Acknowledging God's Presence
ONE morning I was praying. Part of my prayer was simply acknowledging the power of God and His ever-presence and being grateful for His infinite care. Suddenly I heard a loud crash! I ran to the next room to find that the piano bench had toppled over. The falling furniture had missed the baby's eye by about an inch. Even though my prayer hadn't specifically included this type of circumstance, I felt my acknowledgment of God's goodness protected the child. She was unhurt and soon playing happily again.
There are many things in our lives and in our world that need healing. Through the power of right, spiritual prayer, the healing power of Christ can be perceived. Such healing prayer acknowledges God's presence and power to be omnipotent.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, elucidates Christ Jesus' method of praying when she writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is it the human understanding of the divine healing Principle as manifested in Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth,--of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love. Jesus conscientiously prayed for God and His
child, man, to be acknowledged and understood as inseparable, unified in purpose and expression. We too, when we pray, can follow Jesus' example in acknowledging our true, spiritual oneness with our creator, God, as His beloved child. Our conscientious, faithful prayer unfolds blessings untold.
In praying to God, I've found it helpful to acknowledge His power, His goodness, and His willingness to bless His child, man. This prayer of affirmation takes on a deeper significance as we learn more of God's ever-availability. Prayer isn't merely deep wishful thinking. Prayer that acknowledges God's ever-present power establishes the results of His power. This is what happened when my prayer that acknowledged God's care for His children resulted in my child's protection from an accident. The effect is always good when we seek God and learn more of Him.
Our prayer will teach us more of God, too, and of man's unique relationship with Him. Affirming God and man's inseparable unity enables us to lean on God to guide our thoughts and actions. God and man, Father and child, are completely inseparable because of God's infinity. His allness fills all space, and thus His child is ever with Him. God, the source of man and the universe, is reflected by man and the universe. Because God is good He is reflected only by good--by harmony, joy, abundance. This goodnes s is innate in--and naturally expressed by--His child, our genuine, spiritual selfhood.
Prayer to God on the basis of a spiritual concept of His ever-presence and love bases our understanding on a firm, unchanging foundation of good. And through this clearer perception of God and man's unique unity, we begin to be comforted by the spiritual fact that God cares for man.
We may not always be aware that healing or protection is needed. Yet God is there, continuously nurturing and caring for us. Our prayers can be conscientious affirmations of this fact of God's goodness and of man's unity with his Father. Such a desire to do what's right and beneficial to all will bless both ourselves and the world. And we can say with the Psalmist, "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."
