Sometimes it’s helpful to be reminded of things we already know very well. That’s the purpose of this little editorial. It’s simply to remind us to pray for ourselves every day. This encouragement applies to followers of every theology. The Leader of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, put it this way: “One thing I have greatly desired, and again earnestly request, namely, that Christian Scientists, here and elsewhere, pray daily for themselves; not verbally, nor on bended knee, but mentally, meekly, and importunately” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 127). In practical terms this request may mean that each member of her Church take conscious steps every day to be sure he or she is genuinely convinced of the truth of God and man. The truth may be summarized in the fact that God is all good and that creation is His holy reflection, totally apart from so-called matter.
There are many ways to pray for oneself or for another. There’s no formula for any prayer in Christian Science, but they always should be mental, meek, and importunate. Prayers of humble petition can be effective. So can prayers of reason, affirmation, and denial. Each effective prayer unfolds through the inspiration of the moment from humbly reaching out to God, divine Love. The “Daily Prayer” given in the Manual of The Mother Church helps establish a meek, receptive tone of thought that prepares one for a more detailed prayer.
One daily prayer some have found helpful is loosely patterned after the prayer Christ Jesus gave his disciples, generally known as the Lord’s Prayer, in which Jesus is our Lord, or our guide and counselor. Seen in its spiritual sense, given in Science and Health, it logically and gently establishes in thought the allness of God, good, and the nothingness of evil or error.
