Editorial November 28, 1925 Issue

Effectual Prayer

Duncan Sinclair

It is impossible to study the Bible, and especially the New Testament part of it, without being convinced that prayer is the means whereby men may reach out for and receive the aid of Deity. The study also shows that the utilization of spiritual power by means of prayer was a gradual discovery. At first it can have meant little more than a feeble acknowledgment of a higher than human power; next, as an understanding was gained of God as the rewarder of righteousness, and faith in Him increased, prayer was advanced to more confident communion with Him; then, when Christ Jesus had revealed God as the Father, as Spirit and Truth, prayer became far less personal than before, its efficacy having been discerned to be dependent upon spiritualization of thought, as was so clearly shown in the case of the Master himself. And in these latter days Christian Science has revealed beyond all possible doubt that the prayer which is most effectual, the prayer which can be depended upon to heal disease and sin by rule, is the scientific prayer of spiritual understanding.

When one thinks of the subject of prayer, one naturally reverts in thought to the Gospels and the epistles of the New Testament, remembering many allusions to it there. For example, there is the teaching of Christ Jesus as to the necessity of being importunate when seeking to rectify some erroneous or unjust condition. Luke introduces the parable of the importunate widow with the words: "And he [Jesus] spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." How significant the words, "men ought always to pray"! Again, when Jesus was before the tomb of Lazarus, and before he raised his friend from the dead, Martha said to him: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." What faith was that of Martha in her beloved Master's prayer! And Paul out of his knowledge of the power of prayer could entreat the Thessalonians in the words, "Pray without ceasing." James also makes the appeal to his brethren: "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. ... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Now to most Christians faith plays a great part in prayer—faith in the goodness and the nearness of God, and in the availability of His power. No one, surely, would seek to destroy that faith; for it has done wonders. But faith may be very blind; and faith is very blind when he who prays has not a clear, definite knowledge of God and of His laws, and of the relation of these spiritual laws to man. And as spiritual understanding is lacking and faith proportionably blind, so the efficacy of prayer is diminished. On the other hand, as spiritual understanding increases and faith based upon it proportionably increases, prayer becomes more scientific and more efficacious. Mrs. Eddy accurately states the position when she writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 1), "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,—a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love."

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