When we think of prayer we usually consider
it a matter of getting down on our knees,
and with eyes closed, asking some unknown,
and supposedly holy being in the sky
for something we want.
That is the usually accepted idea of prayer.
And needless to state, there being no god in the sky,
such prayers are never answered nor can they be.

Then there is another sort of prayer,
and this time we have the really successful,
and dynamic sort of prayer.
The sort that gets the results.
And that is the sort the world is
interested in, the prayer that brings results.
In this sort of prayer, the sort Jesus used,
all that is necessary is that one be alone.

You will remember that when the Galilean Carpenter
raised Lazarus, he stated very plainly that
no prayer of any kind was necessary,
and were it not for the crowd standing around,
he would not have addressed God at all.
Had he not done so however, these good people
would naturally have credited the power to him
instead of to the mighty Life Spirit,
and therefore he prayed to God.

Not to the anthropomorphic god in heaven,
but the God Who was right there with him,
willing to operate in the moment,
the necessary faith was displayed.
Jesus did not want any authority
or power ascribed to him,
for he knew he had no power
of any sort that did not come from God.
In fact he plainly said so.

This real prayer has no spoken words,
and does not need any, for this
sort of prayer is just simply a recognition
of the mighty Presence in the world,
and in the life of the Master Spirit God.

Just a quiet stillness in the busy rush of the day.
Just perhaps a lifting of the eyes.
Just perhaps a sweet smile into the face of God,
bringing the assurance of His presence, that is all.
Just the trust, and then after the trust,
the taking of the thing desired.

This is all there is to prayer
which brings the answer, my friends.
Nothing religious about it at all,
nothing abnormal, Just a sweet confidence
in the mighty Life Spirit,
and then a recognition that with us,
and for us, is the greatest Power
the world has ever known--God.

We hear strange tales today of business executives,
going into their inner offices and leaving orders,
that they not be disturbed.
There, for a few moments alone with God,
they refresh themselves with His presence,
and leaving that inner room,
empowered by the might of God,
they go into their business conferences,
and gain their objectives, and none
are able to gainsay or to defeat them.

This is prayer.

Some of the sweetest moments we have in a life,
which is crowded with activities,
and which is saturated with the troubles of others,
are the moments when we take our escape,
and with no objective in mind,
we drive through this marvelous countryside.
We will come to some quiet spot
with nothing between God and ourselves.
We hear the little meadow lark,
as he sits on a fence post singing away.

We see the golden grain waving in the fields.
We see the lowing cattle on the hill side.
We see the beautiful pines swaying in
these wonderful calming breezes,
and with a heart full of gratitude for life itself,
we just simply raise our eyes and say,
Thank you, God, for all this.

And into our soul steals a sweet peace.
Into our life comes a quiet Power.
And out of our inmost soul goes a feeling
of gratitude as our spirit joins,
to that of our Maker,
and we are happy, and we overcome
every obstacle in our path,
and we plough through mountains in our effort to
send the Living Truth of God round the world.

The impossible becomes the possible,
the weakness becomes the strength,
the sickness becomes the health,
the sadness becomes joy,
the temporal and transitory petty annoyances,
are changed into glorious moments of peace,
and we conquer, we win, we triumph,
and we give all the honor for our victories
to where it belongs, the mighty Life Spirit.
This is prayer. This is what overcomes.