Article May 25, 2020 Issue

Joseph showed me a different way to pray

Jodie Maurer

In “The truth about adversity” (Sentinel, February 1, 1941), the author, Louise Knight Wheatley Cook, looks at how Joseph handled a wide spectrum of adverse situations with poise while remaining undisturbed in his trust in God, good (see Genesis, chaps. 37, 39–45). I find it particularly helpful that Joseph didn’t pray to fix the relationship with his brothers, who threw him into a pit, or to get back home once he was sold into slavery, or to fix his situation as a slave or a prisoner. How interesting! In each of these experiences he continued serving God. He didn’t get thrown off track by hardships or pray to make his human circumstances happier. His motive in everything he did seemed to be to fulfill God’s agenda, God’s purpose for him. This resulted in unexpected opportunities to bless others and be blessed.

For example, when Joseph was unjustly placed in jail, he successfully interpreted fellow prisoners’ dreams, and this led to an opportunity to interpret a dream that Pharoah had. Joseph’s ability to help Pharaoh placed him in a prominent position that enabled Joseph not only to save a whole region from famine, but also to reunite with and provide for his family during the famine. What a beautiful manifestation of harmony in his experience!

Joseph’s example shows us the need to watch our motives for prayer. It reminds us that prayer in Christian Science is not praying to fix something or asking God, divine Spirit, to give us material good. Nor is it passively accepting discord. It’s actively challenging the possibility of discord under the omnipotent government of the one, all-good God, Love, who created each of us in His own image and likeness. The best motive for praying is a desire for God’s guidance in order to better serve and glorify Him. This means yearning for and listening to what God is revealing. And as in Joseph’s case, this listening and obedience results in health, harmony, and healing, as well as opportunities for glorifying God in ways outlined by Him, not by a personal agenda.

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