Prayer Remembers the Truth
by Amy Biddle
Prayer is what you do when you’re done struggling.
When you hear the word "prayer," you may have memories of being bored to
sleep as you squirmed next to your parents in church. Or maybe you have
images of pleading with a deity to grant your wishes while you wring
your hands. Do you call it prayer when you stay up all night obsessing
over your finances or the safety of a loved one?
None of these activities are prayer: These are all symptoms of wrestling
with problems. Prayer is what you do when you’re done struggling with a
problem, and you’re ready to call forth its solution. As Eric
Butterworth says again and again in his book, The Universe is Calling,
prayer is not about trying to get God to do something to you or give
something to you. It’s about allowing God to do something through you.
When something troubles us, we often approach prayer with a sense of
urgency and tension. It’s as if we’re an ocean wave facing a continent
alone. The first thing we must do, then, is relax into God. We quit
acting like a wave that thinks it can pound the shore all by itself. We
give up the illusion of separateness and relax into knowing that we are
part of the infinite ocean that God is. We envision ourselves drifting
out to sea, knowing that the ocean has far more power to shape the
shoreline than we have alone. If there’s anything for us to do, anywhere
for us to go, the current will carry us there and give us the power to
do it.
If you don’t like watery metaphors, Butterworth offers another useful
image. See yourself as an archer, and the solution to your problem as a
target. To send your arrow home, you don’t start hurling arrows
willy-nilly at the bull’s eye. And you certainly don’t start throwing
arrows where you don’t want them to go. Similarly, in effective prayer,
you don’t spew out a lot of words that focus on the problem – at least,
not if you expect to make your mark.
In archery, what you do is center yourself, take one arrow, draw your
bow, and LET GO. You remain still and let the arrow do its work. When
prayer is your bow, the arrow is your word. It may be a statement of
truth, such as "I am grateful for divine wisdom that reveals to me my
good," or "I am energized in mind and body through the healing activity
of God in me." It may be a familiar scripture that focuses your
attention on the target, your solution, such as "Be still and know that
I AM God." Then, you let go and send your arrow home. Once you are
centered, your word cannot fail to reach its mark.
And what is the mark, or the goal of prayer? Speaking these affirmations
doesn’t make them true. They already are true. Whenever you are in
distress, it is only because you have forgotten your essential oneness
with all that is good and true in the universe. The only thing that ever
needs correction is your perception, and your perception is exactly what
gets healed in prayer. You’ll know it has happened when a sense of
gratitude flutters through your spirit and across your face. And so it
is. Amen!
See Also:
What Does Trusting God Mean?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had no problems and no uncomfortable situations in life? Someday, when we all get to heaven, that's the way it will be. Until then, the closest thing to heaven is keeping God first in our lives, helping other people, and being in a complete state of trusting God.
Church Service
Family Style
How a 3 Year Old Preacher & a Beagle Made Our Sunday Unforgettable.
Giving and Receiving
It is the spirit of the gift that
makes the real gift, gives color and quality, meaning and value to what is
given. A gift in which there is no self-giving is no gift; a gift in which
love, care, sacrifice are not wrapped, is a show of gift but is not a gift.
I Don't Know How to Pray
During the most desperate moments of my spiritual darkness, my prayers would consistent of begging God for mercy. When I felt that God was not listening I grew angry with him.
Amy Biddle has been a lifetime student and teacher of spiritual principles.
Spiritual Healing Secrets is a fast-growing resource for anyone who wants to
improve her or himself, or simply to learn practical spiritual principles. Let
Amy help you improve your life! Discover the secrets at
http://www.spiritual-healing-secrets.com
