Introduction
Wonders Happen When You Pray
This book was written for the purpose of telling you how to reach the
source of your good, and get desired results through praying effectively.
Do you know how to pray? How long is it since you prayed as part of
your everyday activities? In an emergency, in time of danger or trouble, in
illness, and when death lurks, prayers pour forth—your own and your
friends. Just read your daily newspaper. It is reported that prayers are being
offered up all over the nation for a child stricken with a so-called incurable
ailment, for peace among nations, for a group of miners trapped in a
flooded mine. Later it is reported that when rescued, the miners said that
they prayed and sang while waiting for rescue; an airplane pilot says that he
prayed as he made a successful emergency landing.
Certainly, prayer is an ever-present help in time of trouble; but you do
not have to wait for trouble to make prayer an integral and constructive part
of your life. The dramatic answers to prayer make headlines and are the
subject of testimonies to the effectiveness of prayer. What of the many
humble prayers of children, the simple thanksgiving of grace at the table
daily, the faithful devotions wherein the individual seeks only communion
with God?
My work with people has made it necessary for me to study the
various approaches to prayer. I have experienced the power of prayer in my
own life, and I have talked and worked with many people who also have
enjoyed the help of prayer. The problem usually is how to tell others how to
pray. Prayer is an intimate and personal communication. People who are in
trouble have difficulty in thinking and acting reasonably. They need an easy
formula to follow, an obviously workable pattern that is simple and specific.
Often they must be led to approach the emergency.
The Bible admonishes us to pray without ceasing. You can make
prayer a constant, constructive factor in your life. Prayer can bring success
into your life, it can sustain health, it will enable you to be more helpful to
others. The forces that make prayer effective are universal. It is not alone
the technique or process of prayer that causes the Infinite Intelligence to
respond, rather it is according to our faith (or complete mental acceptance)
that it is done unto us. All of us tap the same Healing Principle. Of course, a
technique based on an understanding of what we are doing and why we are
doing it will help us to bring about a subjective embodiment of our desires.
This is why I am going to suggest in this book techniques of prayer and
formulas that have worked.
Emerson defined prayer as “the contemplation of the truths of life from
the highest point of view.” The Bible teaches us to devote our minds and
attention to certain selected truths such as, Whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there
be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. PHIL. 4:8.
Essentially, answered prayer is the realization of your heart’s desire.
Everybody prays because desire is prayer. All of us desire health,
happiness, security, peace of mind, true expression, etc., but many fail to
achieve clearly defined results. A university professor admitted to me
recently, “I know if I changed my mental pattern and redirected my
emotional life, my ulcers would not recur, but I do not have any technique,
process, or modus operandi. My mind wanders back and forth on my many
problems, and I feel frustrated, defeated, and unhappy.” This professor had
a desire for perfect health; he needed a knowledge of mental and spiritual
laws which would enable him to fulfill his desire.
In this book techniques and formulas are given which will enable men
to prove the age-old Biblical truth, What things soever ye desire, when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. MARK 11:24.
Here Jesus states categorically, emphatically, and unequivocally that all we
have to do is to believe; therefore the law behind answered prayer is the law
of belief. This belief is not based on a particular creed, dogma, institution,
organization, church, or person, but is based on a realization of a Universal
Creative Law which sustains the world and all things therein contained.
To believe is to accept something as true. Whatever man’s conscious,
reasoning mind accepts as true engenders a corresponding reaction from his
subconscious mind which is one with Infinite Intelligence and the Infinite
Power of God. The subconscious mind works through the creative law
which responds to the nature of man’s thoughts bringing about conditions,
experiences, and events in the image and likeness of his habitual thoughtpattern,
proving the truth stated so succinctly in the Bible: As a man
thinketh in his heart, so is he.
It is not the thing believed in that brings an answer to man’s prayer; the
answer to prayer results when the individual’s subconscious mind responds
to the mental picture or thought in his mind. This law of belief is operating
in all religions of the world and is the reason why they are psychologically
true. The Buddhist, the Christian, the Moslem, and the Hebrew all may get
answers to their prayers, not because of the particular creed, religion,
affiliation, ritual, ceremony, formula, liturgy, incantation, sacrifices, or
offerings, but solely because of belief or mental acceptance and receptivity
about that for which they pray.
The law of life is the law of belief, and belief could be summed up
briefly as a thought in your mind. As a man thinks, feels, believes so is the
condition of his mind, body, and circumstances.
There is only One Creative Principle operating in the world. It is
responsive to all men and is no respecter of persons. The nature of this
Creative Principle is responsiveness. As you apply the simple techniques
outlined in this book, you will discover a power within you which can lift
you out of a state of frustration, illness, loneliness, discord, or poverty, and
it can set you on the highroad to freedom, happiness, and radiant health.
