Article July 12, 1993 ISSUE

Valuing our prayer

Take a stand against the mental distractions that divert you from effective prayer.

Thomas C. Asher

After a busy and happy Sunday, I sat down to spend some of the evening in prayer. I had in my lap the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, intending to study a few paragraphs to encourage my prayer. After reading a couple of lines, I thought of the guest who had visited our home earlier in the day. I read another sentence and then considered a couple of household projects I was planning. I prayed for a moment, affirming the goodness and presence of God, then thought for a while about the puppy we had recently added to our family.

After going along in this manner for several minutes, I was rebuked by an arresting thought. It seemed to come from God, and it abruptly changed my approach to prayer. The idea was this: the value of truth is supreme.

I saw how I had been dabbling in the truth of God and man instead of really valuing it. I saw how ungenuine and almost disrespectful such halfhearted prayer is. Certainly there was no crime in thinking about the things that had crossed my mind, but it wasn't appropriate in the sacred sanctuary of prayer. The glory of God's goodness and unceasing presence demanded full attention. So I stopped the unfocused prayer and started honoring divine Truth by praying conscientiously.

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