Article January 5, 1981 Issue

Urgent daily prayer

RICHARD D. MEYER

Should one pray for himself? For how long? Fifteen minutes? Thirty minutes?
Is it a selfish time?

Not at all! In fact it is essential to our well-being to pray sufficiently each day—and for more than just a moment or two.

Mrs. Eddy made time for prayer: "Three times a day, I retire to seek the divine blessing on the sick and sorrowing, with my face toward the Jerusalem of Love and Truth, in silent prayer to the Father which 'seeth in secret,' and with childlike confidence that He will reward 'openly.'"^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 133.} That Mrs. Eddy expected us to follow her example of habitual prayer is indicated in the Manual of The Mother Church, where she states: "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!"^{Man., Art. VIII, Sect. 4.}