Article September 9, 1950 Issue

"DESIRE IS PRAYER"

JOE W. HAMILTON

THE first chapter in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy is entitled "Prayer." And on thefirst page of this chapter occurs the following sentence: "Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds." Carelessly to say desire is prayer is to imply that all desire is prayer. Mrs. Eddy, however, makes very clear what type of desire is prayer, for she writes in the same chapter (p. 10), "Prayer means that we desire to walk and will walk in the light so far as we receive it, even though with bleeding footsteps, and that waiting patiently on the Lord, we will leave our real desires to be rewarded by Him."

Many other references are to be found in this chapter that show the relationship of desire and prayer. It not only teaches that desire of the right nature is invariably rewarded, but explains why. It also shows us how to pray and how not to pray. It is climaxed with our Leader's spiritual interpretation of the Lord's Prayer.

When the Master prayed (Matt. 6:10), "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," his every wish was forgotten in the one great desire that the will of God, of good, be known throughout the whole universe. Christ Jesus knew how to pray effectually. His prayers were never thoughtless petitions. Even in direst human need, praying for deliverance from the trying experience in the garden of Gethsemane, he put self-interest aside and said (Luke 22:42), "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

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