This Creative Intelligence existed before you and I were born, before any
church or world existed; the great eternal truths of life antedate all religions.
It is with these thoughts in mind that I urge you in the following chapters to
lay hold of this wonderful, magical, healing, transforming power which will
bind up mental and physical wounds, proclaim liberty to the fear-ridden
mind, and liberate you completely from the limitations of poverty, failure,
misery, lack, and confusion. All you have to do is to unite mentally and
emotionally with this Creative Power, and let wonders happen when you
pray.
1 Prayer Establishes Constructive Patterns
There is nothing difficult about prayer. Whoever reads this book and
applies the principles set forth will be able to pray effectively for himself
and others. True prayer utilizes the Universal Law of action and reaction.
Thought is incipient action; the reaction is the response from a Deeper
Mind which corresponds with the nature of the thought. Think good, good
follows; think evil, evil follows.
When you pray, you are implanting a certain thought pattern or mental
image in the Universal Creative Mind which accepts what you consciously
believe to be true. The Creative Law knows exactly how to change thoughts
into things and will begin to execute the thought patterns given to it; the
effects will be observable as form, function, experience, or event.
The following are examples of effective prayer:
He Trusted In God
An article appeared in our local newspaper about a boy in the Korean
War who miraculously was saved from what seemed certain death by
repeating the verses of the 23rd Psalm. Bullets were whizzing past him, his
buddies were all killed, his knees were shaking as he prayed aloud, “The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He leadeth me beside the still waters,
He restoreth my soul …” An inner peace and confidence welled up within
him; he was not touched as he found his way to safety and freedom. Infinite
Intelligence within him had responded to his prayer of faith and trust.
Thinking Of God
An elderly woman who listens regularly to a radio program I have
conducted in Southern California for the past twelve years wrote to me
saying that she had learned to pray through our Sunday morning prayertherapy
instruction. She stated that she had jotted down on a piece of paper
all that she had been taught about God—God is Infinite Intelligence,
Boundless Love, Omnipotence, Infinite Wisdom, Indescribable Beauty,
Absolute Harmony, the Creative Intelligence which had formed and
vitalized her body with all of its organs. Every morning and evening for five
or ten minutes she would think quietly and with singleness of interest on
these qualities and attributes of God, silently claiming that these truths were
being absorbed into her mentality. Within a month’s time an entire
tumorous growth had disappeared as proved by X-ray and physical
examination by her physician.
This woman did not directly treat her tumorous growth which was the
solidified effect of her previous thought patterns. As she filled her mind
with statements of truth, a corresponding change took place in her body.
She continued to “unthink” the negative thoughts by thinking of God and
His love which finally corrected the condition.
The Art Of Prayer
If you would become a master of the art of prayer, begin immediately
to attach yourself mentally and emotionally to an idea, a plan, or a purpose;
it will not be long before you will begin to experience physical evidence of
the physical reaction to your thoughts. However do not discontinue your
prayers with the first evidence of results. You must keep on praying with the
conviction that you are operating a mental and spiritual Law which
responds to your mental activity which maintains you in peace. Remember
that any idea on which you meditate and feel as true incubates in your
subconscious mind and is expressed in your life. To know what you are
doing and why you are doing it will give you faith and confidence in your
prayer life.
Prayer—A Change Of Mind
In prayer you experience a change of mind as you discover what the
truth is, and your mind begins to conform to that truth. Prayer reveals the
truth that God is Supreme and Omnipotent to solve all human problems. No
matter what kind of difficulty may be facing you, no matter how
complicated the situation may seem, prayer can bring about a harmonious
resolution and rearrangement of your affairs in accord with divine order.
Prayer is not an act of asking God for anything; neither is prayer an
effort to change the will of God. Prayer merely changes the conditions in
your own mind. Prayer is not a timid suppliant, begging, beseeching
approach to a God in space for a favor; rather prayer is the positive effort of
a man acting with a fervent belief and confidence that God, which is
Infinite Intelligence, will respond according to the nature of the thoughts
embodied in the mind. The answer to prayer is in man’s own mind based on
the truth, According to your faith is it done unto you. Prayer Is the Practice
of the Presence of God in your life and all your affairs. It is a belief God is
where you are and is speaking through you always.
You are praying whenever you are thinking of God and His Love and
Wisdom and when you feel your oneness with God. Likewise you are
praying whenever you are reading or meditating on the spiritual truths of
the Bible or any other spiritual book.
Many people pray hundreds of times during the day by silently
claiming as they go about their business that God is guiding, directing, and
acting through them at all times, and that He watches over them in all their
ways. Prayer is often referred to as the practice of the Presence of God
which means that you realize that the Intelligence and Wisdom of God are
working through you bringing about a harmonious solution where the
trouble seems to be. This attitude of mind changes the difficulty into
harmony. You can practice the Presence of God by doing everything from
the standpoint of the Golden Rule and the Law of Love.
