When you Pray

Chapter Fourteen

     TRUE prayer is not demanding things of the universe, nor yet is it imagining that things can be had by begging or beseeching, or yet knowing they are yours. Prayer is merely recognition of that which is about to appear-provided, of course, you are willing to accept your good. "Thank you, Father," was one of the most efficacious prayers ever said, and it was followed up by a magnificent explanation of the nature of prayer-"I knew it was already so."  This checks perfectly with the statement, "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

      When we get over the idea of praying to a man god, we shall see that prayer is merely aligning ourselves with the Power of that which is due to appear in our lives. In like manner, affirmations in their truest sense do not and cannot change the eternal nature of the universe; they are the words which are uttered because of the urge of the thing pressing upon the individual for expression. Hence, instead of any more of the prodigality comes the Sonship that, instead of begging for life, partakes of life as his inheritance, and names his statement of this fact as an automatic result, just as one who is sitting in darkness will automatically exclaim " Oh, light 1 " when a sudden shaft of light pierces the gloom. It is not said with an idea of creating light, but as a full recognition of the existence of light at that place and time.

The person standing in front of a mirror does not exist because of the reflection in the mirror, but vice versa. We have reversed the very processes of life, and have been working at them blindly and backwards. No wonder our results have been so meager and unhealthy. When the prayer is uttered out of a full heart, with a full recognition, you who read this page will take your good in this manner; your heart will almost burst with the fullness of this truth. Awareness of my presence and of all the things you have so long sought for.

"Come ye, buy, and eat; drink -without price."

"Take no thought-arc ye not better than many ravens."

Do you not understand what you have been doing? When will you speak out of the full heart of recognition that there is such a thing as a God present here and now in all his fullness? The old order shall pass away

A new heaven is not a heaven patched up and made livable; it is a new heaven; and the new heir comes to take his place-he is all new and glistening, all glorious and free. "Former things have passed away." Do you hear?  You who read this page?  You?

When ye pray, the whole soul is at attention. It is so absorbing--this recognition of God within, without, everywhere-that man easily forgets his needs. He is swallowed up in the sea of All-substance and is content, and he becomes aware of his own. Be still, be joyously still. You are atop the heights of manifestation. Do you hear? You who read this page? You?

It is so absorbing, so radiantly absorbing, the glory of the God-Son and his Kingdom, that nothing matters, and therefore everything matters. In the Absolute Reality, when you lose your life you find it. When you lose the tiny limited personal sense of life, you lose all the irritating beliefs that go with it----petty wants and its straining to be famous or great.

"Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

Where is the Father, and what is his business? Over and over this is called to your attention, for a moment's consciousness of this fact will cause you to function in your right place-will cause great and mighty peace to surge over you. You cannot be out of place as long as this awareness is with you. "Your Father's business" is the business of self-expression. When you are expressing the True Self, you are bringing in the Kingdom of Heaven, for you are, both literally and figuratively, giving water to the thirsty and food to the hungry; in other words, the urge of Spirit as a reality is gushing forth into conscious expression.

    The Father's business is self-revelation---you will reveal yourself to yourself, and no more will you sit in sackcloth and ashes wishing for that which is already yours. Do you hear? You who read this page? You?

     Let go; be quiet; it is well; all is well; heaven is here and now. "Blessings, blessings, blessings-so many you cannot count them."        Did you hear? Cease from the argument.  Seek peace and pursue it; thereby all good shall come unto you. All is enough. Why worry? I speak to you from out these pages and say to you," It is well." Do you hear? Then rest.

     There shall be no sluggish waiting and imagining things; action is my name. I do -I AM. Be at peace. When the moment comes, you shall be fully equipped to run the race of certain attainment. You shall be able to write so that he who runs may read, and he who reads may run. Everything you give to another you increase a thousand fold, when it is given in love and not for gain.

All the human ideas are reversed in the truth.

