New Look at Prayer

During the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, I am assisting in a ‘back to the basics’ CSL (Center for Spiritual Living) class. Part of the class is focused on taking a new look at prayer.

CSL and some New Thought Centers organizations base their beliefs and teachings on the words of Ernest Holmes (the founder of modern-day Centers for Spiritual Living) and those people who inspired him. This class is reviewing some of Holmes’ writings from the Science of Mind Textbook.

One particular quote shared in the first class jumped out at me:New Look at Prayer

Since some people have been healed through prayer, while others have not, the answer is NOT that God has responded to some and not to others, but that some have responded to God more than others. “Their prayer (their thought) has responded by corresponding. The answer to prayer is in the prayer. But what is a prayer? A prayer is a movement of thought, within the mind of the one praying, along a definite line of meditation; that is, for a specific purpose.

~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind, page 28

If you have been following my spiritual blog for a very long time, you probably know that I write many articles on New Thought prayer. Why? Because I believe CSL New Thought teachings about prayer outline the most effective prayer.

As a Catholic, I prayed the simple form of prayers taught to me by my mother and through my Catechism classes. When I left the Catholic Church and became a born-again Christian, prayers were free-flowing, but often a petition for this or that circumstance I wanted in my life.  Never once did I consider the words of Ernest Holmes (the founder of modern-day Centers for Spiritual Living)

Prayer is a movement of thought.

Most historical churches teach prayer as a way to convince God to give you what you want.  Not very effective!

To think of prayer as a movement of thought opens up a whole new way of thinking.  According to Holmes, the answer to prayer is within the prayer.

When we embrace this perspective, we stop begging God for whatever we want and start taking responsibility to change the way we think about it.  Prayer does not change God, it changes us — the ones praying.

Taking focus off our circumstances, good or bad, and focusing on seeing and believing we will be led to receive the answer opens the door for the Spirit to move in our lives.

If you want to know more about this method of prayer, sign up for my 8-email mini-course on ‘Creating Peace and Fulfillment Through Effective Prayer’.

 

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