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Prayers and Praise

37 posts · 5 participants · started Jan 5, 2017, 4:41 PM

MaraParticipant
Jan 5, 2017, 4:41 PM
I’m starting this topic on Julian’s suggestion today (When adversity and affliction befall us) and for our mutual edification:

5:3.2 Supplications of all kinds belong to the realm of the Eternal Son and the Son’s spiritual organization. Prayers, all formal communications, everything except adoration and worship of the Universal Father, are matters that concern a local universe; they do not ordinarily proceed out of the realm of the jurisdiction of a Creator Son. But worship is undoubtedly encircuited and dispatched to the person of the Creator by the function of the Father’s personality circuit. We further believe that such registry of the homage of an Adjuster-indwelt creature is facilitated by the Father’s spirit presence. There exists a tremendous amount of evidence to substantiate such a belief, and I know that all orders of Father fragments are empowered to register the bona fide adoration of their subjects acceptably in the presence of the Universal Father. The Adjusters undoubtedly also utilize direct prepersonal channels of communication with God, and they are likewise able to utilize the spirit-gravity circuits of the Eternal Son.

7:3.3 The spirit-gravity circuit is the basic channel for transmitting the genuine prayers of the believing human heart from the level of human consciousness to the actual consciousness of Deity. That which represents true spiritual value in your petitions will be seized by the universal circuit of spirit gravity and will pass immediately and simultaneously to all divine personalities concerned. Each will occupy himself with that which belongs to his personal province. Therefore, in your practical religious experience, it is immaterial whether, in addressing your supplications, you visualize the Creator Son of your local universe or the Eternal Son at the center of all things.

91:4.4 While the nonselfish type of prayer is strengthening and comforting, materialistic praying is destined to bring disappointment and disillusionment as advancing scientific discoveries demonstrate that man lives in a physical universe of law and order. The childhood of an individual or a race is characterized by primitive, selfish, and materialistic praying. And, to a certain extent, all such petitions are efficacious in that they unvaryingly lead to those efforts and exertions which are contributory to achieving the answers to such prayers. The real prayer of faith always contributes to the augmentation of the technique of living, even if such petitions are not worthy of spiritual recognition. But the spiritually advanced person should exercise great caution in attempting to discourage the primitive or immature mind regarding such prayers.

And yet I know many people who believe they were healed because so many people were praying for them to be healed. I pray for people to be healed, even though I know I am asking for a material outcome. Asking for people to be healed is a recent practice for me. I have not practiced prayers for healing during my entire life up to recent times. I figure I may as well ask. I ask without expectation.
chucksmith1982Participant
Jan 6, 2017, 12:03 AM
When you pray, always expect an answer to your prayer. It may not be what you want, but it will be an answer.

When you pray for the healing of a person, expect it. Just because the healing came through what we would consider natural means, doesn’t mean that your prayer was not answered.

As for divine healing, wich is I am assuming that is what you were referring to, the kind that certain groups of people believe in, well, the faith of the person being prayed for might have an effect on what happens. Is it divine? Only the person can answer that…

Always pray with the expectation, “This prayer will be answered. I don’t know how. I don’t know when. I don’t know if I will like the answer. But it will be answered.”
MaraParticipant
Jan 6, 2017, 3:57 PM

chucksmith1982 wrote:

This prayer will be answered.

Thank you Chuck. I am just now thinking about the Lord’s Prayer. Here is the prayer they used in Dalamatia some 500,000 years ago!

66:5.15 “Father of all, whose Son we honor, look down upon us with favor. Deliver us from the fear of all save you. Make us a pleasure to our divine teachers and forever put truth on our lips. Deliver us from violence and anger; give us respect for our elders and that which belongs to our neighbors. Give us this season green pastures and fruitful flocks to gladden our hearts. We pray for the hastening of the coming of the promised uplifter, and we would do your will on this world as others do on worlds beyond.”
chucksmith1982Participant
Jan 6, 2017, 8:13 PM
Your welcome Mara. May all prayers that are according to the fathers’ will be answered in his time and way, not ours.
MaraParticipant
Jan 8, 2017, 5:07 PM
I was looking for the 23rd Psalm as articulated in the UB but didn’t find it. I did find references to the Psalms I thought would be edifying to readers here, as follows.

