Article August 28, 1954 Issue

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

BEN J. FEWKES

The truth of James' statement (5:16), "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," was proved most gloriously and effectively by Christ Jesus. And since Mary Baker Eddy discovered and founded Christian Science many thousands of verified testimonies of healings, which came about through effective prayer as taught in Christian Science, have been recorded in the Christian Science periodicals. In addition, hundreds of thousands of testimonies bearing witness to the healing efficacy of prayer have been related at testimony meetings in Churches of Christ, Scientist, throughout the world.

In "Science and Health with Keyto the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy includes in a chapter on Prayer a clear exposition of the subject. On the first page of this chapter she says (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. Regardless of what another may say or think on this subject, I speak from experience. Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind."

Mrs. Eddy's use of "watching" and "working" in connection with prayer shows that prayer as practiced in Christian Science is never passive. It requires active watching not to believe in the reality of disease or discord and not to disobey the First Commandment by giving power or reality to something besides God, good.

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