvertently received and that are now operating in our lives when it comes to what we believe to be true about life and living and how we pray.
In Ancient Chinese philosophy,” Yin and Yang is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. – Yin is the receptive and Yang the active principle, seen in all forms.” (Wikipedia)
In the Christian Bible we find: “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.” (Ecclesiastes 3)
The Science of Mind teaches: “This is a Universe of Wholeness, All-ness, Oneness. Spirit is a transcendent, perfect Whole that, in Its Infinite Inclusivity, harmoniously embraces all seeming opposites.
Each human being is endowed with free will and can thus choose to experience freedom or bondage, abundance or lack, joy or misery, all of which lie within the Infinite Inclusivity of God.” (Core Concept Five)
The vast ocean shows us the ebb and flow of its nature. When I was first introduced to the ways of the ocean, I was amazed how far into its waters I could walk during low tide. It was in these early morning hours I discovered some of the mysteries of the sea that would otherwise be hidden. Attempting to walk the same distance during high tide would put my life at risk. However, both aspects require careful scrutiny, for they each had their advantages. High tide is a sheer delight for surfers as they catch the wave.
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There is a common thread running through all of these concepts that may support us greatly when we discern the One Truth permeating them all.
There’s no point in wishing, hoping, begging, and pleading for what is inherently so to ever be different than it is; instead, when we pray, the more we adhere to the nature of being, the more of Life’s secrets are revealed, and we may begin to know how to apply our greatest advantage to all circumstances.
Yes, knowledge is power. Prayer is not for the purpose of convincing a God out there somewhere what would be the best outcome for a particular situation, and in return assure It of our allegiance – sort of a quid pro quo. No, the All Powerful One is changeless in Its nature and cannot be persuaded. The apparent good that we seek for our lives is already the nature and the Presence of God within ourselves, seeking expression. Ernest Holmes teaches, “the highest God and the innermost God is One.”
,Therefore, prayer is for the purpose of affirming our faith in that which is already so. The affirmative prayer of New Thought is not new. It is simply conveying the Ancient Wisdom that has always been known by the great mystics throughout time. New Thought conveys The Truth of Being in today’s language. Health, Wealth, Beauty, Love, Peace, and Joy are our inherent nature. They belong to us now.
From The Living Bible, the words of Jesus are translated saying, “Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours!” Let us pray for a world that works for everyone!
“I see God in all there is and affirm peace and harmony for the world.”
By Angela “Chris” Beam
StillPoint 