Prayer was not even part of my thinking when I was introduced to the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Neither was meditation. Meditation was what “those people” and mystics did. They used snakes coming out of baskets and a flute playing in the background. In AA, I was quickly advised that this was not a religious program. They said it was deeply spiritual. I, of course, thought that they were only playing with semantics. There was no difference to me.
I very quickly was able to see that there was something really different about many of these AAs. The difference was that I had known them when we were in the madness together. They had been just as miserable and undesirable as I was. Now they were happy, joyous, and free. These people had a spark of life about them that did not exist before. They were even praying for me to recover with them. I was willing to go to any lengths to get that.
They introduced me to the teachings of Emmet Fox. Dr. Fox had been the Spiritual Advisor for Bill W. and many of the first members of the then new AA. His Sermon on the Mount was used as the first Big Book. This was before Bill wrote the one that we still use. I read The Sermon on the Mount numerous times. Even started giving it as a gift along with the Big Book.
OK, so what really is prayer? Several of the books, letters, and essays that Dr. Fox wrote, said the same thing about prayer. “Every thought is a prayer.” WOW! That statement smacked me upside the head. It filled me with both apprehension and awe. Apprehension came when I thought of my many obscene, violent, negative thoughts. I had them on a regular basis. If I thought of doing serious harm to someone, was I were praying for it to happen? And if so, what kind of rotten so and so did that make me?
This was very quickly overruled by the feeling of awe. Now, I began to know that I could pray for something or someone by just thinking the thought in my own language. I wasn’t comfortable using thees, thys, and so called ‘religious talk.’ I had learned that in my youth. If every thought is a prayer, I can pray meaningfully for anything. I just have to think of it. This led to talking with my Higher Power. I now choose to call Him God. Actually, as if He were a friend sitting right next to me in the car or living room or porch.
Step 11 tells us: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” To do this, I talk on a regular basis to my Higher Power. I do it now as mentioned above. Just talking with a friend. I believe that I am meditating when I get the guidance that I requested from God and ponder the process. The guidance always comes, whether or not I like the response.
The thing that I am most comfortable with by using these tools is that, if I am comfortable with going where I am being guided, then I am doing God’s will. If I am apprehensive at all, I stop and reassess. It just might not be His will. So, now, let’s answer the question posed in the topic. Just what is prayer? Prayer is each and every thought that I have. We talk about the power of our thoughts regularly. That is why it is so important for me to watch my thoughts closely. Then I must act accordingly. What is ‘accordingly?’ It is the very next thought or feeling after praying to God for help. Very simple but not always easy!
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