2015-02-04. The Power of Prayer — Not a Catch 22
Illawarra District, Australia, February 4, 2015.
Teacher Samuel of Panoptia.
Subject: “The Power of Prayer — Not a Catch 22.”
Received by George Barnard.
Teacher Samuel: “Good morning all. This is your Teacher Samuel of Panoptia bringing you my greetings and the greetings from Elaine’s Teacher, Aaron of Urantia, as well. Teacher Aaron was the bearer of the all-important papyrus scrolls of Moses’ time. I was an agricultural technician during the early Light and Life stages on Panoptia’s well-watered southern half of the twin continents. We, former mortals, are both honored to be allowed to keep our fusion on hold to teach for a season and the subject this morning is ‘The Power of Prayer.’
“Prayer is much misunderstood. Prayer is not ‘God, please give me a pony … the latest automobile.’ Prayer is not a learned-by-head repeating of appeals directed at the Creator, the waving of flags or the mindless ‘thumbing’ of rosary beads. A great host of things add up to being no prayer at all. Yet prayer can be many things that do qualify. This morning we will discuss just one kind of prayer — just one kind — and already we assure you that you will understand the power of prayer, approximately, as we can explain it to you … approximately.
“For the Gods to experience life; our lives and everyone else’s — angels and transcendentalers included — we are all made different. We are big ones and little ones, tall ones and short ones, round ones and skinny ones, black ones and white ones. To make it even more interesting we were all given different personalities. We are Optimistic and Pessimistic, Manic and Depressive, Open and Extroverted, Adventurous, Bold and Curious. See, we have all the A, B, C’s and the entire alphabet of character traits.
“Then something else happened: We were given free will. And this is where it became complicated, where progress and perfection of the Gods’ universes might be delayed or even reversed. And still, there was nothing the Gods could not handle. Well before some errant creature with strange and negative ideas would likely retard or even reverse progress to perfection, the Gods would foresee it all. They would have already created the errant creature’s nemesis to, in a manner of speaking, ‘cut off that wrongdoer at the pass.’
“Understand clearly now that one who is against progress towards perfection for all and sundry is in fact not normal, is in fact abnormal, is not real, is in fact insane. That is the understanding all over the universes. Yes everywhere, but not on your world. On your world and among many of your groups, there is concensus that their opposing groups need to be hampered from achieving their goals of peace, happiness and sufficiency … from existing even! In such a situation, the Gods may prefer not to intervene in what They foresee.
“Do we here have a Catch 22? Is it correct that your global drive towards perfection is halted by a too-poweful group of insane saboteurs, whilst the Gods must ever preserve creatures’ free-will prerogatives? Indeed not, my dear friends and students You are not powerless. You are not at a loss. The challenge has become yours my dear studious friends. You have at your disposal meaningful prayers for the good and future of all. You have the Power of Prayer that can change all reality.
“Take a break now. Shortly we shall return and pray.”
