I was asked by a caller, “When you pray, do you pray all day long?”
I replied, “Yes.”
“How is that possible?” She wondered.
I explained that prayer is not words. It’s how one lives. For instance, one of my prayers is to be spiritually minded so that I can hear God’s direction. Since I want to hear God’s direction all the time, I strive to put that prayer into practice wherever I am and in whatever I do. I keep listening for God’s wisdom all day long. That’s one of my prayers in action.
Or, to give another example, since health is spiritual mindedness, to stay healthy, I pray to be spiritually minded all the time, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. It’s an on-going prayer that never stops. And it’s a reliable way to stay healthy.
Prayer is Truth and Love in action. Words often help us get started with our prayers and form a concrete plan of action. But it’s not the words that bring the results. It’s living the words. And hopefully that is happening round-the-clock!
“We must ‘pray without ceasing.’ Such prayer is answered, in so far as we put our desires into practice. The Master’s injunction is, that we pray in secret and let our lives attest our sincerity” Science and Health, p. 15.
Evan I also used to wonder how it was possible to pray all the time, until I realised that actually I do! There is always some thought or hymn running along in the background of my thought. I loved reading about how you pray and I also love the new SV format which is much easier to read on my mobile phone. I have also been reading all the interesting information you have posted about your background and practice. Thank you for your dedication and all the help these posts have given, not just to me but to all who read them. Truly grateful!
Lovely new look Evan, and yes the idea praying all day long, as you have explained, is far
more doable and comes more naturally than thinking one has to sit quietly hands clasped.
Thank you for all your posts.
Thanks so much for all your inspiring and helpful posts Evan .
Love the new look too
A great new insight on “ constant prayer”
Each day, I look forward to your blog and followers comments . Much gratitude for sharing with all.
I can’t read all the information on this website. The title is centered but the words and all the details are not accessible. I tried to downsize it and it didn’t help.
Yes, it’s interesting to me how often the synonyms of God, “Life, Truth, and Love are put together in the textbook. It occurred to me once that it meant Truth lived and loved. Church as the ‘structure of Truth and Love’ is the moment-by-moment loving of Truth, the absolute allness of Love as the only Truth.
Wonderful description of “Life, Truth and Love.” Thanks, Diane.
And thanks to Evan for his message about praying continually.
I am so grateful.
Thank you for sharing your insights with us.
The new look is great!
On my browser, all the information is pushed beyond the margin to the left side and I can only read the right half of the web pages.
Love this post! And love the new fresh look!
This reminds me of these words of Mary Baker Eddy:
To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science.
My. 160:5-8 (to 1st .)
From Concord Express – A Christian Science Study Resource: The King James Version of the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s published writings
Thank you for the reminder to be living our prayers.
I like the clean, simple look to your updated page. Very easy to use.
The new look is very easy to read. The headings are helpful and the font is great, but I miss the beautiful background picture!
I am awe stricken with the amount of information available through loving hearts Thought has opened up into living our prayers moment by moment where our beloved leader says..
Add continually to his store of spiritual understanding, potency, enlightenment, and success S&H 462:6
What Strength, and love. Gratefully received.
To Rick – I switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox and the new format comes through.
As always a lovely thought-provoking blog.
Listening to God for wisdom and direction throughout the day is prayer. I was guided by a dear friend to work with one citation of the week’s lesson, all day long. This is a very effective way in keeping our thoughts aligned with Truth. It keeps you happy, peaceful, loving and good.
Last week this citation helped me a lot “Having no other Gods, turning to no other but the one Perfect Mind to guide him, man is the likeness of God, pure and eternal, having that mind which was also in Christ Jesus.” I felt so peaceful and good and I was able to find a lost document too. Of course my friends too supported me with their prayers to get the lost document.
We are truly blessed to have the comforter “Christian Science” with us all the time, our best friend indeed. Thank you Evan for this wonderful and much needed post.
Thanks dear Nergish for your so good and helpful comment!
