Many religions offer prayers of one form or another. Many religions offer guidelines as to how to pray. The New Message is no exception. One error that the New Message rebukes is the idea of praying for every preference.
How should we then pray?
“They want God to provide so many things for them without asking anything in return. They do not want their lives to be directed or impacted or restrained. But they want God to do so many things for them, as if God were a kind of servant, an errand boy [emphasis mine] for the shifting desires of the individual.” (Volume 4, The New God Experience, Experiencing God, Verse 2)
How should we then pray? Many religions direct their students to pray to the Lord of the universe, the Creator of all life. But if God is the Creator of a billion billion billion races and more, don’t my prayers have to “go through channels?” Is God micromanaging my life? The New Message says “No.”
“God is not micromanaging your affairs, and changing the climate, and bringing about catastrophe and good fortune. This is something that is just living in the process of life—a process that was initiated at the beginning of time. In this, there is no conflict or contradiction between Creation and the evolutionary process.” (Volume 1, The Time of Revelation, God’s Plan for the World, Verse 8)
How should we then pray? I never pray for individuals or events on other worlds. But what about individuals and events in this world? Should I strengthen particular outcomes? Oscar Wilde observed that when the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. Maybe I should limit my prayers to giving strength of character and strength of faculty of mind. Such a prayer will never be punished.
“You will have a special practice two times today where you are to think of someone in need and then give them a quality that you wish to receive yourself. Send that individual that quality. Send them love or strength or faith or encouragement or determination or surrender or acceptance or self-discipline—whatever they need to bring about resolution in their lives.” (Volume 3, Steps to Knowledge, Step 121 “Today I am free to give.”, Verse 2)
How should we then pray? I pray that my prayers may be launched and guided by Knowledge, the deeper spiritual intelligence that God has placed in every person. I pray that my prayers my be of noble intent. And to the extent that they are, I pray that they are prayed and shared by other people. I pray that they become part of the culture around me, and part of the culture beyond my awareness.
Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.