Do you think that some material condition must change before harmony can be experienced? does the inharmony seem to involve climate, elevation, human association, working conditions, or bodily disease? Experience shows that reason based on material premise is never capable of knowing or saying just what is needed to remedy a wrong situation. Christian Science shows that man is always at the point of perfection. Therefore, the human need is ever for a greater understanding of God and man and of the spiritual qualities which man reflects, such as obedience, gratitude, honesty, and love. These qualities, when entertained in consciousness, bring to light man's true identity and put to flight error of every description.

In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the author, Mary Baker Eddy, has given to the world the means for meeting its needs. On page 4 she writes, "What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds." This admonition deals not with physical conditions, nor with what the five material senses seem to require, but with the spiritual ideas necessary to meet the human need, whatever its nature.

The statement just quoted from Science and Health includes certain obligations incumbent upon the individual or group before the light of spiritual understanding can illumine the way through prayer.

Prayer means a turning to God. It means listening for God's plan to unfold in consciousness, not telling Him how He can or ought to bring about the success of a certain course of action outlined by the petitioner. This elementary requirement for effective prayer was made clear to the writer early in his study of Christian Science. He had a desire to go into the produce business. After much prayer and thought an opening developed that would enable him to start as a potato buyer. There seemed nothing in the way; everyone connected with the deal was willing, and the money was forthcoming. Everything was in readiness except the final contract. As this was unduly delayed without apparent reason, the help of a Christian Science practitioner was asked. Still no definite connection was established; no contract was signed. The situation dragged on from day to day, until disappointment seemed certain. About six days after this opening to become a member of the firm had developed, unseasonable rains set in. Had the deal gone through as the writer had hoped, he would have lost heavily and incurred a crippling debt. As it worked out, the loss fell where it could be absorbed without severe financial injury to anyone. The writer has always been grateful for this protection and for the experience of learning to listen for the guidance of divine Mind. Whenever one listens in prayer, he can be certain he will hear God's directing, for His presence fills all space, and His tender control of man is continuous.

An obligation for growth in grace is fervent desire. Without desire for improvement one can attain little. Before helping those in need of healing, Jesus was known to ask (John 5:6), "Wilt thou be made whole?" In other words, have you the desire for a change in thought that will lead to regeneration? Without desire for growth in understanding there is little striving for self-improvement; as a result, self-satisfaction becomes a stumbling block to the attainment of progress and harmony.

Another requirement of prayer for spiritual growth is that desire shall be expressed. How? In "patience, meekness, love, and good deeds." The orthodox thought of patience as a calm submission to the buffeting of error should be corrected. One never needs to submit to evil, but he needs to overcome it with good. Therefore patience cannot mean submission to an unhappy fate. Patience means the assurance that good alone is real, and that harmony is established forever in Mind, even though error seems rampant to mortal sense. Jesus maintained this positive thinking when he stood at the tomb of Lazarus and said (John 11:41, 42): "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always."

In meekness is spiritual strength. Just as the mirrored reflection can originate no activity of its own, but must reproduce the activity of the subject in front of the mirror, so man is destined to repeat by reflection the activity of God, this activity being ever harmonious, in accordance with the nature of God, who is Love. True meekness consists in acknowledging this fact and in maintaining a readiness to yield up the human will to the divine will. It means knowing, as Jesus knew and taught, that "the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sooth the Father do" (John 5:19). In such right knowing is dominion over the inharmonies presented by the carnal mind.

Let us consider the spiritual idea of Love for a moment. Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, p. 192), "Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power." From this we see that it is possible through the exercise of love to gain a measure of realization of the All-power. It is also plain that if this power is to be received, the love must be pure and unselfed. It must be a love for giving without the thought of what is to be received in return, a wholesome and sincere love for those who do not love us. It means love for our less fortunate brother who at the present cannot repay, a love for serving just because there is a need, a love for healing and overcoming the weariness and unhappiness experienced b the human race. Above all, it means a love that helps to establish good in the lives and affairs of all those with whom we come in daily contact.

Self-expression through love is twofold in its nature. It includes the active rendering of services to others, as indicated in the preceding paragraph, and the more passive but still necessary service of understanding the nothingness of the mistakes of another when he strives to reform. This phase of love is known as forgiveness. While forgiveness may seem to the human mind to be something that one does for another, actually forgiving is a service one does for himself. This is indicated in the Lord's Prayer, where Jesus said, in part (Matt, 6:12), "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." If forgiveness is not practiced in dealing with our neighbor, resentment and self-pity may multiply. A sure way for one to outdo his enemies is to forgive them and love them. This method of overcoming evil is effective whatever the nature of the so-called enemy.

When patience, meekness, and love predominate in thought, they naturally and inevitably result in the performance of good deeds, for thought governs action. It is plain that sin, sickness, inharmony, and death do not exist apart from matter. Man being spiritual, one's true needs cannot be other than spiritual. Material remedies cannot Inapplicable to spiritual conditions. Therefore what we need most surely is the "prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds."