Page 299 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible
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And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil:
For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, And the Glory
Forever and ever
Amen
This prayer, which is highlighted in the next chapter, asks man to recognize the presence of God in day-to-day life and to dedicate his individual will to the Supreme. Sins are not mere violations of moral laws; they originate from the ignorance of one’s spiritual nature. Therefore, the eagerness not to sin implies aspiration for communion with God through wisdom, through devotion and through sublime actions.
Thus every prayer demands faith, devotion to God, sincerity of aspiration, integration of one’s personality, and af rmation of the Spirit within. With feeling and understanding, every prayer, no matter from what religion or sect, becomes powerful and dynamic. But without meaning and feeling, every religious prayer, no matter how beautifully fashioned, no matter how sublimely written, no matter how clearly expressed, becomes like a lifeless repetition of recorded sounds.
Begin praying according to your deeper feelings and inclinations. As you pray, feel the presence of the Lord—a feeling so beautifully highlighted in the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson:
