Prayer is the most misunderstood subject in the field of religious practice. It is looked upon as an attempt to coax a miracle from a reluctant God, a court of last resort. And there is a tendency to try to see God through our troubles. “How can I believe in God after all this?” some say. The real need is to begin with the idea that God is the whole, no matter what we see in part. Thus, though experiences change for better or worse, we know there is that which changes not – the one Presence and Power of God. We begin with this awareness and see our troubles from this consciousness.

This is a kind of prayer that never fails, because we are not looking for miracles, only for perception. The goal is not to set things right, but to see them rightly. When we see with this insight, we are in the flow of guidance and strength and love, in the process of the outworking of the problem.

… Much prayer is directed to God. Its tone is that of reminding God that He is supposed to be Almighty, and urging Him to come to our aid. We don't have to tell electricity to be energy or gravity to hold things in their places. We begin with these inexorable forces and change our position in relation to them. Where does God come in, then? God does not come in, for He never went out. God is not only in all, God is all.

Prayer is not a means of reaching God or seeking help from God. For the thought of prayer and the mind that prays is God. Prayer is our response to the activity of God that knows our needs even before we ask, and whose will it is to give us the kingdom. As the weather vane does not make the north wind blow, but simply indicates that it is blowing, so prayer does not move God, but it evidences that we are being moved by the activity of God which is constant.

The emphasis in prayer has been on words that are repeated by mechanical repetition. We “say our prayers” out or up to God. But when we understand the wholeness of life and that God is that wholeness, we do not seek to pray to God. We know that we are individualizations of God who is all, and we begin at the point of that knowing. We let go and know our oneness, our wholeness – praying, not to God, but from the consciousness of God.

… The ageless formula of creation is, “Let there be,” not “there must be, I wish there could be, dear Lord, make there be!” Just “let there be!” No strain or hurry or force of will. In Genesis we can't imagine any resistance in the elements to the clear command. When we say, “Let there be,” it is the full focus of our consciousness saying yes to the activity of God.

This is the simplest and most effective prayer treatment. Certainly, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved ... (2 Tim. 2:15). Certainly, get the mind stayed on that which is spiritually true. But finally “make an end to prayer” and simply accept. What better way than: Let there be health; let there be substance; let there be harmony in place of discord, joy in place of sorrow, courage instead of fear.
 

This excerpt is from Celebrate Yourself! And Other Inspirational Essays by Eric Butterworth.

Eric Butterworth was a leading minister in Unity and New Thought for 50 years. He authored 14 books, including Discover the Power Within You and Spiritual Economics, both considered to be classics.