96:7.3No collection of religious writings gives expression to such a wealth of devotion and inspirational ideas of God as the Book of Psalms. And it would be very helpful if, in the perusal of this wonderful collection of worshipful literature, consideration could be given to the source and chronology of each separate hymn of praise and adoration, bearing in mind that no other single collection covers such a great range of time. This Book of Psalms is the record of the varying concepts of God entertained by the believers of the Salem religion throughout the Levant and embraces the entire period from Amenemope to Isaiah. In the Psalms God is depicted in all phases of conception, from the crude idea of a tribal deity to the vastly expanded ideal of the later Hebrews, wherein Yahweh is pictured as a loving ruler and merciful Father.

And of the Psalms, they tell us this:

96:7.4 And when thus regarded, this group of Psalms constitutes the most valuable and helpful assortment of devotional sentiments ever assembled by man up to the times of the twentieth century. The worshipful spirit of this collection of hymns transcends that of all other sacred books of the world.
MaraParticipant
Jan 9, 2017, 8:39 PM
Onagar, the first truth teacher of nearly a million years ago (63:6.0), taught this prayer to his people:

63:6.6 “O Breath of Life, give us this day our daily food, deliver us from the curse of the ice, save us from our forest enemies, and with mercy receive us into the Great Beyond.”

Even today we pray for our daily food: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

.

Perhaps *give us this day our daily bread* can be interpreted metaphorically, but it seems to me to refers to daily food. Jesus quoted an old Hebrew saying, “He who will not work shall not eat” (140:8.2) in reference to doing the Father’s will. He was a hardworking and talented tradesman who of necessity materially provided for his mother and siblings even during hard times. Here is the prayer Jesus taught his brothers and sisters in Nazareth as a group or family prayer. He never taught a formal personal prayer. (144:3.16)

Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come; your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our bread for tomorrow;

Refresh our souls with the water of life.

And forgive us every one our debts

As we also have forgiven our debtors.

Save us in temptation, deliver us from evil,

And increasingly make us perfect like yourself.
MaraParticipant
Jan 10, 2017, 4:55 AM
As prayer may be likened to recharging the spiritual batteries of the soul, so worship may be compared to the act of tuning in the soul to catch the universe broadcasts of the infinite spirit of the Universal Father. (144:4.8)
MaraParticipant
Jan 10, 2017, 4:32 PM
Jesus taught the twelve always to pray in secret; to go off by themselves amidst the quiet surroundings of nature or to go in their rooms and shut the doors when they engaged in prayer. (144:3.14)
MaraParticipant
Jan 11, 2017, 4:08 PM
Jesus mentioned to the apostles other forms of prayer, though he asked them not to teach them to the multitudes. I reckon these prayers are group prayers too – not meant as personal prayers. See PAPER 144.

Our Father in whom consist the universe realms,

Uplifted be your name and all-glorious your character.

Your presence encompasses us, and your glory is manifested

Imperfectly through us as it is in perfection shown on high.

Give us this day the vivifying forces of light,

And let us not stray into the evil bypaths of our imagination,

For yours is the glorious indwelling, the everlasting power,

And to us, the eternal gift of the infinite love of your Son.

Even so, and everlastingly true.

Lovely, it is!
MaraParticipant
Jan 12, 2017, 5:39 PM
From PAPER 144 . . .

” When Jesus spent whole nights on the mountain in prayer, it was mainly for his disciples, particularly for the twelve. The Master prayed very little for himself, although he engaged in much worship of the nature of understanding communion with his Paradise Father.”

“The earnest and longing repetition of any petition, when such a prayer is the sincere expression of a child of God and is uttered in faith, no matter how ill-advised or impossible of direct answer, never fails to expand the soul’s capacity for spiritual receptivity.”

” Prayer and its associated worship is a technique of detachment from the daily routine of life, from the monotonous grind of material existence. It is an avenue of approach to spiritualized self-realization and individuality of intellectual and religious attainment.”

“Prayer is an antidote for harmful introspection. At least, prayer as the Master taught it is such a beneficent ministry to the soul. Jesus consistently employed the beneficial influence of praying for one’s fellows. The Master usually prayed in the plural, not in the singular. Only in the great crises of his earth life did Jesus ever pray for himself.”

“Our creative Parent, who is in the center of the universe,

Bestow upon us your nature and give to us your character.

