This essay continues a sequence. Read the previous one here.
The Word is Truth, not merely advice…
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In Part 1, we stated that the ideal prayer is an expression of gratitude.
In “Does ‘Take No Thought’ Make Any Sense?“, we established that if we act in the right way, self-centred requests are unnecessary because our Father knoweth what things we have need of before we ask Him.
But We Are Meant To Ask!
Some Christians might reject this, citing:
Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
— Matt 7:7-8, KJV
It sounds like Christ is encouraging us to ask for whatever we wish, and promising that all wishes will be granted!
If so, why do so many prayers go unanswered?
The most popular explanation is “lack of faith”. But in our explorations of faith (ref. “Faith Is A Halfway House“) we established that faith has been misinterpreted. A child who equates “faith” in his parents to a belief that he will always get whatever he asks of them is immature, arrogant, or spoilt.
Faith is childlike trust in The Word. True faith would trust that the Father knoweth what things we have need of before we ask Him, and simply focus on doing His Will.
A Deeper Interpretation
So, there is something wrong with the common interpretation. Perhaps we have interpreted Christ’s words as those of a human being, instead of the expressions of Divine Truth (ref. “What The Word Is: The Basics“) that they are.
In “Law of Attraction: Pseudoscience or Fact?“, we adopted the “Truth-oriented” mindset to explain:
For he that hath,
to him shall be given:
and he that hath not,
from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
— Mark 4:25
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Adopting the same mindset here reveals that Matt 7 is actually a reference to the same Law.
The things that we attract to ourselves, i.e. most of the things that we are surrounded by, are primarily a result of our spiritual volition.
This spiritual volition is not the same as the desires and prayers in our brains. Our thoughts do have real power, but not as much as our spiritual volition.
Asking & Receiving In Practise
For example: prayers for wealth are very common. Sometimes, the actual (subconscious) concern is a desire to “keep up with the Joneses”, which in turn is often spurred by envy. In this example the inner motive, the real thing the person is “asking” for, the thing that he is “seeking“, the door he is “knocking” on, is envy.
The result of this is that he will be attracted to and surrounded by people whose inner nature is marked by envy, whether he becomes wealthy or not i.e. that prayer is definitely answered.
He may well become wealthy because of other actions he takes to make money (some of which may be immoral) – these are an entirely different matter.
If he does become wealthy, he is likely to believe that his wealth is causing envy in those around him, instead of realising that he is surrounded by people like him who are prone to envy, and that this is a result of the Law of Attraction.
Our spiritual volition always yields a homogenous result through the Law of Attraction and also the closely-related Law of Sowing and Reaping (ref. “Judging You, Judging Me“).
The same Matt 7 goes on to give a clear hint:
…
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them:
for this is the law and the prophets.
— Matt 7:12
We can infer references to Attraction and to Sowing & Reaping.
“Ask, and it shall be given to you” can be interpreted as a promise (if we act rightly), but is also a warning. It is an explanation of how Creation works, and not an invitation to make demands of our Almighty Father.
It is only in the light of these Laws of Creation that the entirety of Matt 7:7-12 makes complete sense. This supports our position that true prayer is not request, but joyful gratitude.
Today’s Resolution:
- We shall interpret Christ’s Word as Divine Truth, knowing that His Words are eternal.
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