2020-05-01-Prescription for Prayer

Session

Quote

“Prayer has been the ancestor of much peace of mind, cheerfulness, calmness, courage, self-mastery, and fair-mindedness in the men and women of the evolving races.” (UB 91:4.5)

Lesson

Thought Adjuster: “Unlike many of your prescription drugs, prayer has no negative side-effects. I am talking here about ‘authentic’ prayer — the one that surges from a wide-open heart, in contrast with the one recited by rote as the performance of a religious ‘duty’ advertised to earn you brownie points for good behavior.

“Prayer is more than asking for divine favors. Neither is it exerting undue pressure by ‘cutting deals’ with your Maker, hoping to twist His Arm and have Him see things your way.

“Prayer implies trust in the One to Whom you confide. It is an intimate soul-to-Soul conversation with your BFF [Best Friend Forever] — without holding anything back out of a false sense of religious correctness. It has nothing to do with mindlessly following rituals accessorized with bells, candles, genuflections, expensive aromatherapy, and pious formulas. How would you feel if your so-called friends similarly approached you? Wouldn’t it stifle your relationship?

“To generate “peace of mind, cheerfulness, calmness, courage, self-mastery, and fair-mindedness,” prayer has to be full and candid disclosure of the predicament for which you solicit advice. This state of trustful surrender triggers the release of the spiritual fragrances and positive side-effects of the act and attitude of authentic prayer.

“By outpouring your heart, you discharge much inner tension. Don’t you always feel better after confiding to a loyal friend? By carefully articulating what preoccupies you, you get a better picture, which is part of the ‘soul-ution’ — figuring out the soul’s way to deal with your dilemmas successfully.

“Prayer can also be a very beneficial time-out during which you process the tumultuous emotions that rob you of peace of mind. By letting out the ‘emotional steam,’ you get grounded in the peace that passes all understanding. It is when you know that your prayer has already been partially answered, as the Divine gets back to you on a priority basis. When you are troubled, your most urgent priority is to calm down so that you can make clear-headed and inspired decisions.

“Ask, and you shall receive” was Jesus’ simple admonition. He well knew that many human prayers will need to be edited On High as to the relevance of their content so that the forthcoming answers meet the petitioner’s real needs and cater to the overall highest good. It is why His closing statement always was “My will is to do Your Will.”