Make us sons and daughters of yours by grace

And glorify your name through our eternal achievement.

Your adjusting and controlling spirit give to live and dwell within us

That we may do your will on this sphere as angels do your bidding in light.

Sustain us this day in our progress along the path of truth.

Deliver us from inertia, evil, and all sinful transgression.

Be patient with us as we show loving-kindness to our fellows.

Shed abroad the spirit of your mercy in our creature hearts.

Lead us by your own hand, step by step, through the uncertain maze of life,

And when our end shall come, receive into your own bosom our faithful spirits.

Even so, not our desires but your will be done.”
MaraParticipant
Jan 13, 2017, 3:18 PM
In PAPER 144 . . .

“Our perfect and righteous heavenly Father,

This day guide and direct our journey.

Sanctify our steps and co-ordinate our thoughts.

Ever lead us in the ways of eternal progress.

Fill us with wisdom to the fullness of power

And vitalize us with your infinite energy.

Inspire us with the divine consciousness of

The presence and guidance of the seraphic hosts.

Guide us ever upward in the pathway of light;

Justify us fully in the day of the great judgment.

Make us like yourself in eternal glory

And receive us into your endless service on high.”

I must say these *other forms of prayer* uplift and thrill me. I hope the same for you!
MaraParticipant
Jan 15, 2017, 3:39 AM

“Our Father who is in the mystery,

Reveal to us your holy character.

Give your children on earth this day

To see the way, the light, and the truth.

Show us the pathway of eternal progress

And give us the will to walk therein.

Establish within us your divine kingship

And thereby bestow upon us the full mastery of self.

Let us not stray into paths of darkness and death;

Lead us everlastingly beside the waters of life.

Hear these our prayers for your own sake;

Be pleased to make us more and more like yourself.

At the end, for the sake of the divine Son,

Receive us into the eternal arms.

And give us the will to walk therein.

Even so, not our will but yours be done.” (From PAPER 144)
MaraParticipant
Jan 16, 2017, 6:21 PM
Glorious Father and Mother, in one parent combined,

Loyal would we be to your divine nature.

Your own self to live again in and through us

By the gift and bestowal of your divine spirit,

Thus reproducing you imperfectly in this sphere

As you are perfectly and majestically shown on high.

Give us day by day your sweet ministry of brotherhood

And lead us moment by moment in the pathway of loving service.

Be you ever and unfailingly patient with us

Even as we show forth your patience to our children.

Give us the divine wisdom that does all things well

And the infinite love that is gracious to every creature.

Bestow upon us your patience and loving-kindness

That our charity may enfold the weak of the realm.

And when our career is finished, make it an honor to your name,

A pleasure to your good spirit, and a satisfaction to our soul helpers.

Not as we wish, our loving Father, but as you desire the eternal good of your mortal children,

Even so may it be.

.

(From PAPER 144)
MaraParticipant
Jan 18, 2017, 4:22 PM

Mara wrote:

I was looking for the 23rd Psalm as articulated . . .

I did find it. Here are the afterwords of the revelator, followed by the Psalm.

48:6.20 That is the story whispered in the night season to the shepherd boy . He could not retain it word for word, but to the best of his memory he gave it much as it is recorded today.

.

“The Gods are my caretakers; I shall not stray;

Side by side they lead me in the beautiful paths and glorious refreshing of life everlasting.

I shall not, in this Divine Presence, want for food nor thirst for water.

Though I go down into the valley of uncertainty or ascend up into the worlds of doubt,

Though I move in loneliness or with the fellows of my kind,

Though I triumph in the choirs of light or falter in the solitary places of the spheres,

Your good spirit shall minister to me, and your glorious angel will comfort me.

Though I descend into the depths of darkness and death itself,

I shall not doubt you nor fear you,

For I know that in the fullness of time and the glory of your name

You will raise me up to sit with you on the battlements on high.”
MaraParticipant
Jan 20, 2017, 4:38 PM
“Our all-faithful Source and all-powerful Center,

Reverent and holy be the name of your all-gracious Son.

Your bounties and your blessings have descended upon us,

Thus empowering us to perform your will and execute your bidding.

Give us moment by moment the sustenance of the tree of life;

Refresh us day by day with the living waters of the river thereof.

Step by step lead us out of darkness and into the divine light.

