Prayer time 12 November 2025
The Things We’ve Been Avoiding? It’s their time!
Nau mai, haere mai, welcome all. It is good to be together to pray with others. Prayer is ultimately communion. Communion from us to the Father within. We come to this time with all sorts of wonderful scenarios going on … some crazy relationships, some wild situations in work, some real cracker situations that seem to have given us five suitcases full of drama and chaos.
Now all that ‘Wild and Crazy’ is in the material realm. Prayer is in the spiritual realm, and that’s actually more real than the things that feel like they’re closing in on us. Prayer is our communion with God. That’s what we’re here to do together. And to be - being praying people with other praying people.
Just briefly, how it works … there is nothing for you to do right, or get right. There is no right or wrong prayer. Any prayer as it springs forth from you, is a good prayer. In these sessions we are using the Unity style prayer which include 5 steps - Relaxation, Concentration, Meditation, Realisation and Appreciation.
Little story: I once heard an interview with Father Richard Rohr lament that he sometimes felt a little twinge of envy watching others pray who had less of a metaphysical or intellectual response to the Christian scriptures. He said he’s been through periods of thought where he wanted to make sure his prayer was ‘right’. Father Richard Rohr encourages us that any prayer is a good prayer. Don’t worry about getting your prayers to be Unity perfect - that’s not the point of prayer. Ok. Just saying.
“Dear God, help” would still be a regular and a favourite of mine, that’s for sure. The only difference these days, is that after I say those three words, I then get up and act like the answer. So….
And our candle lighting…. I invite you to gather all those thoughts of the day, all the difficulties and ruminating and we are going to, for the next 30 or so minutes, replace these thoughts with thoughts of God.
Relaxation
Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Invite:
Stretch
Breathe - first as it is, then deeper
We are slowing down
Notice your breath - where there is breath, there is life. Where there is life, God is.
Why do this? Because sometimes we need a bit of help moving from busy and problem solving, to relaxed and open and calm and expectant. This is just a little breath exercise … box breath - 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold - 7 times
And return to your regular breathing.
Concentration
I said this last week, I particularly enjoy this Concentration part of our prayer time. There is a saying that tickles my religious bones, and it is, that in prayer, we don’t get what we ask for, we get what we expect! What are we expecting to happen? What recurring thoughts about our life and our situation do we need to bring into alignment with God’s work? Let’s have a look at this together.
Let’s go.
Our first words to say:
Psalm 82:6
“I have said, ‘you are gods, children of the Most High, all of you.”
John 1: 12
“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”
Last week, we replaced our worrying thoughts and ruminating with Prayer Statements focusing on a couple of the main aspects of God - those being:
God is Love.
God is Light.
This week, we are adding to our prayer vocabulary the following:
Scripture: John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Theme: There is something for you to pay attention to, that requires your action and completion. We’re going to give it a help along!
Somewhere, in some quiet little corner of your thought life, where you go to eat chippies in a dark corner so no-one can judge you … in that corner of your life you may be shutting down the wonderful quiet whisper of God. The whisper of God can feel like a nudge to get moving, or it can appear like a new idea full of improbability. It can appear as the ‘back of an envelope’ idea that you’ve written down and not known how, where or when to take action.
I invite you to take a moment right now … it won’t take you long for this thing to come to mind.
There is something for you to pay attention to. There it is. That’s the thing. Now see that thing, and I invite to flood it with some love.
See those ideas written as envelop scratchings, see those bullet points in your journal or diary, see that drafted email you haven’t sent, see that project that is begging for completion, and let’s give it a little Golden Key prayer moment.
When we take the thought of impossibility or judgement about this idea, and we replace it with a truth statement.
In your mind’s eye, see this thing that needs your attention and completion.
Why are we judging this thing/idea? Why are we so full of doubt, self-doubt? Where did that ridiculously large imposter come from?
Are you saying - “I can’t cope. I can’t do that. It’s beyond me.”
Let me just say: Beethoven was profoundly deaf. It didn’t stop him hearing the music within and writing it down.
What is it that you are thinking you can’t do; that you can’t get this thing done.
What’s stopping the action? We’re addressing it right here and right now.
See that objection that you are creating, and replace it now with a truth statement. Examples: you’ve got the ‘thing to do that’s not yet done’ and you’ve got ‘the things you’re saying that are stopping you getting the idea/task/job done. Let’s get to work.
Now, hear this Scripture: Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
To deny - to say this can’t be so.
And we just deny quietly, gently, this is no big deal…..