Do you go out to see a man with a reputation, or run after a book that is said to contain the key? When you realize that the I AM within you is the KEY to every person, place, and thing, you will begin to unlock the treasures of your own kingdom. You will then be able to release the hidden springs of inspiration in a book or within your soul, and see the new life fill everything.

      Stop the condemnation of your beautiful Self. "If ye deny Me [Christ within], I shall also deny you." In other words, if you find Me incapable of governing your life, then, no matter how you call upon Me, I shall not answer because of your "unbelief," because you do not honestly believe that it is possible for the Inner Lord to rule absolutely and harmoniously in your life. If you have a house consciousness, divided against itself, it will fall-and so you will fall, and attempt to work out your problem by praying to a God afar off-a tyrant that may hear your prayers ---a God of wrath and hatred.

     Stop thinking of yourself as a worm of the dust; stop judging yourself; stop the everlasting talking about that which is past and dead. Arise, and let the dead bury their dead. Do not try to straighten out things get yourself lined out with the power within and you will find things automatically falling into harmony and order. The piece of steel follows the magnet-but you are trying to make the magnet follow the piece of steel. God cannot be made to do your bidding, but by becoming conscious of your point in the Universal Mind you will be happy in doing his bidding-you will some day cheerfully say, " Not my will, but thine, be done," and be satisfied that it is the only will, and is the door of freedom, not martyrdom. Be still nothing is hard to ME----do you hear? You who read this page? You?

Dominion is yours through the recognition of the Christ within-dominion to do and to be. The Christ asks no favours to perform. He does not need the recommendation or veto of anyone. He is independent of such three dimensional rubbish. The dawn asks no permission to dispel the night ; it may not be in accord with many people's desires to have it come when it does, but it is above requesting the favor to express. So you will likewise ask no privilege to speak the freeing word of truth----nor to perform the works after the manner of Jesus.

So, then, is every man, for every man is born of the Spirit when he arises to recognize this. He comes and goes and no one shall say him no, and no one shall know how he cometh or goeth, for the ways of Spirit are past finding out. " My ways are past finding out "-but my ways are ways of definite accomplishment, effortless, untrammeled, and free-unconditioned and easy into expression-assembling instantly all that is necessary for the instantaneous expression of the Son of God.

Thus, when you are ready to let the Christ within take over the government of your life, you will find the upper chamber, the robe and the ring, the scrip and purse, always waiting for you. Are you afraid? Dare you accept such a wondrous gift? - Perhaps you plead that you are unworthy, and you are-unworthy because you are judging the Christ within by the standards of your limited human capacity. Having eyes, ye see not, and ears, ye hear not, and hence you judge from the blinded and deaf state of human reasoning and find such a glorious attainment impossible.

"In the twinkling of an eye" is the manner of his coming in-" the moment ye think not." Who by thinking can find ME? Who by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? But at a moment when you think not-when you have done with the idea that you can force God to appear and do your bidding by merely thinking of him, and have come to the recognition of the Presence which is past all limitations and conditions-you will say, " Whereas before I was blind, Now 1 can see," and perceive a wholly new world about you.

      Many are the seekers after truth who think that by affirmations they can call up God and order him to set things right, just as Aladdin is supposed to have done with his lamp. They fail to have the symbology of the True Aladdin with his LAMP-Light-but imagine that if they say it often enough it will work.

      A new system is discovered ; it is tried with great avidity and then found wanting ; so shall it be-" I shall overturn and overturn, until he comes whose place it is to rule " --until I am the only ruler of your universe, and every prop is kicked from under, and you stand revealed to yourself--a glorious Son of the Living God with healing in his wing, with light in his eyes, with his feet shod with the winged sandals of attainment clothed in Light. "Praying without ceasing" is the prayer of thanksgiving and recognition.

     When ye pray, say "Thank you, Father," remembering where Jesus told you the Father resided, and rest-and, having done all, stand and see the salvation, the coming into manifestation of the Power of God here and now. You who read this page, do you hear? You?