Article April 5, 1924 Issue

The "Daily Prayer"

ETHEL MUNRO GOSS

Many times the disciples of Jesus must have found their Master waiting for them at the dawn of a new day, his face alight with the peace and serenity of a night spent in prayer on the mountain side. It may have been at such a time that, awed by the radiance of that face, they humbly asked him to teach them to pray. As we carefully study his teachings that have come down to us, we find he taught them how to pray, as well as gave to them the Lord's Prayer. He taught them that when they prayed they must enter into the closet and close the door; that they must pray, believing that they would receive; and that they must avoid hypocrisy and vain repetitions.

In our day, we too have had to learn how to pray; and Mrs. Eddy in the chapter on Prayer in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," reveals to us the motive and purpose of prayer in such a way that those who recognize the teaching as the truth rejoice in having this understanding revealed to them. In her interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, at the end of the chapter referred to, she has not added anything to that prayer, but has unfolded the spiritual meaning of it, which had been much obscured these long years by the dust of ecclesiasticism and vain repetition.

Besides giving us in our textbook a larger understanding of prayer, she has also in the Church Manual (p. 41) given to us a "Daily Prayer," which very distinctly requires our daily attention. This By-law reads: "It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: 'Thy kingdom come;' let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!" The more we obey and use this prayer in our daily work, the more will thought expand to understand and appreciate its value in our spiritual development. The alert thought tries to realize more and more the spiritual meaning of this prayer, which the loving thought of our Leader has left for our daily guidance.

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