It is important to recognize that the scope of Christian prayer is
much wider than mere intercession or petition. It is the communion of
the soul with GOD, and its purpose is union with the life of GOD in
identity of purpose with His will. The beginning of prayer is a
_sursum corda_, a lifting up of the heart to GOD. It is well to
remember that true prayer is never a solitary act, even when a man
prays in solitude. We pray not as individuals but as members of a
Family, and our prayer is spiritually united and knit together with
the common prayer-life of the universal Church, of which it forms a
part. We pray, moreover, not to wrest to our private ends the purposes
of GOD, not to induce Him, so to speak, to do our wills instead of
His, but to unite our wills with His will, as children who have
confidence in their Father. True prayer is offered in the Name of
Christ--that is, it is prayed in His Spirit, according to His mind and
will. It can never, therefore, be selfish or self-centred. The Lord's
Prayer is its model and its type.
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