How's your praying going? Is it fresh, inspired, full of new views of God's spiritual universe? Or is it routine, repetitious, boring? I don't know about you, but for me this can be a tough question to face—because while I always yearn for the former, sometimes I find the latter.
You no doubt have found prayer to be effective in healing. Affirming God's allness and denying evil, realizing the truth of being, and humbly, sincerely petitioning God in order to express more purity and goodness are a few of the elements of prayer that bring about changes in thought and therefore in an individual's life. But there may be times when you feel stuck in a rut—hard pressed to get fresh inspiration on an ongoing basis.
There is one aspect of effective prayer that can be especially beneficial at such times—listening. Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy has much to say about this. In the chapter "Prayer," for example, there's a discussion about quieting the material senses. After quoting Jesus' instruction about entering into the "closet" when we pray, Mrs. Eddy tells us: "The closet typifies the sanctuary of Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but lets in Truth, Life, and Love. Closed to error, it is open to Truth, and vice versa. .. To enter into the heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent, that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine Principle, Love, which destroys all error." Science and Health, p. 15.