God Answers
Wise action will follow wise thoughts. A wise thought is to know that
God or Infinite Intelligence is guiding you now, and that He knows the
answer; therefore you affirm boldly that you know the answer. Before they
call, I will answer! In praying for an answer to your problem it is foolish to
neglect or overlook the obvious and common sense thing to do; take
whatever practical steps that seem necessary. Claim divine guidance, and
the steps you take will be dictated and governed by Divine Wisdom which
is the dominant belief of your mind. In prayer you make contact through
your thought with the Divine Presence which dwells within you, and having
consciously done that, you call forth His Wisdom, Power, and Infinite
Intelligence to resolve the various difficulties or troubles in your life, taking
them in due order by solving the most pressing problems first. The right
way to pray for the answer to all your problems is to feel and know that the
Indwelling God knows only the answer; because this is true, you will know
the answer and recall the truth; He never faileth.
Praying To God And What It Means
The Bible says, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth. JOHN 4:24. To worship means that you
count worthy by giving supreme attention to something. This means that
you are to give your supreme allegiance, loyalty, and devotion to the Spirit
within, recognizing It as Supreme Power and the Cause and Substance of all
things. Spirit is without face, form, or figure, timeless, shapeless, and
ageless. The childish concept of a God as a grandfather in the skies, sitting
on a celestial throne, must give way to the realization that God is Mind and
Spirit within you which animates and sustains you. God is life. We do not
see Life but we feel we are alive.
The good and evil we experience are simply due to our personal
relationship through our thinking to the Life Principle which is forever
Whole, Pure, and Perfect in Itself. Be sure not to give power to created
things or effects; go to the cause of all, the Spirit within you. This Spirit or
God is conditioned in your life according to the nature of your thought-life.
There is only one Creative Principle and It is forever flowing through your
habitual thought-patterns and imagery. This is why you make or create all
experiences, events, and conditions of your life after your own image and
likeness. This is the basis of all prayer whether we use this law consciously
or unconsciously.
Do not be confused by the Biblical references “He” and “Him”
denoting God. In ancient times the Hebrew mystics used the word “It”
when they were referring to God, but this has been discontinued as it
seemed to lack the reverence and respect due to the Father of all. There are
about seventysix or more names given to God in the Bible, but all these
names represent qualities, attributes, characteristics, and potencies of God.
Assuming Certa In Postures, Etc .
In some parts of the world people practice rigid discipline of the body,
breathing exercises, physical gymnastics, assuming peculiar and absurd
postures. It is wholly unnecessary to bow down, genuflect, or prostrate
yourself before the Creative Law.
This Principle of Life is no respecter of persons, we cannot cajole,
bribe, or flatter it. It is Impersonal Law. All forms of physical gymnastics
and postures are a waste of time and effort, and do not lead anywhere from
the standpoint of building confidence in your prayer-life. The path to God is
always and only through the mind and heart, not by way of the body. Prayer
is effective because of the soul’s sincere desire to unite with God and to
reproduce His qualities and attributes right here and now so that like Job we
can say, And yet in my flesh do I see God.
Thus in the wisdom of the universe, man establishes constructive
patterns in his affairs and body by praying and aspiring to realize the
perfection of God in his own life. This process is an instinctive or natural
way of praying. The reverent man thinks right and acts in accord with the
good impulses he engenders.
2 Techniques of Prayer
When we come to analyze prayer, there are many different approaches
or methods. We will not consider in this book the formal, ritual prayers used
in religious services. These have an important place in group worship. We
are immediately concerned with the methods of personal prayer for use in
your daily life and in helping others.
Prayer is the formulation of an idea concerning something we wish to
accomplish. Circumstances and individuals suggest different approaches,
but all must establish a clear statement of the benefit, the healing, the
purpose for which the prayer is offered.
The Visualization Technique
The easiest and most obvious way to formulate an idea is to visualize
it, to see it in your mind’s eye as vividly as if it were alive. We can see with
the naked eye only what already exists in the external world; in a similar
way what we can visualize in the mind’s eye already exists in the invisible
realms of our mind. Any picture which we have in the mind is the substance
of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. What we form in
our imagination is as real as any part of our body. The idea and the thought
are real and will one day appear in our objective world if we are faithful to
our mental image.
This process of thinking forms impressions on the mind; these
impressions in turn become manifested or expressed on the screen of space
as forms, functions, facts, and experiences. The builder visualizes the type
of building he wants; he sees it as he desires it to be completed. His
imagery and thought-processes become a plastic mold from which the
building will emerge—a beautiful or an ugly one, a skyscraper or a very
low one. His mental imagery is projected as it is drawn on paper; eventually
the contractor and his workers gather the essential materials, and the
building progresses until it stands finished, conforming perfectly to the
mental patterns of the architect.
