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Can you really pray without ceasing? Seems like a lot of knee work!
"Anything which today seems supernatural, once it is rightly understood, becomes totally natural." Ernest Holmes
Like most of us here in America who are over the age of 40, I grew up in a house of prayer. It was the kind of prayer that seemed to always be begging and pleading. O! Give me this; o! give me that, I’d hear my mother or aunts or church people moan. Rarely did I hear gratitude or real joy coming from all those lips.
Like most of us here in America who are over the age of 40, I grew up in a house of prayer. It was the kind of prayer that seemed to always be begging and pleading. O! Give me this; o! give me that, I’d hear my mother or aunts or church people moan. Rarely did I hear gratitude or real joy coming from all those lips.
As I grew older, I stopped
praying altogether. I mean, after all, I had rarely seen any real answers, only
‘Well, I guess it’s God’s will’ every time the disappointment set in. No more
money than yesterday. No new car today.
One day, I discovered something
radical.
I was contemplating what the
heck St. Paul meant when he admonished his readers and listeners to ‘pray
without ceasing.’ I’d heard that passage many times over the years but was
never satisfied with the explanations—from parents, priests, pastors—no one.
But this time it was
different. Paul wasn’t talking about being continually on one’s knees, crying
out for help or mercy. He was directing his people to walk in a constant state
of grace, that is, gratitude. To be continually in ‘spirit space,’ as I call
it. To live like prayer is a relationship, not a demand.
Prayer is not pleading;
prayer is not begging; prayer is not hoping. True prayer is action oriented.
True prayer is trust. Paraphrasing Unity luminary Eric Butterworth, when you
come to completely trust your Source, you’ll never need to pray—in the
traditional sense—again. Rev. Butterworth lets us know that all’s well,
regardless of appearances. So, here are some power ways to pray:
THERE’S POWER IN PRAISE!
“There is
an inherent law of mind that we increase whatever we praise. . . We can praise
our own abilities and the very brain cells will expand and increase in capacity
and intelligence when we speak words of encouragement and appreciation to
them.”
Charles
Fillmore, co-founder of Unity
BLESS EVERYTHING!
“When answers to prayer
appear in orderly and unspectacular ways, your skeptical friends will tell you
it is just coincidence.”
Harry Morgan Moses
PRACTICE COMPASSION!
“Practical prayer is harder on the soles of
your shoes than on the knees of your trousers.”
Anstin O’Malley
It really is simple…and
clear. Prayer is a walk, not a talk. It’s the continual practice of gratitude,
compassion, and service.
Finally, to understand that
we live in a blessed and magnificent universe, that no matter the appearances,
all is well, is to pray without ceasing.
Simple, easy, and powerful!
Your comments are always welcome. And don't forget to subscribe to this blog today!
Simple, easy, and powerful!
Your comments are always welcome. And don't forget to subscribe to this blog today!