Article September 5, 2016 Issue

The effectiveness of prayer

Robert R. MacKusick

Christ Jesus, the founder of Christianity, prayed effectively and with an understanding of God’s authority over illness and inharmony; and he taught his followers the wide application of prayer.

In his Sermon on the Mount, for instance, he gave a clear and authoritative statement about the value of petition in prayer. He said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7, 8).

What makes a prayer of petition effective is when one learns what to ask for. Did the Master teach that we should petition God for things such as money, material goods, a humanly outlined solution to a distressing situation? Or did he teach that we ask God for an understanding that reveals His goodness, ever-presence, infinite love, and supreme wisdom? An understanding of His care for every single one of His spiritual children—every one of us?

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