Visualization Technique For An Audience
Each Sunday I use the visualization technique prior to speaking from
the platform. I quiet the wheels of my mind in order that I may present to
the subconscious mind my images of thought; then I picture the entire
auditorium and the seats filled with men and women, and each one of them
illumined and inspired by the Healing Presence. I see them as radiant,
happy, and free.
Having first built up the idea in my imagination, I quietly sustain it
there as a mental picture while I imagine I hear men and women exclaiming
aloud, “I am healed,” “I feel wonderful,” “I’ve had an instantaneous
healing,” “I’m transformed,” etc. I keep this up for about ten minutes or
more, knowing and feeling that each person is a tabernacle of God’s
Presence, and that Divine Love saturates each mind and body making them
whole, pure, relaxed, and perfect. I see to the point where I actually can
hear the imaginary voices of the multitudes proclaiming the glory of God;
then I release the whole picture and go onto the platform. Almost every
Sunday some people stop and say that their prayers were answered.
Mental Movie Method
The Chinese say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” William
James, the father of American psychology, stressed the fact that the
subconscious mind will bring to pass any picture held in the mind backed
by faith. “Act as though I am, and I will be.”
A number of years ago I was in the Middle West lecturing in several
states and I desired to have a permanent location. One evening in a hotel in
Spokane, Washington, I relaxed completely on the couch, immobilized my
attention, and in a quiet, passive manner imagined that I was talking to a
large audience, saying in effect, “I am glad to be here. I have prayed for this
ideal church and opportunity.” I saw in my mind’s eye the imaginary
audience and I felt the reality of it all. I played the role of the actor,
dramatized this mental movie, and felt satisfied that this picture was being
conveyed to my subconscious mind which would bring it to pass in its own
way. The next morning on awakening I felt a great sense of peace and
satisfaction, and in a few days’ time I received a telegram asking me to take
over a church in the East which I did, and enjoyed immensely for several
years.
The method outlined here appeals to many who have described it as
the “mental movie method.” I have received numerous letters from people
who listen to my radio lectures and Sunday morning talks, telling me of the
wonderful results they get using this technique in the sale of their property.
I suggest to those who have homes or property for sale that they satisfy
themselves in their own mind that their price is right; then claim that
Infinite Intelligence is attracting to them the buyer who really wants to have
the property, and who will love it and prosper in it. After having done this I
suggest that they quiet their mind, relax, let go, and get into a drowsy,
sleepy state which reduces all mental effort to a minimum; then they are to
picture the check in their hands, rejoice in the check, give thanks for the
check, and go off to sleep feeling the naturalness of the whole mental movie
created in their own mind. They must act as though it were an objective
reality, and the subconscious mind will take it as an impression, and
through the deeper currents of the mind the buyer and the seller are brought
together. A mental picture held in the mind backed by faith will come to
pass.
The Baudoin Technique
Charles Baudoin was a professor of Rousseau Institute in France. He
was a brilliant psychotherapist, and a research director of the New Nancy
School of Healing, who in 1910 taught that the best way to impress the
subconscious mind was to enter into a drowsy, sleepy state, or a state akin
to sleep, in which all effort was reduced to a minimum; then in a quiet,
passive, receptive way, by reflection, convey the idea to the subconscious.
The following is his formula: “A very simple way of securing this
(impregnation of the subconscious mind) is to condense the idea which is to
be the object of suggestion, to sum it up in a brief phrase which can be
readily graven on the memory, and to repeat it over and over again as a
lullaby.”
Baudoin emphasized the fact that when we enter into “the state akin to
sleep” (betwixt the waking and sleeping state), effort is reduced to a
minimum, and we can focus our attention on our good with ease and
without strain. We induce this state by feeling sleepy.
Innumerable experiments on persons have shown that the
subconscious mind will accept any idea, suggestion, or mental picture
which is felt as true by the conscious mind, and works out every suggestion
to the minutest detail in the results which flow from it. The subconscious
mind is entirely under the control of the conscious or objective mind. With
the utmost fidelity it reproduces and manifests in the final consequences
whatever the conscious mind impresses upon it.
The Practical Application of Baudoin Technique
A lady in one of our classes last year was engaged in a prolonged,
bitter family lawsuit over a will. Her husband had bequeathed his entire
estate to her, and his sons and daughters were bitterly fighting to break the
will. The Baudoin technique was outlined in detail to her, and this is what
she did: She relaxed her body in an armchair, entered into the sleepy state,
and as suggested, condensed the idea of her need into a phrase consisting of
six words easily graven on the memory. “It is finished in Divine Order.”
