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UNITY WAY

February 15, 2004

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Joyous Prayer 

by Andrei Yashurin
  
I have set the Lord always before Me; because He is at My 
right hand, I shall not be moved. 
Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoices; My flesh 
also shall rest in hope; 
For You will not leave My soul in hell; You will not allow 
Your Holy One to see corruption. 
You will make Me know the way of life; in Your presence is 
fullness of joys. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:8-11

Can we say based on the text above, that genuine prayer, 
the one where we consciously enter the Presence of God, 
is joyous? I think yes.

Giving a lesson on prayer in Matthew 6, Jesus specifically 
warned His disciples do not be like hypocrites with 
"sad faces". Apparently, those religious people presumed 
that gloomy countenance is a sure sign of piety. Strange but 
true, many believers in our days still think this way, as 
if Jesus never addressed the issue. We can visit different 
temples, churches, and places or worship and glance at people 
which are gathered there to see it for ourselves. 

What are the reasons for those "sad faces"?

For some believers, it is their wrong concepts of God, of 
themselves, and of relationships between God and humans. 
It is difficult and almost impossible to be joyful under 
the heavy load of guilt and shame. 

Christianity is supposed to teach forgiveness of sins. 
But my experience with certain Christians showed that their 
religion only reinforced sin-consciousness through constant 
repentance, "self-examination", and "self-denial". Although 
they did they best to hide their true state, they looked 
and felt miserable - all because of false image of God in 
their minds. 

True forgiveness makes people lighthearted - and full of light

Some believers are sad and depressed because they do 
not forgive others. 

Have you ever wondered why so many of religious publications 
and sermons in churches consist of criticizing and condemning 
the world for its so-called "sins"? Did it ever come to your 
mind that such judgmental attitude is a direct violation of 
the spiritual law outlined by Jesus: "Judge not, that you may 
not be judged" (Matthew 7:1)?

Unforgiveness is still unforgiveness, no matter what are 
our rationalizations. Bitterness is still bitterness, no 
matter what are our reasons for it. And those believers 
who judge others in the name are God, are being judged. 
They become tense and unnatural. They lose joy and peace.  

Being cleansed of such negativism through complete forgiveness 
of others, we shift our attention from beholding sins of 
people to beholding Christ in people. We begin to see them 
not as they are now, but as they can be once they discover 
and develop their God-given powers. Faith-filled vision is 
a mighty uplifting influence.  

Let us always remember "the fullness of joys in the Presence", 
and return to that Presence every time we notice that 
the spirit of "doom and gloom" tries to invade us. And the life 
of joy in the Presence will prove to be the most rewarding, 
for it brings wholeness and restoration to all of our being.

Even from the natural standpoint we can talk about healing 
effects of joy, humor, and laughter. "A merry heart does good 
like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones" 
(Proverbs 17:22). In far greater measure this law can be 
applied to the pure spiritual joy which comes from beholding 
God's Face in prayer. 

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Andrei Yashurin: pczine@yandex.ru

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All messages (c) 2004 by Andrei Yashurin
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