Sunday Wisdom

From One Mountain, Many Paths
An American Freemason Speaks Out for Peace

by Dr. Patrick Swift
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Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise, Are any among you sick? They should call the elders of the church and thave them pray over them, annointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:13-18
Christianity

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened."

Luke 11:9 - 10
Christianity

I think that what is interesting to me about these two quotations is that many people will read them and think that "just by praying" you can expect God to give you things or to heal you or meet your every wish. What I saw as I was retyping them was that every thing required action by the petitioner. It doesn't say that you can expect God to just give you everything. You must ask, seek, or knock. You should pray to be relieved of suffering (by bringing yourself into line with God your suffering is alleviated) etc.

God has already made everything good, given us everything we could want. Mary Baker Eddy once said: "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." Of course, she didn't say every human want but every human need. What we need God has already supplied. We have to recognize that and accept it. This is not the Joel Onsteen philosophy that God will magically open up a traffic jam on the Freeway (yes, I heard him tell that once) for us but rather the one that says our real needs are met in each and every way - every day. But we must do a bit of the work ourselves. So ask, seek, or knock and then we be cheerful about it and sing songs of praise for what He has done... already.