The significance of these words to her meant that Infinite Intelligence
operating through Law (the subconscious mind) would bring about a
harmonious adjustment in Divine Order. She continued this procedure every
night for about ten nights; after she got into a sleepy state she would affirm
slowly, quietly, and feelingly the statement: “It is finished in Divine Order,”
over and over again, feeling a sense of inner peace and a letting go; then she
went off into her deep, normal sleep.
On the morning of the eleventh day following the use of the above
technique, she awakened with a sense of well-being, a conviction that it was
finished. Her attorney called her the same day, saying that the opposing
attorney and his clients were willing to settle. A harmonious agreement was
reached, and litigation was discontinued.
The Sleeping Technique
By entering into a sleepy, drowsy state, effort is reduced to a
minimum. The conscious mind is submerged to a great extent when in a
sleepy state. The reason for this is that the highest degree of outcropping of
the subconscious occurs prior to sleep and just after we awaken. In this state
the negative thoughts which tend to neutralize your desire and so prevent
acceptance by the subconscious no longer present themselves.
The Sleeping Technique and Destructive Habits
Assume a comfortable posture, relax your body, and be still. Get into a
sleepy state and in that sleepy state say quietly, over and over again as a
lullaby, “I am completely free from this habit; sobriety and peace of mind
reign supreme.” Repeat the above slowly, quietly, and lovingly for five or
ten minutes night and morning. Each time you repeat the above statement
its emotional value becomes greater. When the urge comes, repeat the above
formula out loud to yourself. By this means you induce the subconscious to
accept the idea and a healing follows.
Solving Problems While You Sleep
During the course of an interview, a young man asked me how he
could locate his father’s will. His father had passed on and apparently had
left no will. The young man’s sister told him that their father had confided
to her that a will had been executed which was fair to all. All attempts to
locate the will had failed. I suggested he turn his request over to his
subconscious mind at night before sleep. This is the method he followed: “I
now turn this request over to the subconscious mind. It knows just where
the will is. It reveals it to me.” Then he condensed his request into one
word, “Answer.”
He repeated this prayer over and over again as a lullaby. He lulled
himself to sleep for several nights with the word, “Answer.” A few nights
later he had a very vivid realistic dream. He saw the name and address of a
certain bank. He went there and found a safe deposit vault registered in the
name of his father. This was the answer to his prayer.
The Bible Technique
What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them. MARK 11:24. Note the difference in the
tenses. The inspired writer tells us to believe and accept as true the fact that
our desire has already been accomplished and fulfilled, that it is already
completed, and that its realization will follow as a thing in the future.
The success of this technique depends on the confident conviction that
the thought, the idea, the picture is already a fact in the mind, and in order
for anything to have substance in the realm of the mind, it must be thought
of as actually existing there.
Here in a few cryptic words is a concise and specific direction for
making use of the creative power of thought by impressing upon the
subconscious the particular thing which we desire. Your thought, idea, plan,
or purpose is as real on its own plane as your hand or your heart. In
following the Bible technique you completely eliminate from your mind all
consideration of conditions, circumstances, or anything which might imply
adverse contingencies. You are planting a seed (concept) in the mind which
if you leave undisturbed will infallibly germinate into external fruition.
She Lost a Ring
I am writing this chapter at the beautiful Wishing Well, Rancho Santa
Fe, a few hundred miles from Los Angeles. One of the guests lost a very
valuable diamond. She had gone horseback-riding and discovered the loss
when she returned. At my suggestion she prayed as follows: “Infinite
Intelligence knows where the ring is. There can be no loss except I admit
the loss in my mind, as all experiences come through my mind. I know
Infinite Intelligence will now reveal the whereabouts of the ring to me. I see
it on my finger, I feel it, and I know it is mine. I believe I have it now. I
accept it mentally, for my thought is as real as the ring.”
She quietly affirmed the above for a few minutes, and immediately
afterwards she had an inner feeling or urge to drive back along one of the
paths she had taken. Her horse stopped at the very spot where her ring was.
The subjective mind operates throughout all nature, and in the horse, also.
The ways of the subconscious mind are not always obvious. This incident
illustrates the law of belief and the results which must inevitably follow.
Cause Of Failure To Get Results
Our failure to achieve the desired result always is due to our distrust in
the law of growth. If we place a seed in the ground, it will grow. If we give
up hope, fret, worry, and get anxious, we are actually denying the
germinating power of the idea planted in our mind. Our doubt or fear is a
thought in opposition to our desire, which if indulged in neutralizes the one
first formed and results in its complete disintegration. We must keep out
those negative thoughts of doubt and fear which only result in the opposite
of what we are praying for. The law of belief as expounded and elaborated
on in the Bible is to feel the pleasure and satisfaction in foreseeing the
certain accomplishment of our desires.
The “Thank You” Technique
Paul recommends that we make known our requests to God with praise
and thanksgiving. Some extraordinary results follow this simple method of
prayer. The thankful heart is always close to the creative forces of the
Universe, causing countless blessings to flow toward us by the law of
reciprocal relationship based on a cosmic law of action and reaction.
