Article February 4, 1967 Issue

The Prayer That God Hears

DORIS A. LEWIS

Someone once said to me: "I wouldn't think of asking God to solve my problems. He's much too busy for that." Such a statement reveals a lack of understanding of the true nature of God or the real meaning of prayer.

What place should prayer have in our daily affairs? Is it merely an emotional experience which makes us feel better temporarily but has no lasting effect? Do we turn to prayer with trepidation, hoping it will be answered but having no confidence that God hears us? If prayer is used to plead for material things or to ask God to mold His will to our material desires, we shall find that we have prayed in vain.

In the chapter on Prayer in Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes: "In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God's allness. We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We must 'pray without ceasing.'"^{Science and Health, p. 15;} And she adds, "Such prayer is answered, in so far as we put our desires into practice."