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| TAYLER'S PRAYER, by Gail Gupton |
| Recently I learned
that my
11-year-old granddaughter did not believe in God any more. When questioned as to why, she
replied, "Because God never answers my prayers". This precious child, with untold wisdom, is correct in the traditional sense. Millions of people, the highest religious leaders of today, including the revered Pope, prays every single holiday season for "Peace on earth and good will toward men" and every one of those prayers goes unanswered. Year after continuing year. So what about this word called "prayer"? And why do so many have prayers unanswered? FIRST DEGREE: God is separate from his creation. People beseech God to give them their wants and needs as though God does not know All. One goes to God much like going to Santa Claus expecting to get what they want because they've been "good", "go to church", or in some way "deserve" God's blessings. They think prayer is pleading with God to give or to take away, depending on their current human situation. Prayer is sending one's desires up to heaven, to a God afar off. Praying in this manner brings a feeling that God is watching over one expecting good. As a ignorant child wandering, I was this way. SECOND DEGREE: God lives within his creation. Prayer is like a warm, fuzzy blanket, giving one the feeling that God wraps himself around one to protect and guide one in his direction in life. Closer, but still separate. Prayer is knowing that God is here, not afar off - not up in the clouds somewhere. Affirming one thing while denying another are part of prayer. Prayer consists of the power of God OVER the power of something else called illness or lack or fear. When the Presence of God is felt, one often believes God "healed" something. Many years ago, as a young busy adult, I lived this way. THIRD DEGREE: God is being his creation. Prayer is experiencing the Presence of God. Prayer is knowing God is being all - Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience, Omniaction. One can remain still and let the Presence make itself known. In the realization that only God exists, one never needs to pray for anything to be given or taken away, as everything is perfection. Everything is happening exactly as it is supposed to because God is doing the Being. In spite of any human appearance, one knows that only God is. "I and my Father are one". Spiritual understanding takes over. As a mature spiritual seeker, I am this way. The answer to prayer lies within the consciousness of the individual. Receiving an answer merely confirms an awakened understanding. Those expecting answers and those wishing for answers are totally different, as expectation has faith while wishing has doubt. To those whose prayers seem to be answered, it is because they have accepted within their consciousness the presence of God. Stories in the news often tell of people who see visions of the Virgin Mary or of Jesus or even ghosts. The visions are very real. Those who cannot see them have never accepted them into their consciousness. To those who believe in disease and death or believe in an opposed power to God called devil - these things are also very real. Likewise, persons who are healed at a certain body of blessed water have accepted as truth that the water heals. One original student of Joel Goldsmith used to ask me, "What's in your consciousness today?" In rising above the human level of consciousness, with all its fears and limitations, one can see truth much clearer. The fog of worry and hope need have with it a foghorn to wake one up. Clouds are constantly rolling over, but beautiful clouds they are - both dark and dreary, and light and breezy. God has no need to answer people's prayer when God is being Almighty God. To align oneself up to be that which was created perfect in the beginning and continues to be perfect means one must rid himself of the belief he is separate and apart from God and has conditions that need fixing. On the human scene, one has many temptations on a daily basis to believe in a life separate from God. One struggles for supply, for health, for entertainment - thinking it is they who are in charge. One thinks he finds satisfaction in things. God is not a thing and does not give things, but the understanding of the nature of God as All and as Perfection, brings the only satisfaction one will ever need in this lifetime. In knowing this, all prayer is unnecessary. God is living his life as us. (We have made some changes to our web site. Please visit again to see them.) All is well. |
