Article April 2, 1955 Issue

DAILY PRAYER AND DAILY LIVING

MARION GRAY

"Lord, teach us to pray," was the request of one of Jesus' disciples (Luke 11:1). This plea he answered both by a specific prayer which has since been called the Lord's Prayer and by general directions as to the manner of praying. Jesus' instructions and his prayer were put into use by his immediate followers and were recorded by them, so that they have come down through the centuries and are still a basic part of all Christian church services.

In the Manual of The Mother Church, Mary Baker Eddy writes (Art. VIII, Sect. 4), "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 opening words of this prayer, taken from the Lord's Prayer, indicate the importance Mrs. Eddy attached to them. She knew, as Jesus did, that the foundation of true worship must be a recognition of the fact that God is the governor, that all is under His perfect control. We too must start from this premise.

It is important to note that this prayer quoted from the Manual is to be used daily. And we may be sure that our inspired Leader was not referring to a mere repetition of words in using it. In fact, she tells us (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 4), "Simply asking that we may love God will never make us love Him; but the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily watchfulness and in striving to assimilate more of the divine character, will mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness." Is it not necessary, then, for us to give careful thought to what this prayer includes and work to express it in daily living?

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