A father promises his son a car for graduation; the boy has not yet
received the car, but he is very thankful and happy, and is as joyous as
though he had actually received the car. He knows his father will fulfill his
promise, and is full of gratitude and joy even though he has not yet received
the car, objectively speaking. He has, however, received it with joy and
thankfulness in his mind. Oftentimes you have gone to a store and ordered a
fur coat or hat, although they did not have exactly what you wanted. But
you specified what you wanted and paid for it, and the clerk said they
would send it. You thanked the clerk or owner and walked away without the
coat or hat. You were absolutely sure of receiving the merchandise ordered
in the near future because you trusted and believed in the integrity and
honesty of the man who operated the business. How much more should we
trust the Infinite and the Creative Law which never changes and responds
with absolute fidelity to our trust and belief in It!
It Worked For Mr. Broke
I shall illustrate how Mr. Broke applied this technique with excellent
results. He said, “Bills are piling up, I am out of work, I have three children
and no money. What shall I do?” Regularly every night and morning for a
period of about three weeks he repeated the words, “Thank you, Father, for
the Law of Opulence,” in a relaxed, peaceful manner until the feeling or
mood of thankfulness dominated his mind. He imagined he was addressing
the Infinite, knowing, of course, that he could not see God. He was seeing
with the inner eye of spiritual perception, realizing that his thought-image
of wealth was the first cause relative to the money, position, and food he
needed. His thought-feeling was the substance of wealth untrammeled by
antecedent conditions of any kind. By repeating, “Thank you, Father,” over
and over again, his mind and heart were lifted up to the point of acceptance,
and when fear, thoughts of lack, poverty, and distress came into his mind,
he would say, “Thank you, Father,” as often as necessary. He knew that as
he kept up this thankful attitude he would recondition his mind to the idea
of wealth, which is what happened. Mr. Broke met on the street a former
employer of his whom he had not seen for twenty years; the man offered
him a very lucrative position and advanced him $500.00 as a temporary
loan. Today Mr. Broke is vice president of the corporation for which he
works. His recent remark to me was, “I shall never forget the wonders of
‘Thank you, Father.’ It has worked wonders for me.”
Why His Technique Worked
All material things must have their origin in the Invisible or Spirit; all
of creation is evidence of thought-images and ideas in the Mind of God
which became form according to the Creative Law. There is only one
Creative Process, and man through his thoughts sets in motion the Creative
Law. We may be using it consciously or unconsciously; nevertheless we are
always using the Creative Law for the simple reason that we are always
impressing some sort of ideas and mental pictures upon It, whether we are
aware of it or not. All our existing limitations result from our having
habitually impressed upon our subconscious mind ideas of limitation,
restriction, and bondage of all kinds. When we realize that our conditions
and circumstances are never real causes in themselves, but only the result of
prior thinking, we reverse our method of thinking and regard our ideal as
real, and as we mentally and emotionally unite with the ideal in our mind,
we change the outer manifestations to agree with the inner thought-images
and thus change our world.
Affirmative Method
The effectiveness of affirmation lies in its intelligent application of
definite and specific positives. For example, a boy adds three and three and
puts down seven on the blackboard. The teacher affirms with mathematical
certainty that three and three are six; therefore the boy changes his figures
accordingly. Likewise when we affirm the Truth about a person, we must
conform to the Principles of Truth regardless of appearances. The power of
the affirmation process depends on the faith and understanding of the
person affirming.
The Affirmative Method Heals Acute Gallbladder Trouble
This method was chosen by the writer for use on his sister, who was to
be operated on for the removal of gallstones, based on the diagnosis of
hospital tests and the usual X-ray procedures. She asked me to pray for her.
We are separated geographically about 6,500 miles, but there is no time or
space in Mind. Spirit or Mind is present in its entirety at every point
simultaneously. In prayer treatment for another, you withdraw all thought
from the contemplation of symptoms and from the corporeal personality
altogether, and think of the individual as pure spirit and expressing the
vitality, wholeness, beauty and perfection of that Spirit. I affirmed as
follows: “This prayer treatment is for my sister Kate. She is relaxed and at
peace, poised, balanced, serene, and calm. Her mind and spirit are the Mind
and Spirit of God. The Healing Intelligence which created her body is now
transforming every cell, nerve, tissue, muscle, and bone of her being into
God’s Perfect Pattern. Silently, quietly, all distorted thought patterns are
removed and dissolved, and the vitality, wholeness, and beauty of the Spirit
are made manifest in every atom of her being. She is now open and
receptive to this Healing Presence which flows through her like a river,
restoring her to perfect health, harmony, and peace. All distortions and ugly
thought images are now washed away by the Infinite Ocean of Love and
Peace flowing through her, and it is so.”
