I have been thinking a lot about prayer lately. Here are some of the reasons to pray:
1) It allows us to commune with God.
2) It is the only action we can take that truly makes things different.
3) It changes our thinking as it calms, uplifts, and renews us.
4) It allows us to access inner peace.
5) It releases the highest form of energy in the universe, as it links us with the God energy that is our Source.
6) It stirs into action an atomic force and releases a potent spiritual vibration.
7) It helps us accomplish whatever we do in shorter amounts of time.
8) It activates the working of higher laws.
9) It releases a spiritual force that shatters fixed states of mind.
10) It crashes through negative thought strata.
11) It makes the impossible become possible.
12) It makes us more irresistible to our good.
The questions that emerge from this are, “Why wouldn’t I pray? What could possibly keep me from it?” Perhaps for some of us, it is a busy life, and for others, it is because we have not quite realized the power of prayer. Or it could be that we do not feel clarity about whom or what we are praying to. If our history includes a punishing God, then prayer might be low on our list of priorities.
In Unity, we teach that we do not pray to change or appease a God outside of us. We pray to lift ourselves into the consciousness of the Christ. We pray to condition our minds so that we can let go of error thought and awaken to the truth of who we are and who and what God is—love!
One prayer I love is the Unity “Prayer for Protection,” written by the late poet laureate, James Dillet Freeman. In speaking it, one feels so embraced by the light of God, the love of God, the power of God, and the presence of God. I speak that prayer often for myself and others, and I have always used it to end both weddings and celebration of life services. I have also spoken it for my children when they were small and continue to do so, now they are adults.
Our Unity children are blessed to learn about the power of prayer and also about their divine identity and oneness! This Sunday, near the end of Service, we will have a bridging ceremony—blessing our children as they either enter a new year or move forward into the next level of Unity Youth Education. Please join us for Sunday Service this week as we support our children in prayerful celebration!
Love & Blessings,
Rev. Kathy