UNITY Magazine 1957 / Nena L. HartMany times when we pray we substitute intellectual understanding for spiritual understanding. The difference between them is this: Spiritual understanding comes to us directly from the Spirit of truth within. This is the indwelling Christ, who has direct access to all the ideas of Divine Mind in their wholeness and purity. Intellectual understanding comes to us from without, through the medium of the physical senses. It comes to us also through the reasoning faculty, by which we compare, evaluate, and adjust the various results of what we observe. Spiritual understanding is independent of outer proof and does not draw its inspiration from the world of phenomena. Intellectual understanding is dependent on the outer world and outer observation for its conclusions. Intellectual understanding only knows about God and cannot address Him directly.
Man learns how to direct his thoughts in prayer not by the dominion of his mortal mind, but by renouncing his mortal mind and becoming childlike, meek, and humble. When man says, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” he gives up the changing, unstable thoughts of the limited mind and brings his consciousness into line with Divine Mind. He is letting them be lifted up and brought under the direct guidance and inspiration of his I AM. God is the allness of being, and we live in His omnipresence. Somewhat as the fish who swims in the sea constantly draw water into their gills for sustenance, so our minds constantly take life from the all-infolding God-Mind. Through identity with God-Mind our minds give form and shape to all that we are and have, to our intellects, our bodies, and our possessions. All men live in God and are sustained by Him in this manner. It is when we do not realize this that our existence is haphazard and without meaning. Nena L. Hart, “Pointers to Prayer,” Unity Magazine 5-1957, Pg. 9, 10 |
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