Minister’s Message
Answering the Call to Pray
During the third quarter, we always celebrate Unity World Day of Prayer. As a tribute to Unity’s World Day of Prayer, I chose to focus on prayer. By sharing my own personal story, I have attempted to demonstrate not only the efficacy of prayer but, hopefully, to inspire in each of you the wonderful reality of a simple truth. Prayer works!
My many years with Silent Unity gave me the most precious gift of knowing at a deep level that prayer works; this knowing is beyond belief; it is at a cellular level.
The following article I wrote was published in Unity’s 2003 quarterly magazine. Some of you have heard me tell this story in classes I’ve taught. I feel it is worth repeating to inspire everyone that prayer works in many ways. In this instance I received a call to pray before anything happened. This is what I wrote:
Crisp air and sparkling sunlight enticed me to prepare one of my favorite autumn treats—-baked apples. I placed some apples in a glass baking dish, put them in the oven to bake, and left my apartment to get a massage, knowing they would be there to greet me when I returned. My massage therapist does such wonderful work to help me relax, and under normal circumstances, after my massage I go right home where I continue to allow myself a few moments of rest.
For some reason, this time after my half hour massage, I felt drawn to the Peace Chapel at Unity Village; I felt compelled to pray. I heeded this call and spent 45 minutes in meditation and prayer. Then, I returned to my apartment nearby and to my breadbox size kitchen. The aroma of baked apples greeted me as I walked through the door. I removed the glass dish from the oven and, not realizing one of the burners on my stove was turned on, I placed the piping hot glass dish on my electric stove— right on top of that burner!
The glass dish full of apples exploded in my face—pieces of hot fiery glass burst upward and burned into the tile floor all around me. Shocked, I took inventory of the damage and discovered that not even a single hair on my head had been harmed! My clothing was perfectly intact, yet I had been only 8 inches from the dish when it exploded.
I was stunned— not about the explosion, but by the miracle I had experienced. No harm or flame had touched me in this close encounter with danger. Instead, the flame shards of glass landed in a half circle around my body on the floor. Because I was so overwhelmed with gratitude to God, I called a friend in the prayer room to share this experience with him. With all my heart, I believe that God spoke to me through my sudden desire to go to the Peace Chapel and pray that day. In the process, I built a deeper awareness of the protection of the Spirit of God within and around me.
Throughout the years that I continued to live in that apartment, I gave thanks to God each time I saw the circular burned sections of tile and remembered the miracle I had experienced. This visual image helped me maintain my awareness of God’s protecting presence. I continue to give thanks today that I responded to the call to pray and that I have an unwavering knowledge that God’s protecting presence is always with me.
It is never too late to pray, dear friends, no matter how dark or pressing the situation may seem. Prayer is the key to open your mind and heart to the Presence of God that is always within & with you. Remember—Prayer Works!
With Love and Blessings
Rev Rose
PS: And as a side bar, I did not get my deposit refunded to me when I left Unity Village. I would have paid a lot more for the safety and the lesson I received that day when I responded to the urge to pray.