Unity Metaphysics 2 (Blue Book)
Lesson 06 Praying For Others
6A BECOMING STILL:
If you would help someone else in need of healing, you first must be free in your own mind from anxious thoughts concerning him before you can give him a real blessing. Anxious thoughts will leave as you consciously know that the healing power of God is active in him now, that the healing work is being done perfectly” (Martha Smock Halfway Up the Mountain 202).
The first step in praying for others is the recognition that God is in charge. We must begin our prayer treatment by stilling the mind and releasing thoughts of fear concerning the one for whom we are praying. We then need to affirm the ever-present power and life of God until we feel a sense of inner peace and knowing. The greatest gift we can share with others is to “behold the Christ” in them.
6B OVERCOMING RESISTANCE:
“By experimentation modern metaphysical healers have discovered a large number of laws that rule in the realm of mind, and they agree that no two cases are exactly alike. Therefore one who prays for the health of another should understand that it is not the fault of the healing principle that his patient is not instantly restored. The fault may be in his own lack of persistency or understanding; or it may be due to the patient’s dogged clinging to discordant thoughts. In any case the one who prays must persist in this prayer until the walls of resistance are broken down and the healing currents are tuned in. Metaphysicians often pray over a critical case all night” (Jesus Christ Heals 85).
Each need we encounter is unique. Even though the symptoms may appear to be identical to those of other cases, the case itself is not exactly like any other. Each healing need should be approached with the attitude that it is one of a kind. This prevents us from getting too literal and mechanical in our spiritual efforts. Another important point is the challenge of subconscious (or unconscious) resistance. Human resistance to divine help is a great mystery which necessitates much persistence in prayer in certain cases. In a case where an individual simply will not give up inner resistance, the person praying need not feel guilty about it. Each soul has its own freedom of choice, and each soul is entitled to its own reasons for making choices.
6C NO EFFORT WASTED:
“The law of spiritual healing involves full receptivity on the part of the one under treatment. God does not do things in us against our will, as will acts in both the conscious and subconscious realms of mind. However much it may appear that the word is thwarted in its original intent, this is never true; it goes on, and it enters where reception is given it. In this way men are quickened, and whether we see the result with our physical vision or not, the process is as sure as God Himself” (Jesus Christ Heals 112).
As our awareness of our oneness with others increases, we will develop a heartfelt desire to bless them in their overcoming of a health challenge. We must remember to persist in our faith-filled prayers for a complete healing, but we cannot be insistent on any particular result in those for whom we pray. We can be confident that all our prayers will have the needed and appropriate results.
6D SEEING PERFECTION:
“All good healers will tell you that their best work is done by simply letting go of sense appearances and realizing that there is but one universal Mind, and that that Mind makes a perfect body for every man” (Talks On Truth 120).
“Some of the most miraculous cures ever made may have been where the healer simply saw perfection in the patient. He saw with the eye of Spirit, that which really exists, and the shadow conformed to the extent of his realization of that spiritual reality” (Talks On Truth 93).
There is quite often misunderstanding about Unity’s teachings on “seeing perfection,” or “seeing the good,” in others. Unity uses the word “see” in a very special sense in these instances. We do not mean to pretend; we really do not mean “to see” in the literal sense. We are speaking rather of inner acknowledgment regardless of whether or not the appearance matches the acknowledgment at the moment. That ia also sometimes called “holding the thought” of “laying hold of the Truth.”
6E MIRACLES:
“The underlying meaning is that when man unifies himself with God, a spiritual power works for him in ways that are incomprehensible to human reason and superior to human might” Elizabeth Sand Turner Be Ye Transformed 30).
“When the free flow of unobstructed life takes place, we, often in awe, term it a ‘miracle’” (Vera Dawson Tait Take Command! 102).
“The forces invisible are much closer than we think, and when we turn our attention in their direction the response is usually so pronounced and so swift that we cannot but feeL that a miracle has been performed. A more intimate acquaintance with the divine law convinces us that under it all things are possible if we only be!ieve, and if we at the same time conform our thoughts to its principles” (Christian Healing 92)
Not all healings take place in the same timing or through exactly the same process. This does not mean that there is no process involved in the healing demonstrations which occur instantly. All healing results from the attaining of a definite realization and claiming of the blessing of divine life here and now. The moment this is accomplished, healing occurs.
6F THE OBJECT:
“Remember that the object of all treatment is to raise the mind to the Christ consciousness, through which all true healing is accomplished” (Teach Us To Pray 178).
“‘Be of good cheer.’ The intelligence that created your body knows how to repair it. Get still, relax, turn your attention to the sustaining life forces within your organism” (Teach Us To Pray 105).
“What we need to know above all is that there is a place within our soul where we can consciously meet God and receive a flood of new life into not only our mind but also our body” (Teach Us To Pray 7).
Greater consciousness should be the primary aim of any spiritual effort we make. The cause of any worthwhile thing for us is our forward (Godward) direction of consciousness.
SUMMARY STATEMENTS
PRAYING FOR OTHERS IS A REALITY BECAUSE OF THE CHRIST MIND THAT INDWELLS ALL OF HUMANKIND.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO RELEASE ALL ANXIOUS THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ONE FOR WHOM WE ARE PRAYING SO THAT WE CAN KNOW THE TRUTH FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL.
EACH HEALING NEED IS UNIQUE. NO TWO CASES ARE ALIKE,
WE MUST NOT BE INSISTENT UPON PARTICULAR RESULTS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, Each SOUL CHOOSES ITS OWN PATH TO SPIRITUAL UNFOLDMENT.
WHEN WE ARE IN COMPLETE ALIGNMENT WITH SPIRITUAL TRUTHS, WE OFTEN REFER TO THE IMMEDIATE MANIFESTATION AS A MIRACLE.
OUR GOAL, IN HEALING, IS TO RAISE OUR CONSCIOUSNESS TO CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS.
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
- How can we know the Truth for another in spite of appearances to the contrary?
- What is meant by a miracle healing?
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION AND MEDITATION
if someone near and dear to you needs healing,
take your stand in faith.
Affirm: I can be healed!
You can be healed!
Trust the ever-present healing life and love of God
to renew, to restore, to adjust,
to soothe, to cleanse,
to fill every part of the body with ease,
to dissolve every obstruction.
All things are possible.
You can be healed.
Know this, believe this, affirm this.
Expect and accept healing now
for yourself and for those for whom you pray.
Believe!"
(Martha Smock Listen, Beloved 22-23).
SUPPLEMENTARY READING
Fillmore, Myrtle, Myrtle Fillmore’s Healing Letters, chapter 17, “Helping Others.”
Freeman, James Dillet, Prayer, the Master Key, chapter 12, “Praying For Others.”
ADDITIONAL VIDEOS
After a break, Ed reflects on why healing is not more prominent in our spiritual tradition. He mentions the work of Edgar Cayce, Silent Unity and Jesus.
Transcribed by Bill Toon on April 5, 2019.
