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Show Blossoms of prayer By Ernia Jean Lee "Religion is no more possible without prayer than poetry without language, or music without atmosphere." James Martineau. "I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered." Jean Ingelow. "We should pray with as much I earnestness as those who expect everything from God; and should act with as much energy as those who expect ex-pect everything from themselves." Colton. Asha, an ancient sage, discussed prayer with Ihua Mazda: "Thou hast said I must pray to the Creator: Now... I ..; never prayed in my life. Who will teach me to pray?" The God replied: "Let thy lips utter thy holiest desires, and let thy soul seek constantly for new expressions " magnifying the wisdom, love and power of the Creator. Neither shalt thou take a thought in regard to rules or prayer: the rules are for the unlearned. ...the glory of prayer is the strengthening of one's own soul to preceive the High Light. "Prayer is not given in order to change the decrees of the Creator, but to change one's self for the better. He who repeateth words of prayer as a parrot par-rot repeateth improveth himself but lit-tie." lit-tie." Asha asked: "If a man think a prayer and use no words, is it well with him?" "It is well with him but it is better to add words. It is well for the Creator to think a universe, but better to create it. To begin to learn creating, thou shalt use spoken words; the perfection of creating is to have the words bear fruit. ..He who omitteth words of prayer will in time omit prayer, also, and his soul will tend toward barrenness. A vain man saith: 'I have no need to pray; the .Creator knpweth my capacity!' Why then shall not the field say: 'I shall produce pro-duce no harvest because the Creator - knoweth my capacity?!'" "I declare unto thee, O Asha, the secret of all spiritual growth lieth in giving out the spirit: He who would grow in wisdom, must give wisdom; he who would grow in love must give love; he who would grow in power of spirit must give out power of spirit." ..."if thou prayest silently thy power goeth weakly to thy audience, but if thou prayest with words openly, thou givest to thine audience of they fruit; and for this glory, the Creator pro-videth pro-videth thee abundantly. When thou shalt go with thy bowl to feed the feeble, the old, the helpless, the blind, thou shalt teach them prayer and confessions confes-sions and thou shalt absolve them that are depressed because of their sins, that they may rejoice in their own lives.'" And Asha did as he was taught. Prayer to one's highest Being, though silent, is one way to contact the soul of a loved one who is discouraged and depressed because of their acts, sinful or otherwise. "There is nothing in all the universe for me to fear," said Charles Fillmore of Unity, "For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I with them. ...I am the light of the world. You are the light of the world." To Unity prayer workers, it was the light of Christ's Spirit that radiated hope, love, health, joy and the magnification of faith to their coworkers co-workers and readers. Mr. Fillmore affirmed af-firmed his sonship in God. H. Emilie Cady said, in The Unity Treasure Chest: "Did it ever occur to you that you take God's name in vain?" He then shows how God says to Moses : "I Am That I Am... I Am hath sent me unto you" which Moses was to say to the children of Israel. "I Am, then, is God's name," says Cady. "Everytime you say 'I am sick,' 'I am weak,' 'I am discouraged,' are you not speaking God's name in vain, falsely?" He suggests that if one is anxious or worried, they should try for one week to say the I Am upward toward the good. Instead of saying, "I am ill," say, " am feeling a bit better," or instead of saying say-ing "I am ignorant," say "I am trying to learn." The choice of one's words, daily, can be the blossoms of weakness or strength, of love or discouragement, of fruit to come forth from one's prayers. Ancient blessing given Moses: "The Eternal Being bless thee and keep thee, The Eternal Being make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; The Eternal Being lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace." |