Praying as a Personal Experience

Praying as a personal experience

91:8.1 (1001.5)Prayer has a truly spontaneous aspect, for primitive man noticed that he was praying long before he had a clear conception of a God. Early man used to pray in two different situations: when in great distress, he experienced the impulse to seek help, and when elated with joy, he indulged in its impulsive expression.

91:8.2 (1001.6)Prayer did not evolve from magic; the two arose independently. Magic was an attempt to adapt the Deity to circumstances; prayer is the effort to bring the personality into conformity with the will of the Deity. True prayer is both moral and religious. Magic is neither.

91:8.3 (1001.7)Prayer can become a regular habit: many pray because others do too. Still others pray because they fear that something terrible will happen if they do not send their supplications regularly.

91:8.4 (1001.8)For some individuals, prayer is the calm expression of gratitude; for others, the group expression of praise, social prayer; sometimes it is the imitation of someone else's religion, while sincere prayer is the honest and trusting communication of the creature's spiritual nature with the spirit of the Creator who is always with him.

91:8.5 (1001.9)Prayer may be a spontaneous expression of God-consciousness or a meaningless recitation of theological formulas. It may be the ecstatic praise of a God-denying soul, or the slavish homage of a mortal dominated by fear. Sometimes it is the stirring expression of spiritual yearning and sometimes the loud exclamation of pious phrases. The prayer may be a joyful praise, or a humble plea for forgiveness

91:8.6 (1001.10)Prayer may be a childlike pleading for the impossible or a matured request for moral growth and spiritual strength. A prayer may be about daily bread or embody a heartfelt desire to find God and do His will. It can be an entirely selfish request or a sincere, impressive gesture in accomplishment of selfless brotherhood.

91:8.7 (1001.11)A man's prayer may be a wrathful cry for vengeance or a compassionate intercession for his enemies. It may be an expression of hope to change God or a powerful technique to change himself. It can be the grovelling supplication of a lost sinner before a supposedly severe Judge, or the joyful expression of a freed son of the living, merciful Heavenly Father.

91:8.8 (1001.12)Modern man is confused by the idea that he can discuss his affairs with God in a purely personal way. Many have abandoned regular prayer; they pray only when under extraordinary pressure - in emergencies. Man should be fearless in speaking to God, but only a man who is a spiritual child would want to persuade God or venture to change him.

91:8.9 (1002.1)But true prayer does reach reality. Even when the air currents upward, no bird can elevate itself except when it spreads its wings. Prayer elevates man, for it is a technique for moving forward by using the upward spiritual currents of the universe.

91:8.10 (1002.2)True prayer contributes to spiritual growth, changes attitudes and gives the satisfaction that comes from communion with the divine being. It is a spontaneous outburst of God-consciousness.

91:8.11 (1002.3)God answers man's prayer by giving him a more comprehensive revelation of truth, a heightened appreciation of beauty and a wider understanding of goodness. Prayer is a subjective gesture, but it makes contact with powerful objective realities at the spiritual levels of human experience: it is man's meaningful reaching for superhuman values. It is the most powerful stimulus to spiritual growth.

91:8.12 (1002.4)Words are irrelevant in prayer, they are only the mental bed in which the river of spiritual supplication happens to flow. The value of words is purely auto-suggestive in personal prayers and socio-suggestive in group prayers. God answers the attitude of the soul, not the words.

91:8.13 (1002.5)Prayer is not a method of escaping conflict, but rather an incentive to growth precisely in the face of conflict. Pray only for values, not for things; for growth, not for satisfaction.

A Thought for Consideration from the Urantia Book