This weekend we visited some dear Christian friends and attended church with them. Of course we had many discussions about spiritual matters since our spiritual journeys are what is most important to all of us. The subject of prayer kept recurring, both in our private discussions and during the church service when prayer requests were taken and prayed for. The implication of most of the statements made were that the more often we pray, the more people who are praying and the more serious we are about praying (e. g. fasting and intensity) is what determines whether or not our prayers are answered.
We had other discussions, not specifically about prayer, but about God’s “sovereignty” which also had implications for whether or not prayers are answered. There seemed to be a general consensus that everything in our lives is controlled by God, that everything happens for a purpose and that God micromanages even the smallest details for the purpose of carrying out His plan which is unknown to us, but which we are often able to look back on and understand. Sovereign God was credited with what seemed to be good and also what seemed to be evil to bring to pass whatever is necessary to bring about His will.
All this is very consistent with orthodox Christianity and not at all new to me. I used to teach much of this myself as my friend, who was in the Bible study that I taught, reminded me during our last conversation before our leaving to return home. But it was while I was teaching on the subject of prayer that I discontinued the Bible study and began the journey out of orthodoxy recorded in these contemplations. I was very troubled by all the inconsistencies and mental “gymnastics” that seemed to be necessary to believe all this at the same time. If God is controlling everything in my life, why bother to pray at all? What is prayer anyway? Is it begging God to do something He wouldn’t do otherwise? It is going to change His mind? How do I know when I’ve prayed “hard” enough or fasted long enough or persuaded enough people to pray with me to get God to act? I would never require any of those things of my children—unless I became subject to their manipulations. I came to the place where I could no longer believe any to these things about God or prayer.
I said very little during any of these discussions. I wasn’t interested in debating theology. I just wanted to enjoy the love we were all experiencing in coming together again after many years apart. It was a very relaxing, peaceful time of fellowship where we were fulfilling Jesus’ command to love one another—very satisfying.
When my friend asked me what I thought about the church service, I told her that I never decide anything right away about such things. I always get quiet and listen to what the Christ that is living me is speaking to me. We had a three hour drive home, so I had an opportunity to do just that. I saw that I differed from the others in how and where I see God. I don’t see Him as separate and apart from me orchestrating my life from the outside. When God became “sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3) in the form of Jesus, took all humanity to the death (2Corinthians 5:14), and rose a life-giving Spirit (1Corinthians 15:45), He took up His abode in me (John 14:23) and is the only life that I have, the only Life that there is. I am an individualized member of the body of Christ (Romans 12:5; 1Corinthians 12:12, 27), who is living me (Galatians 2:20).
When that Christ said “it is finished” (John 19:30), everything necessary for righteousness, peace and joy (life in the kingdom of Heaven) (Romans 14:17) was accomplished. Our humanity which is in need of all the things that we pray for is “dead,” but we have to “reckon” it to be so if we are to become “alive unto God” (Romans 6:11) and bring into manifestation in the visible world what is already true in our Spirit identity.
I believe the man Jesus taught and demonstrated that prayer is nothing more than recognizing and believing what is already done, not getting God to do anything. He didn’t ask His Father (who dwelled within him and was one with him) to multiply the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:19) or to raise Lazarus (John 11:41-42); He just thanked His Father that it was already done. Indeed, in the case of Lazarus, He said that He prayed aloud only so that the people would believe that He was sent by His Father. And He told us that we would do what He did (John 14:12) and gave us the assurance
Mark 11:23 . . . That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
I was meditating on all this as we drove home and had an opportunity to put it to the “test” as soon as we arrived. My husband had bought a car last September. I kept our old car for myself and didn’t drive his at all. So he had never given me the second key. We realized this just before our departure for the weekend, our first trip since buying the car. We looked in all the obvious places but couldn’t find the other key before leaving, so we just took the one. We talked about where it might be on the trip down and then just forgot about it. But upon our return, my husband began looking for it with no success.
Remembering what I had been meditating on, I thought, “We have God (infinite intelligence) inside; He knows where it is. Since I am one with Him, I know where it is. All I have to do is recognize and believe that.” We just continued unpacking and getting supper. After awhile I thought of looking in my husband’s jacket pockets, even though he never leaves anything in his pockets and even though I couldn’t even remember his having worn jackets since buying a sweatshirt that he wears no matter what the temperature outside. He has a closet full of unworn jackets. It was the next to the last one that had the key in the pocket—probably since last October.
I knew in my heart that this was all the assurance I needed about the nature of God and the nature of prayer. I didn’t ask a God “out there” to help me find the key. I understood that the key was not lost, that “I” (who am one with God in my true identity) knew where it was all the time and would experience that “knowing” if I could recognize and believe that. It wasn’t even the Holy Spirit bringing something I already consciously knew to my remembrance–since I had not put the key there. No, it was
1John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
This is very upsetting to the orthodox mind because it is not making the distinction between the true identity (which is Spirit and is one with God) and the humanity which must be reckoned to be dead. The orthodox mind screams, “You are blaspheming—making yourself equal with God”—which is what got the man Jesus crucified.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
Paul told us that we must have this same mindset:
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself [his humanity] of no reputation.
We are merely receiving and exercising the dominion given us in the beginning (see Dominion is Received, not Taken) for the purpose of manifesting God’s kingdom in the earth (Matthew 6:10), not for fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (see God Is not Mocked). It is through constant communion with the Father (or Christ) inside that we know what is “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2) that the world might see “the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19).
I will write more about the sovereignty of God teaching in another contemplation. I just wanted to focus on prayer in this one. My prayer life has completely changed since receiving the revelations recorded here—no longer begging and wondering if I have done enough (a sure sign of the law in operation), just recognizing, believing and receiving—more of the “Abba, Father” relationship (Galatians 4:6) and less of the “tutor” or “schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24)
Galatians 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
I’m acting more like the son who has heard his Father say, ”
Luke 15:31 . . . Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
Yes, as a son, I also experience my Father’s “chastening” (rightly understood) (see A Prayer of Surrender and Godly Fear) as he uproots in my life that which He did not plant (Matthew 15:13)— the erroneous beliefs about God and my relationship to Him which are keeping me from believing and receiving all that pertains to the “abundant life” that Jesus came to bring me (John 10:10). Over and over again God has shown me that He is not withholding any “good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) from me; it is always my false beliefs getting in the way of my receiving what has already been given.