Article September 28, 1974 Issue

Continuous Prayer

JOYCE D. WETHE

In Paul's Letter to the Romans we find the phrase, "Continuing instant in prayer."^{Rom. 12:12;} And again in his First Letter to the Thessalonians he writes, "Pray without ceasing."^{I Thess. 5:17;} This may seem too tall an order to fill, but is it? Can one not at least begin to respond to this counsel right now?

While it might appear that a life of prayer would be difficult, heavy, and laborious, just the opposite is the fact. Prayer may be a supplication to God, but in its higher use prayer is a grateful acknowledgment of God's ever-presence, His all-power and goodness. The joy and promise of prayer make it less laborious. Mrs. Eddy writes, "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."^{Science and Health, p. 1;}

To pray rightly, we need to get self out of the way. A personal viewpoint must yield to the divine viewpoint of the one Mind, God. Desires must be trusted to God. We can know that His will includes good for everyone. Prayer in Christian Science is a means of getting to know God and the perfect selfhood of ourselves and others in and of Him. It does not always involve shutting one's eyes, else it certainly would be impossible to "pray without ceasing." Right, spiritual thinking is prayer that guides our lives.

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