At the consecration of the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon offered a prayer of exceeding beauty, in which he touched upon the infinite nature of God as follows: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" Nevertheless, this prayer of Solomon's was, in the main, a prayer of supplication to a personal God; and quite naturally so, as this was the concept of prayer which prevailed at that time.
Christian Scientists, however, are learning that prayer, in its highest sense, is something more than petition; that it is, in fact, based upon recognition of the divine oneness and allness of being. And Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, says on page 12 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" that Jesus' prayers "were deep and conscientious protests of Truth,—of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love."
The prayer of affirmation, then, is that which knows and declares man's oneness with divine Principle, Life, Truth, Love, Spirit, Mind. One who is conscious of this unity of God and man, Principle and idea, understanding that they are one in being, can entertain no sense of existence separate from God, a concept of existence which appears to be filled with experiences utterly unlike God, infinite good.