Denial:
I deny the power of the thought of lack of time, money and resources to get this job done. I deny the idea of insufficiency any power over my abilities to complete this work, job, idea.
I deny the appearance of these difficulties or hindrances to my way, and I instead see the way as good and righteous.
Scripture: John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” - spoke Jesus as the Christ.
Replace perplexity with clarity and assert “Christ is the way”.
Denial: I deny anything to stand in the way of the truth and the life that is mine. I deny any person or situation can stand in the way of the full expression of life in me.
And here, we affirm boldly, with authority, as we speak truth statements.
Affirmation:
“I am affirm that Christ is the way in this situation, and I am therefore not dismayed. I gladly take on the task of completing this idea, and all fear and worry about this task now fade from me. The only thing that I desire is that which is for me, that which is mine to do, and that which brings about mutually beneficial results for all that are affected by this work.”
Denial:
I deny this situation as lasting or permanent. This situation does not dismay me.
Affirm:
I give thanks God’s love is in this situation, going before me and removing all negation and all error from my path.
[Teaching note: Golden Key your situation - replace the erroneous thought with a universal truth, or universal law like the Scriptures shared here. This pattern of prayer has been taught by many prayer warriors, but this particular reference is taught by Emmet Fox (1930s) and Iyanla Vanzant (contemporary).]
Before we move into our time of Silence (Meditation), I invite you to listen to a reading of some of the names of God that are found in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. Knowing some of the names of God is a helpful way to pray - especially when a situation feels too big, too tricky, or has such enormous consequences, that the only thing you feel you can do is whisper the name of God. The different names of God describe an aspect of God, or are descriptors of what God does.
I invite you to close your eyes and concentrate on the names of God as I read them - and what this name describes or declares about the aspect or nature of God. As you hear a name that resonates with a situation you are facing, you can use it in the coming week.
And we begin….
We say the name Elohim - the creator God. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Elohim.
We say the name Yahweh (Yhwh) - the I am, to be, to become. A relational name, God in relation to creation. Yahweh.
We say the name El Shaddai - God Almighty. God omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience. In and through whom we can do all things. El Shaddai.
We say the name Abhir - God almighty who protects us on Earth. Abhir.
And we say the name Jehovah Jireh - The Lord who foresees and provides. Jehovah Jireh.
Meditation
Scripture: The kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21
So here, we turn away from form, from the outer circumstances, from all that we’ve just held in mind and we allow a quiet turning within to that which already is - that the Kingdom of God is within you. So without effort, and without struggle, we will hold silence for 2 minutes - with no words to say, no thoughts to correct, just the understanding that in the silence and in the stillness, God is. I’ll stop talking now and give you a couple of minutes of quiet. I will ring the bell to bring us back together again. I give you the name Elohim - God the creator, to take into the quiet. Elohim.
Bell rings.
2 mins.
Bell rings.
Realisation
Scripture: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5
Affirm together - The Christ Mind is my mind now.
I invite you to repeat any or all of the following statements that link to the Scriptures we’ve read together and that may have touched a deeper, knowing, part of you.
I am divinely guided by the Creator God. All that I put my hand to, is God working in me, for me, through me, all around me. This work cannot fail.
I am that I am one with the Creator.
Just as I am, I am the radiant expression of God’s love, light, creativity and wonder.
Likewise, just as others are, they are the radiant expression of God’s love, light, creativity and wonder.
I am the ever renewing, ever unfolding expression of God’s light, God’s love and God’s spirit. Likewise, this Earth is the ever renewing, ever unfolding expression of God’s light, God’s love and God’s spirit.
Every aspect of my mind, my body and my affairs is foreseen and provided for through God’s infinite Good and Endless Supply. God is lavish, unfailing abundance and my life expresses God’s supply in action. It is therefore impossible for me to experience any lack or unfulfilled desires.
Appreciation
Scripture: “In everything give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
We give thanks for the realisation of Truth this evening. We give thanks that this day is a good day. We give thanks that right where we are, just as we are, we are in the Presence and fullness of God. As we lay down to peaceful sleep tonight, we give thanks for this wonderful, blessed day.
And so it is, tihei mauri ora, and we will finish our time now with a recitation of the Lord’s prayer followed by the ringing of our prayer bell, and our session will conclude.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed by your name.
Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever, amen.
Ringing of the prayer bell. And our hearts bow, goodnight.
Prepared by Jacinda Faloon-Cavander for Unity of NZ