Article October 4, 1969 Issue

How Does God Answer Prayer?

ANETTA G. SCHNEIDER

The question is often asked by a newcomer to Christian Science, "How, according to the teachings of Christian Science, does God answer prayer?" Having left behind the concept of begging God for blessings, the prayers which often went unanswered, he looks hopefully for something more concrete. Probably the effort of the whole world is stimulated by a definite hope that some measure of success for oneself and for others will result from a provable concept of prayer. The knowledge that divine aid is available to solve one's problems and an elucidation of the method by which it may be invoked are of the greatest consequence to everyone.

A right comprehension of God is requisite to true prayer. One of the fundamental truths of Christian Science is God's immutability. This Science holds that God is invariable, unchanging good, and that He cannot be changed by prayer. Logically, then, God cannot be placated or influenced by our pertinacity in requesting or demanding things of Him. Christian Science teaches one to know the nature of God as divine Truth and Love. It teaches one to understand what the omnipotence of God means as the necessary foundation for the certain assurance of the fulfillment of that which one rightly asks of God. It shows that the moral and spiritual condition of human thought must be made ready to receive the blessings for which it asks. This preparation often requires the individual to make vigorous efforts to specifically apply the truths asserted in Christian Science.

Since the purpose of prayer is to reconcile mankind to God, it becomes our obligation to conform our way of life to the divine, to purify human consciousness, to have a more exalted desire to think and to do what is right. Such desire is based upon an earnest and honest longing for spiritual accomplishment. But one does not gain the good for which he does not labor. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "If we are not secretly yearning and openly striving for the accomplishment of all we ask, our prayers are 'vain repetitions,' such as the heathen use." ^{ Science and Health, p. 115;}