Renew our minds by the transformations of the indwelling spirit,

And when the mortal end shall finally come upon us,

Receive us to yourself and send us forth in eternity.

Crown us with celestial diadems of fruitful service,

And we shall glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Influence.

Even so, throughout a universe without end.”

(From PAPER 144)
MaraParticipant
Jan 23, 2017, 5:14 AM
Here’s the last one Jesus presented to his apostles from PAPER 144:

“Our Father who dwells in the secret places of the universe,

Honored be your name, reverenced your mercy, and respected your judgment.

Let the sun of righteousness shine upon us at noontime,

While we beseech you to guide our wayward steps in the twilight.

Lead us by the hand in the ways of your own choosing

And forsake us not when the path is hard and the hours are dark.

Forget us not as we so often neglect and forget you.

But be you merciful and love us as we desire to love you.

Look down upon us in kindness and forgive us in mercy

As we in justice forgive those who distress and injure us.

May the love, devotion, and bestowal of the majestic Son

Make available life everlasting with your endless mercy and love.

May the God of universes bestow upon us the full measure of his spirit;

Give us grace to yield to the leading of this spirit.

By the loving ministry of devoted seraphic hosts

May the Son guide and lead us to the end of the age.

Make us ever and increasingly like yourself

And at our end receive us into the eternal Paradise embrace.

Even so, in the name of the bestowal Son

And for the honor and glory of the Supreme Father.”
MaraParticipant
Jan 23, 2017, 4:19 PM
Imagine the scene of supreme adoration and spiritual praise enjoyed on Paradise!

27:7.3 The periodic, spontaneous, group, and other special outbursts of supreme adoration and spiritual praise enjoyed on Paradise are conducted under the leadership of a special corps of primary supernaphim. Under the direction of these conductors of worship, such homage achieves the creature goal of supreme pleasure and attains the heights of the perfection of sublime self-expression and personal enjoyment. All primary supernaphim crave to be conductors of worship; and all ascendant beings would enjoy forever remaining in the attitude of worship did not the chiefs of assignment periodically disperse these assemblages. But no ascendant being is ever required to enter upon the assignments of eternal service until he has attained full satisfaction in worship.
MaraParticipant
Jan 24, 2017, 5:45 PM
Regarding the Book of Psalms:

96:7.3 No collection of religious writings gives expression to such a wealth of devotion and inspirational ideas of God as the Book of Psalms. And it would be very helpful if, in the perusal of this wonderful collection of worshipful literature, consideration could be given to the source and chronology of each separate hymn of praise and adoration, bearing in mind that no other single collection covers such a great range of time. This Book of Psalms is the record of the varying concepts of God entertained by the believers of the Salem religion throughout the Levant and embraces the entire period from Amenemope to Isaiah. In the Psalms God is depicted in all phases of conception, from the crude idea of a tribal deity to the vastly expanded ideal of the later Hebrews, wherein Yahweh is pictured as a loving ruler and merciful Father.
MaraParticipant
Jan 26, 2017, 4:37 PM

97:7.9 [Part III]

This Isaiah conducted a far-flung propaganda of the gospel of the enlarging concept of a supreme Yahweh. He vied with Moses in the eloquence with which he portrayed the Lord God of Israel as the Universal Creator. He was poetic in his portrayal of the infinite attributes of the Universal Father. No more beautiful pronouncements about the heavenly Father have ever been made. Like the Psalms, the writings of Isaiah are among the most sublime and true presentations of the spiritual concept of God ever to greet the ears of mortal man prior to the arrival of Michael on Urantia. Listen to his portrayal of Deity: “I am the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity.” “I am the first and the last, and beside me there is no other God.” “And the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear.” And it was a new doctrine in Jewry when this benign but commanding prophet persisted in the preachment of divine constancy, God’s faithfulness. He declared that “God would not forget, would not forsake.”
MaraParticipant
Jan 27, 2017, 4:39 PM

97:5.2 [Part III]

Isaiah went on to preach the eternal nature of God, his infinite wisdom, his unchanging perfection of reliability. He represented the God of Israel as saying: “Judgment also will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet.” “The Lord will give you rest from your sorrow and from your fear and from the hard bondage wherein man has been made to serve.” “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,’this is the way, walk in it.’” “Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and my song.”” ‘Come now and let us reason together,’ says the Lord,’though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like the crimson, they shall be as wool.’”

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