I affirmed the above several times a day, and at the end of two weeks
my sister had an examination which showed a remarkable healing, and the
X-rays proved negative.
To affirm is to state that it is so, and as you maintain this attitude of
mind as true, regardless of all evidence to the contrary, you will receive an
answer to your prayer. Your thought can only affirm, for even if you deny
something you are actually affirming the presence of what you deny.
Repeating an affirmation, knowing what you are saying and why you are
saying it, leads the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts that
which you state as true. Keep on affirming the Truth until you get the
subconscious reaction which satisfies.
The Argumentative Technique
In brief, the argumentative method consists of spiritual reasoning,
where you convince yourself that the patient is a victim of false beliefs and
groundless fears, and that the disease or ailment is due only to a distorted,
twisted pattern of thought which has taken form in his body; this wrong
belief in some external power and external causes has now externalized as
sickness and can be changed through a knowledge of the Law, which shows
there is only One Primary Cause—Living Spirit or God, and Spirit can’t be
sick, frustrated, or unhappy. Spirit is unconditioned, not hampered by
conditions of any sort, and is not subject to illness.
The basis of all healing is a change of belief. You reason out in your
mind that the Infinite Intelligence created the body and all its organs;
therefore It knows how to heal it, can heal it, and is doing so now as you
speak. You argue in the courtroom of your mind that the disease is a shadow
of the mind, based on disease-soaked, morbid thought-imagery. You
continue to build up all the evidence you can muster on behalf of the Power
of the Healing Presence which created all the organs in the first place and
has a perfect pattern of every cell, nerve, and tissue within It; then you
render a verdict in the courthouse of your mind in favor of your patient. You
liberate the sick one by faith and spiritual understanding. Your mental and
spiritual evidence is overwhelming; there being but One Mind, what you
feel as true will be resurrected in the experience of the other. There is but
One Mind common to all individual men.
She Won The Argument
Recently a listener of our radio programs in Los Angeles prayed for
her mother in New York City who had a coronary thrombosis. She prayed
as follows: “God is the only Presence and the only Power, the only Living
Reality, the Living Spirit Almighty. This Presence and Power is right where
my mother is. God is her Life, and that Life is her Life now. The bodily
condition is but a reflection of her thought-life, like shadows cast on the
screen. I know that in order to change the images on the screen, I must
change the projection reel. My mind is the projection reel, and I now project
in my own mind the image of wholeness, harmony, and perfect health for
my mother. The Infinite Healing Presence which created my mother’s body
and all her organs is now saturating every atom of her being, and His River
of Peace flows through every cell of her being. The doctors are divinely
guided and directed, and whoever touches my mother is governed over by
the Overshadowing Presence. I know that disease has no ultimate reality; if
it had, no one could be healed. I now align myself with the Infinite
Principle of Love and Life, and I know and decree that harmony, health, and
peace are now being expressed in my mother’s body. There is no power to
challenge Omnipotence. The Healing Presence of God is now flowing
through her. It is wonderful!”
Her mother had a most remarkable recovery after a few days, much to
the amazement of the specialist who complimented her on her faith in God.
The argumentative method of prayer on the part of her daughter produced
certain conclusions in her mind and set the Creative Law of Mind in motion
on the subjective side of life, which manifested through her mother’s body
as perfect health and harmony. There is only One Mind, and what the
daughter felt as true about her mother was simultaneously resurrected in the
experience of the mother.
The Absolute Method
The person practicing this form of prayer treatment mentions the name
of the patient, such as John Jones; then quietly and silently thinks of God
and His qualities and attributes, such as God is All Bliss, Boundless Love,
Infinite Intelligence, All Peaceful, Boundless Wisdom, Absolute Harmony,
and Indescribable Beauty and Perfection. As he quietly thinks along these
lines, he is lifted up in consciousness into a new spiritual wave length, at
which time he feels that the Infinite Ocean of God’s Love is now dissolving
everything unlike Itself in the mind and body of John Jones for whom he is
praying. He feels all the Power and Love of the Godhead is now focused on
John Jones, and whatever is bothering or vexing him now is completely
dissolved in the Presence of the Infinite Ocean of God’s Love.
Modern Sound Wave Therapy
The absolute method of prayer might be likened to the sound wave or
sonic therapy recently shown me by a distinguished physician in Los
Angeles. He has an ultra sound wave machine which oscillates at a
tremendous speed and sends sound waves to any area of the body to which
it is directed. These sound waves can be controlled, and he told me of
remarkable results in dissolving arthritic calcareous deposits and the healing
and removal of other disturbing conditions.
To the degree that we rise in consciousness by contemplating the
qualities and attributes of God, do we generate spiritual electronic waves of
harmony, health, and peace. Many instantaneous healings follow the
absolute method of prayer.
