Lessons In Truth - Lesson 6 - Annotation 8
Does asking for the thing we desire play a part in spiritual demonstration?
8. Yes, asking plays a very important part in bringing about spiritual demonstration. Asking is an act of faith in God. It shows not only that we have a vision of the good desired, but it also puts in motion the power that will bring the manifestation of that good into our lives. Asking is desire in action.
The dictionary gives some of the root meanings of the word ask as: "to demand; to seek; to request; to claim." Asking is not a begging or a pleading with God to give us something. It is using our freedom of choice with understanding faith through affirmation or affirmative prayer, in order to claim the blessings of God so abundantly prepared for us.
"Prayer is not supplication or begging but a simple asking for that which we know is waiting for us at the hands of our Father and an affirmation of its existence" (Jesus Christ Heals 67).
As these lessons have emphasized, the ideas of Divine Mind are governed by the law of mind action, and our asking (affirmation) starts the law into action in us. The law is always active but we must take the initiative, that is, the action must start in and through us. If we want light from the electric lighting system, we press the button; if we want water from the reservoir, we turn on the faucet. So with the good of God, it is always available awaiting our call (demand) when we ask for it and claim it.
While we are heirs to the ideas, or powers, of God, we need to learn their value and learn to use them in an understanding way. The supply is already provided, but we have to raise our consciousness to the truth that God's good is for us as His sons.
"Jesus advised asking for what we want and being persistent in our demands. People ignorant of the relation in which man stands to God wonder why we should ask and even importune a Father who has provided all things for us. This is explained when we perceive that God is a great mind reservoir that has to be tapped by man's mind and poured into visibility through man's thought or word. If the mind of man is clogged with doubt, lethargy, or fear, he must open the way by persistent knocking and asking" (Jesus Christ Heals 68).
By asking we may receive as much as we are capable of consciously accepting in proportion to the development of our faith faculty, which has been called the "measuring cup."
Asking, in the form of affirmation spoken silently or audibly, opens our mind to the ideas of God-Mind. True asking reaches beyond the limits of human thinking for it recognizes, through the perception of faith, the good that is ours for the claiming.
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Preceding Entry: What are the "promises of God"?
Following Entry: What is desire? What is man's true desire?
