In Christian Science, praying is not pleading with God to do something for us He has so far failed to do. In the textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy has this to say about prayer: "God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good, since He is unchanging wisdom and Love." And she continues, "We can do more for ourselves by humble fervent petitions, but the All-loving does not grant them simply on the ground of lip-service, for He already knows all."Science and Health, p. 2;
Christian Science teaches us to distinguish between the temporal, or material, sense of existence and the spiritual reality of creation reflecting God, Spirit. The tendency of the human mind when one is praying is to ask for what it thinks one needs in order to bring a condition or situation into harmony. In Christian Science we go much further. Prayer lifts our thought to behold God's creation as already intact and harmonious, as His perfect and peaceful expression. Thus prayer disposes of the desire merely to outline changes in human affairs.
Adhering to the scientific method in prayer, we find our recognition of Mind, God, contradicting what the material senses tell us about ourselves. If we discern the purity and perfection of divine Spirit, yet still believe ourselves to be mortal, fallible creatures made of flesh, we can immediately see the discrepancy. Throughout the ages the attempt of people to define God and His image and likeness in terms of finite concepts has turned thought away from accurately perceiving how man is made in the divine likeness. The need is to let go the mortal sense of being in order to find the spiritual, perfect man of God's creating.