A Cripple Walks
Dr. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, of whom we spoke previously, used the
absolute method almost exclusively in the latter years of his healing career.
He was really the father of psychosomatic medicine and the first
psychoanalyst. He had the capacity to diagnose clairvoyantly the cause of
the patient’s troubles, pains, and aches. Quimby would tell the patient
where the pain was and the cause behind it. In order to cure him Quimby
said, “I must go to Him who sent me, and there I will contemplate your
Divine Perfection; if I succeed, you will be healed.” The phrase, “I must go
to Him who sent me,” is taken from the Bible. Yet a little while I am with
you, and then I go unto Him who sent me, You shall seek me and shall not
find me: and where I am, thither you cannot come. JOHN 7:33, 34. You will
see the wonderful meaning of this as we proceed.
Quimby was called on to visit a woman who was lame, aged, and
practically bedridden. He states that her ailment was due to the fact that she
was imprisoned by a creed so small and contracted that she could not stand
upright or move about. She was living in the tomb of fear and ignorance;
furthermore she was taking the Bible literally and it frightened her. “In this
tomb,” Quimby said, “was the Presence and Power of God trying to burst
the bars, break through the bonds, and rise from the dead.” When she would
ask others for an explanation of some passage of the Bible, the answer
would be a stone; then she would hunger for the bread of life. Dr. Quimby
diagnosed her case as a mind cloudy and stagnated due to excitation and
fear caused by the inability to see clearly the meaning of the Scriptural
passages she had been reading. This showed itself in the body by her heavy
and sluggish feeling which would terminate in paralysis.
At this point Quimby asked her what was meant, A little while I am
with you and then I go to Him that sent me. She replied that it meant Jesus
went to heaven. Quimby explained what it really meant by telling her that
being with her a little while meant his explanation of her symptoms,
feelings, and their cause; i.e., he had compassion and sympathy for her
momentarily, but he could not remain in that mental state. The next step
was to go to Him that sent us, which is the Presence of God in all of us.
Quimby immediately traveled in his mind and contemplated the Divine
Ideal; i.e., the Vitality, Intelligence, Harmony, and Power of God
functioning in the sick person. This is why he said to the woman,
“Therefore where I go, you cannot come for you are in your narrow,
restricted belief, and I am in health.” This prayer and explanation produced
an instantaneous sensation, and a change came over her mind. She walked
without her crutches! She was as it were dead in error, and to bring her to
life or truth was to raise her from the dead. “I quoted the resurrection of
Christ and applied it to her own Christ or health; it produced a powerful
effect on her.” (Quimby’s Manuscripts).
The Decree Method
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee:
and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
JOB 22:28.
Power goes into our word according to the feeling and faith behind it.
When we realize the Power that moves the world is moving on our behalf
and is backing up our word, our confidence and assurance grow. We do not
try to add power to Power; therefore there must be no mental striving,
coercion, force, or mental wrestling.
A young girl used the decree method on a young man who was
constantly phoning her, pressing her for dates, and meeting her at her place
of business; she found it very difficult to get rid of him. She decreed as
follows: “I release __________ unto God. He is in his true place at all
times. I am free, and he is free. I now release this word into the Ocean of
Infinite Mind which is the Mind of the Almighty. Infinite Mind is the Only
Power operating and It brings this to pass. I have decreed this, and it shall
come to pass. It is so.” She said he vanished and she has never seen him
since, adding, “It was as though the ground swallowed him up.”
How A Minister Got A Car
A young, struggling minister recently told me that he read the abovementioned
verse in the Bible, Thou shalt also decree a thing … He decreed
as follows: “I am one with all the automobiles in the world. They are all
God’s ideas made manifest. I decree that Infinite Mind through the Law of
Right Action reveals to me the ideal car suitable for my work. I trust the
Deeper Mind implicitly. It knows how to bring it to pass in Its own way.”
The sequel to this decree was most interesting. Secretly members of
his congregation collected a sum of money and presented him with a new
Chevrolet car after his church service. They said, “We have a surprise for
you!” He was not surprised, because he knew the Deeper Mind has ways
we know not of. The Infinite Intelligence acted on their mind causing them
to fulfill what the minister had accepted as true in his own mind.
You can never know how your prayer will be answered. Man must
never say, “I don’t have the money to buy a car; therefore I must do without
it.” He can decree what he wants, and Infinite Mind will bring it to pass.
3 Practicing Prayer Therapy
4 How Prayer Works
5 The Transforming Power of Prayer
6 How to Pray for Guidance
7 How Prayer Removes the Road Blocks
8 How to Forgive Through Prayer
9 How Prayer Solves Marital Problems
10 Prayer Casts Out Fear
11 How to Pray and Stay Young in Spirit Forever
12 Making Prayer More Effective
13 How Prayer Banishes Grief and Sorrow
About the Author