CHRISTIANS in all ages have believed more or less in the efficacy of prayer,—the practice of appealing to our heavenly Father for help in time of trouble as well as for wisdom, understanding, and daily bread. Nevertheless, the faith of many has been waning because of a lack of results from prayer. It is the mission of Christian Science to restore faith in God and to revive the old-time effects of communion with Him. It is not the purpose of this Science to substitute anything for primitive Christianity, but to render it more practical. Christian Scientists pray to the "God of our Fathers," "the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," the God of the Orthodox Church; but with a new knowledge of Him. Through this Science our understanding of God is made more clear and definite, and we therefore know better how to approach Him, and how to shape our petitions. If we understand the nature and essence of Deity we know better what He can and will bestow upon us, and how to deport ourselves in order that we may be prepared to receive from the Divine source.
In business life we need to know those with whom we deal. Even a good man is trusted more implicitly after thorough acquaintance with him than while he is yet a stranger. We need a deep, spiritual sense of the nature and attributes of God in order that our confidence may be supported by sufficient realization of the divine resources to take hold upon what God has in store for us. A definite and comprehensive understanding of the divine Being is an absolute essential to the efficacy of prayer.
The world has grown to look upon life from a philosophical standpoint. There is a demand that every-day blessings, including sustenance and provision as well as birth, development, decline, and decay, shall be explained in a rational and logical manner. The bare proposition that Divine aid can be evoked through prayer is not sufficient to satisfy the ordinary inquiring mind. Neither is it sufficiently practical. It is desirable to know wherein and how communion with God is effectual. A common question is: Can mortals by persuasion induce Divine intelligence to do that which He would not otherwise do; or is it necessary that the All-Wise should be informed in respect to our wants, or reminded of His duties? Since God is unchangeable, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, we must conclude that no effort on the part of man could add to or take from the divine appointment, or in any way change the will of God. We therefore conclude that the efficacy of prayer lies in its effects upon man rather than what it effects in God. God's work is finished, yesterday, to-day, forever. If mortals learn to "look up," instead of down, they will not be waiting "four months," but will behold the fields already ripe for harvest.
