The Spiritual and Scientific Use of Prayer
People have long thrown themselves into supplication when their hearts are heavy, feel broken or in times there seems no way out. Some people say they don’t think God hears their prayers, while others trust completely that their prayers are heard and answered. What makes the difference in outcome and attitude?
One of the earliest decisions we seem to make as humans is that of trust. Can I really trust that life will care for me, give me what I need and desire? Those questions are well described by one of the world’s most caring and loving Humanistic Psychotherapists, Abraham Maslow in his chart of the hierarchy of human needs. The first levels of awareness are relevant to this discussion of trust and why anyone of us views what we pray for as: sure to come to pass in a pleasant satisfying manner, or sure to move away from us because life doesn’t work to support us.
The first step on Maslow’s Hierarchy indicates the need we have for Physiological Needs to be met. Are our biological needs met sufficiently, on time and administered with love and openness? Unless these needs flow in regular and sufficient patterns, a small infant will most likely feel that life is not a happy or an abundant place to be. What an impactful message that is to be ingrained early on in a young mind, one that will inevitably set up patterns of lack of trust and confidence in life. Those feelings will eventually affect whether a person believes they can ask for a thing and believe they have any chance of receiving the thing asked for.
The Need for Safety is the next step on Maslow’s ladder to Self Actualization and fits perfectly into our understanding as to why prayer seems to work for us or not. A young child will inevitably grab for its parent’s or caretaker’s hand when a stranger comes or they start into territories unknown. My little granddaughter will tighten her grasp around my neck when strangers come close out in public. She loves that reassurance that she is always safe with me.
As people give lovingly to a child: physiological needs, safety, reassurance, orderliness and a sense of decency, the child learns to trust that she or he can travel life paths unafraid of being hurt. In that sense also a child learns to trust that life works for them and not against them. Could it be that those early lessons as to how life works, or not, for us determines how we view the matter of prayers and whether or not they will work for us?
So what types of prayers are we talking about here? Are they memorized and practiced with little thought? No, this type of prayer, the answerable types are deep, heartfelt, filled with the essence of our Being. They are honest prayers and we believe in them to work out, perhaps not exactly the way we want but we trust they will evolve in the most beneficial manner for us, and for all concerned. This is true for the seeker because of their firm belief that life does work for them, they are safe and they are cared for.
Prayers that work touch that deep core of who we are. The subconscious mind feels their very reality and begins moulding the plastic substance of the Universe to bring to us what we long for, what we expect. Not only do we utter the prayer, we FEEL the prayer into existence. We act as if it already is ours because in the heart of the Universe it IS already ours.
Infinite Intelligence, God, Source, whatever your term is for the Infinite Powers of All Life is directly tied into the Infinite Intelligence within each living soul. It is the very power that breathes us and keeps the heart beating at night, heals our body or digests residues of food while we sleep. Those are not acts we consciously will to happen. In many cases when we meddle in inadequate ways with our body’s intelligence we interrupt some of the good ways in which it works divinely. The body intelligence is DIVINE INTELLIGENCE.
All of that knowledge adds to your good experience of prayer. Will it work for me, you ask? It does work for any of us. The divinity programmed into the human body IS the bridge between trusting that what we long for, what we pray for will come to us, and our ability to receive what we ask for. It allows the human imagination to actually see what we desire as being already true for us.
Healing early childhood deprivations and coming to grips with the REALITY that all good is there for all persons regardless of their past is a crucial part of the mix. Never rehashing or turning it over and over, we simply uncover the mystery of IT and let it go. Using the real and spiritual and scientific nature of prayer to attract what we desire is the right and privilege of all persons. The Bible tells us to pray and BELIEVE that it is already given to us. My friend and mentor, Jack Canfield says to “Decide what you want; know you can have it; believe you deserve it; and be open to receive it.” That is a powerful model for prayer.
Yes, prayer does work. What are you praying for? What do you IMAGINE to be true for you? Think of what you expect for yourself as the ultimate prayer. Decide the good things you want, believe that they are already yours and know with all of your heart that you deserve all the good life has to give. What you believe is rising as a prayer in every moment, and it does come true for any of us.
Expect the Best, Ellen Valentine, CNC
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