March 9th, 2006
Refer to Eye of the I Page 138; 201; Sept 2002 lecture; October 2002 lecture; ACIM The Song of Prayer; an extension of the principles of ACIM
Prayer
What is prayer? Prayer is an act of communication by humans with the sacred or holy. In Eastern Christianity, prayer was a mental invocation of the name of Jesus Christ, considered most efficacious when repeated continuously. Prayer is active communion with God, combining praise, thanksgiving, entreaties and contemplative receptivity.
Another definition of prayer: it is a blessing, an act of Divine favor or compassion.
Sharing prayers from different spiritual traditions:
May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need.
- Buddhist - prayer of peace
Today, like every other day,
we wake up empty and frightened.
Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
- Rumi - Sufi poet and mystic
Act of Love: O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and
soul, because you are all good and worthy of all my love. I love my neighbor as
myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and I ask pardon
of all whom I have injured.
- Catholic Prayer-
"As your servant O lord, I give you what you have given me."
- Dr. David Hawkins
We, who pray, tend to move through levels of understanding and awareness. We begin praying for something we want. We ask for help, for reparation, for security. Praying this way, we treat God like Santa Clause. We tell him that events in our life or the lives of others are wrong and then proceed to tell Him what to do to correct them.
We ask for favor and special compensation. We bargain and negotiate. We ask for favour in areas of health, those we love, or for world peace. If our prayers are answered, we will then become devotees to God, servants of God. So our prayers are conditional and are based on getting, on receiving, on results: "Please heal my ill father; help me pay my bills, release me from this pain, let me be free of this addiction".
As we grow in Love and awareness, it begins to dawn on us that Prayer is more about giving to Source than it is about 'getting'. We begin to understand that all we need to focus on is surrendering our small will to the Divine Will. With this new understanding, we become more and more willing to be a channel or servant. As we practice this prayerful attitude, we learn to radiate what we are: gratitude, Peace and Love and Joy.
According to the Song of Prayer (A Course in Miracles), prayer is a way to remember our Holiness, a way of remembering God. As we commit to and focus on our spiritual understanding, how we pray evolves from wanting, and from needing, to a simple giving of gratitude, appreciation and Love for the Infinite Creator.
We let go of our intention - whatever that may be - by releasing our will, our 'wanting-ness' and instead, we radiate gratefulness for all that has and will come our way.
Unconditional gratitude and Love becomes the constant song we sing in prayer to the Field of Infinite Creation.
Some suggestions for prayer from Dr. Hawkins are:
Pray to be shown error: "Bring forth to my awareness that which is not aligned with Truth" (02.25.05)
I surrender my life to Thee O Lord.
- Sept 2002 Sedona Lecture.
Ask for the miraculous, pray over it; ask to see it differently. Call on the
Holy Spirit. The answer comes from reflecting on a thing.
- Oct 2002 Sedona Lecture.
To thee O Lord do I surrender my being.
"and to the Thee Oh Lord I surrender my life. That which I am [is] completely
surrendered to Thee Oh Lord. Amen".
The result of prayer, then, is to realize we are a vehicle for Divine Love - a channel for Higher Will.