Prayer, my thoughts

This is inspired by a friend's comments on prayer, and by a teacher here, and by many I owe thanks to. Just some of my thoughts on prayer:

Too often we pray for what we think we need, what we think will bring us happiness. But in looking for happiness, we're running away from it. I think we should look instead to be of service to one another, however God would have us be. Why do we claim we are religious and then we don't act like it? When's the last time we read the Bible? When's the last time we prayed as Jesus advised us in the Gospels, to the Father's will, "for He knows what you need before you ask." "Thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread."

We should steer clear of asking for our fleeting desires, instead ask for what is in the name of the Father, and for strength and guidance to grow in truth day by day.

Are you Christian but you don't remember when Peter tries to bribe Jesus to stay after Jesus said He was to go into Jerusalem and be rejected and be put to death, Peter saying it doesn't have to be this way, saying all the wonderful things Jesus did and how He didn't have to let this happen. Then Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." (See Mark 8) What did this mean? Peter wants the easy way, not the right way. Jesus knows He must suffer greatly, beyond what any of us can imagine. And then in the garden of Gethsemane He knew what was brewing, and He was upset deeply, and crying out for God, saying "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." He insists that although this suffering is not what is pleasant, that only the will of God be done, which turns out to be the greatest suffering.

A phrase that echoes in my mind is, "Use what you have in hand, and tomorrow will be given to you." Use what we have today... We're always trying to get too big too fast. We need to take it day by day, and really try to apply our ideals to daily life in relation to each other, regardless of seemingly pleasant or unpleasant circumstances. Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Just live! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Sometimes the greatest lessons come from trying our best to apply these things through the most unpleasant situations. Ups and downs will always be in our lives, this is the human life, this is how it goes.

Buddhism describes that being a mountain doesn't mean never to have clouds going by, just not particularly disturbed or distracted by them, they just are there going by. Be that mountain... Modern Gnosis describes that there is much suffering involved in the Direct Path, that to go up we must dig deeply to root up those traces of ego deep in the subconscious and shine the Light of Consciousness on them. Samael explains we must learn to walk with both feet, see Chapter 67 of The Pistis Sophia Unveiled.

Just my thoughts. All this much easier thought and said than done! Much strength to us all.