I remember praying before a big test in high school. “Please God don’t let me fail.” “Please, please, please.” I figured that if my groveling was earnest enough it would count for more. That was an excellent example of totally selfish, self-focused, self-interested prayer. I begged God to bail me out after not studying. But over time I started to have conversations with God. I would talk about all sorts of stuff going on in my life and I would get responses. Now I don’t know if those responses were from God or were me just talking with me. But I really felt comforted and helped by these dialogues. Over time I have had glimpses that there is more to prayer than I originally thought. I had a spiritual formation class and in the quiet darkness I was visualizing my hands held up to heaven – and something happened. I can’t really explain it, but to this day I try and find quiet places where I can lift up my spirit to God in the hope that whatever that something is, it happens again. Sometimes the same thing occurs when I am singing an especially wonderful song that expresses my inner feelings to God. Recently someone asked, am I praying the right way? And I had to stop and think – what is the right way to pray?
Prayer is for the evolution of the soul. Prayer is the way each one of us can commune with God and to aspire to be like him/her. Prayer is the most powerful force in our spiritual advancement. These are some of the things the Urantia Book says about prayer. Many people still consider prayer a way of placing requests before God in the hope that changes will occur in our life situation. The book says that God is fair, and therefore will not step into our lives and solve a difficulty for us (998.1). But prayer does make long term and lasting changes in our spiritual lives – instead of the short term changes that we often ask for (998.3). The book says that prayer is not “a technique for curing real and organic diseases” (999.4). God does not step into the world and change the laws that he/she has wisely put into place. Instead prayer helps us to receive strength from God in facing and solving our problems ourselves (999.7). Prayer is for progress and growth, not for instant solutions for the many challenges of life. Facing those challenges helps us to grow, and God stands with us. Prayer spiritually elevates us (1002.2), causes our consciousness to become more God-conscience (1002.3), stretches our values to superhuman values (1002.4). The book also encourages us to pray for others, but not as a way to solve their problems. Instead, selfless prayer puts aside our own self focus, our own self interest, and gives us the opportunity to focus on God, to experience true worship (998.1). Praying for others changes us, and causes us to love our fellows more.
Prayer is not what I have always thought it to be. The Urantia Book says prayer starts out as a petition for help, but ends up as an opening for support (995.7). It begins as a conversation with our own egos, but ends up as a relationship with the almighty (996.8). Prayer starts as endless repetition and becomes a technique for the imperfect being to seek perfection. I started out thinking that prayer was what I should do when I was in trouble. Then I thought it was for having chats with God. Now I see that prayer is our way to reach for the stars and someday attaining them. It is the technique for us to become godlike – to become perfect even as our heavenly father is perfect.
God Bless You,
William Whitehead
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