"Teach us to pray"

WILLIAM LEROY CURTIS

The disciples had seen Jesus feed the hungry multitude in the wilderness, when only a few loaves and fishes were at hand, and they had likewise witnessed many other miracles performed by him through his understanding of God. They recognized that his prayer included a comprehension of God and His beneficence which they did not yet understand. At a certain place, when he had ceased praying, one of them said to him, "Teach us to pray."

Mortals, blinded by sin and material beliefs, have long since concluded that the power by which Jesus was able to perform miracles was a special dispensation of divine Providence and belonged to an age now ended. They have also made the mistake of looking to matter as the source from which may be derived the things deemed necessary to sustain life. These material things are often obtained by such tiresome effort and painful struggle on their part as to lead them to believe that what they get must be obtained by their own unaided efforts. This tends to beget a feeling of insecurity, jealousy, and fear. Viewed from this standpoint alone, one is forced to the conclusion that poverty, trials, and failures, with their attendant suffering, sickness, and death, are inevitable. Consequently, men are under constant fear of these evils, with little hope of finding a way to escape.

Here Christian Science is of invaluable service to humanity. All who will earnestly study the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, may gain the true understanding of God and man and find freedom from these fears and false beliefs and the evils which they engender. The opening chapter of her textbook is a comprehensive discussion of prayer, in the first sentence of which she declares, "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."

Christian Science not only reveals the true nature and character of God and His creation, but it also makes clear that everything essential to life and harmonious existence is ever available to us through prayer. It shows that God is the continuous Giver of good. All that infinite good can ever bestow upon man, is now pouring forth from this inexhaustible source.

On that memorable occasion in the wilderness Jesus took the loaves and fishes, blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples for the hungering multitude. He offered thanks to God before his prayers appeared to be answered. Most people gladly give thanks if their prayers are answered and their wants are satisfied. And many have long been giving thanks without comprehending the reason for gratitude. Mere emotional voicing of thanks for the pleasures of personal sense or physical comfort is not the true recognition of what God gives. "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" asked Jesus.

In an article entitled "Angels," in "Miscellaneous Writings," Mrs. Eddy says (p. 307), "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies." What God gives is thus clearly revealed and set forth in simple terms. Our need is for spiritual ideas, spiritual intuition. We need these "angels," for when we entertain them, we see as the only reality God's perfect spiritual creation and man in His image and likeness, having dominion over all.

A student of Christian Science was confronted with a problem which seemed impossible of solution. He had prayed, but his prayers seemed of no avail. Worry and fear increased until he could not sleep. One night he turned to the Bible for comfort and began reading the sixth chapter of Joshua, where it is related that the children of Israel marched around the wall of Jericho once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, the priests sounding their trumpets each time as the Lord had commanded, and the wall was still standing. Then at last Joshua commanded the people, saying, "Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city;" and when the people shouted, "the wall fell down flat."

Here the student meditated. He had been healed of many physical ills, cured of many errors of sense, and saved from financial distress by the application of Christian Science. He was grateful for these healings and for Mrs. Eddy and her discovery of Christian Science. Therefore, there was no lack of gratitude with him. Then the words of the Apostle James came to his thought: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Had he gratefully recognized and acknowledged the spiritual fact that Christian Science is the gift of God? He saw that it is the recognition of this fact, together with obedience to the teaching of Christian Science, that fits one to receive its blessings. He was then freed from the fears and worries that had caused him many sleepless nights, and he had learned that ceaseless gratitude to God for all good is necessary to effectual prayer.

On page 3 of her textbook Mrs. Eddy says: "Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more."

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