Youtube: Imagination
Five Faculties for Effective Prayer
In my book, The Complete Soul, I name the five faculties we’ll be covering in this series on prayer. I’ve labeled them executive faculties because we choose how we use them. Imagination, faith, judgment, will, and elimination play key roles both in our daily thinking and in our prayer work. We do well to pay attention to how we use them.
Let’s begin with what we mean by effective prayer. We should not think of prayer as a means of getting God to behave differently or to give us something we do not have. We obviously do not have the thing for which we pray, or we would not be praying for it. Jesus said we are to believe we have received it. This is the work of imagination. To act as if we already have it puts us in harmony with the thing or condition we pray for. God does not pull it from a great stockpile in heaven and toss it down to us. We place ourselves in an expectant and receptive mode which opens doors we may not otherwise see.
If you are praying for healing, see your body radiating the healing energy of light. Give thanks that this balancing energy is now fully at work in your body’s area of concern. Spend designated time visualizing it then carry this vision through your day. Do not ignore intuitive promptings or information that may come to your attention. Be open to all avenues of guidance and action that may become part of your healing solution.
Apply this same principle and practice to any type of prayer request. You may have a financial concern, a challenging relationship, a need for guidance, or concern for the well-being of another. Believe that everything in your universe is working to bring about the highest and best resolution concerning your prayer request. Do not try to force a specific outcome but hold the attitude that this or something better is now presenting itself. If doubt creeps in, gently bring yourself back to knowing that the greater good you desire, or something better, is now unfolding.
Next week we will explore the role of faith in effective prayer.