Love that new format very much specially because we have there actuell and very nice photos of Evan in a beautiful blooming garden; suppose it is your garden, Evan. What a joyful title picture!
But I also miss the nice blooming background of the former format.
Sometrimes I have the problem, that I do not get SpiritView in my inbox as it was today. Then I click on an older one and there I click on the button “newer” on the bottom of this SpiritView and I get the latest SV, which does not appearin my inbox.
Thank you dear Evan, for your so loving and inspiring explanation of the sentence in SH p. 15, teaching us how that can be done through your precious doing. Your explanation how to unceisingly pray and work is the goal of my prayers, as well It is really a blessing and healing blog – thank God for it!
Love this New Format, Evan! It’s Wonderful how you have made so much information available to any Seeker for Truth! I also so appreciate how you have distinguished between the universal teaching of Christian Science and what has grown out of it as the Christian Science Church/Religion. Christian Science is available to EVERYONE no matter where they are on their path to Truth! Much Love and Appreciation to You for what you have done and are doing to make this Truth of Christian Science universally available to All! Hugs!
I have recently have not received any email from Spirit View! I loved getting your daily blog! There was an issue with my email! Would you please send the blog to me!
Hi JoAnn,
If you enter your email in the SUBSCRIBE box in the right sidebar on the HOME page of SpiritView, you will receive the emails. Welcome to the site!
Evan, you and the Daily Lift are the first things I check on each day. Thank you
God gave us SpiritView! Thanks, Evan, for listening and responding to this (and other) Good Ideas!!
BTW, Jack Hubbell, CSB, whom many know as one of the finest of our CS practitioners and teachers, (now gone to other pastures), said in one lecture: Knowing the truth is 10% of CS. Living it is the other 90!
He sure lived it! Think of all the folks he healed and helped over his long career!
And thank you, Evan, for LIVING it, too!
How blessed we are.
Sue
This is from the 1925 Christian Science Monitor
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
A number of ministers were assembled for the discussion of difficult questions. Among others, it was asked how the command to ‘Pray Without Ceasing’ could be compiled with, and one of the number was appointed to write an essay to be read at the next meeting.
This being overheard by a maid servant, she exclaimed, ‘What!’ A whole month waiting to tell the meaning of the text. It is one of the easiest and best in the Bible!’
‘Well, well,’ said the old minister. ‘What can you say about it, Mary? How do you understand it? Can you pray all the time when you have so many things to do?’
‘Why, yes, sir,’ said Mary. ‘The more things I have to do, the more I can pray.’
‘Let us hear how you do this,’ said the minister.
‘Well,’ said the girl, ‘when I open my eyes in the morning, I pray ‘Lord, open the eyes of my understanding; while I am dressing, I pray that I may be clothed with righteousness; when I have washed me, I ask for the washing of regeneration; when I begin to work, I pray that I may have strength equal to my day; when I kindle the fire, I pray that God’s work may revive in my soul; as I begin to sweep out the house, I pray that my heart may be cleansed from all its impurities; when I am preparing and partaking of the breakfast, I desire to be fed with the manna and sincere milk of the Word; as I am busy with the children, I look to God as my Father, and pray for the spirit of adoption, that I may be His child; and so on, all day everything I do furnishes me with a thought of prayer.’
‘Enough,’ said the old minister. ‘These things are revealed to babies and often hid from the wise and prudent. Go on, Mary, pray without ceasing.’
Christian Science Monitor October 31, 1925
Dear Evan,
I have really enjoyed your new format. I took the time to explore everything on it. How very helpful for readers to know about your practice, charges, etc. upfront.
Today’s blog on praying “as I live “is very practical and so doable, thank you Evan. I really like your new format too. Thank you too Tina for the thought provoking article from the 1925 Christian Science Monitor.
Oh, Evan,
This blog on praying all day is so helpful!
Love the new format, too.
One question do I need to sign up again to receive the new format?
No, you do not need to sign up again. You are good!